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Articles on Happy Matters:

Are We Happy?

We may be a well-to-do country, but are we a happy people? If not, what can we do?

According to the Happy Planet Index, compiled by the folks at the New Economic Foundation, Singapore ranks 131 out of a possible 178 countries in its definition of happiness.

When I first read about this in the Straits Times, I thought that this was a little strange. Surely, we are not so unhappy? Si I decided to find out more. I went to the website and discovered that I could actually participate in the survey to get my own happiness index. (You can also try it out here: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/survey.htm). Despite being very upbeat with my own self-assessment, the result still said that I ranked lower than the global average.

Upon investigation, I realised that the index did not just measure my self-perception, but my "social functionings" and my "ecological footprint" as well. I scored particularly badly with my ecological footprint mainly because I drive a car, eat meat and "fly" more than most people because of work. The report said that I was using between three and five times my share of the planet's resources.

The countries that scored the highest in this index are the island nation Vanuatu and Latin American countries like Colombia, Costa Rica and El Salvador. I'm assuming that because the incidence of driving, eating meat and flying are low for the residents of these countries, their ecological footprint scores are very high, and hence they are high up on the index. I get the point about our ecological footprint, but this survey is not a good one for the measure of personal happiness.

I looked around for another global survey and found one conducted by the World Values Survey. In a 2004 study that ranked 82 societies based on "combined Happiness and Life Satisfaction scores"' Singapore ranked 24. The countries that ranked higher than Singapore are Switzerland, U.S.A., Australia and... Colombia and El Salvador.

Hmm...the folks of Colombia and El Salvador seem to socre high in various happiness surveys. What is their "Quality of Life" I wonder. For this, I looked at The Economist's Quality of Life index 2005, which measures dimensions such as material well-being, health and family relations, and I found that Singapore ranjed 11, and Colombia and El Salvador ranked 54 and 56 respectively, out of a total of 111 countries surveyed.

Looking at even more Happiness research, I found that happiness means different things to different people from around the globe. For example, the U.K. New Scientist Magazine noted that "in the U.S., satisfaction comes from personal success, self-expression, pride, a high sense of self. In Japan, on the other hand, it comes from fulfilling the expectations of your family, meeting your social responsibilities, self-discipline, cooperation and friendliness. So while in the U.S., it is perfectly appropriate to pursue your own happiness, in Japan you are more likely to find happiness by not directly pursuing it."

So Happiness is subjective. The folks in Colombia and El Salvador may be happier simply because they have happier perspectives, despite ranking low on quality of life. Singaporeans may have less happy perspectives (not "unhappy" perspectives, just "less"), despite scoring high on economic and social development.

Now let's talk about money. Is happiness all about adopting happy perspectives? Do we need money to be happy? Or does it mean that money doesn't buy happiness?

Well...we at Fundsupermart.com are, after all, in the investment business. Where would we be if people thought that money can't buy happiness? From my point of view, money certainly can buy happiness. For people around my age, who have old parents and young children to take care of, money can buy quality healthcare and quality education. It can buy relaxing holidays and challenging toys. Do we not experience joy when we are able to provide these things to our loved ones? Would we be happier if we did not have the means to pay for these things? Certainly this is not so.

But then again, we've heard often enough that people say that money can't buy happiness. Where does that come from, I wonder? Dp poor people say that, or rich people? I imagine that it is the people who already have money who would say things like that. The people who do not have money would be struggling to make ends meet.

The rich people say that money can't buy happiness because once they have money, they have loftier goals, desires and needs to achieve, and often these require more than money to arrive at.

So I would say that money is a necessary condition for happiness, but may not be a sufficient one for some. But it's important to be happy, isn't it? I mean, what would be the point of all our money if we were not happy?

So what can we do?

The world of Happiness research gives some clues. The researchers at the World Values Survey noted some "happiness suppressants". Chief among them is the pursuit of material goods. It seems that, for the people of economically developed or developing countries, there is a constant pressure to "keep up with the Joneses" in both status and material ownership. The researchers noted that "what counts is nt what you have so much as what others have" and that the constant comparison and pressure to achieve are making people miserable.

The BBC, sieving through a range of social science research in 2005, published this summary of the things that cause people to be happy (the words in brackets are mine).

1. Genetic propensity to happiness (Your genes can cause you to have certain emotional predispositions. So if you want happy kids, it is important that you try to maintain happy perspectives)

2. Marriage (Married people are generally happier than single ones, despite all the jokes about wives and mother-in-laws)

3. Make friends and value them

4. Desire less

5. Do someone a good turn

6. Have faith, religious or not

7. Stop comparing your looks with others

8. Earn more money (or make more, with Fundsupermart.com)

9. Grow old gracefully

10. Don't worry if you're not a genius (many people get depressed because they benchmark themselves against impossible standards, so this last point is about setting more realistic goals)

I though I might leave you with that and wish you a Happy 2007

Moh Hon Meng
Fundsupermart.com
Singapore
18 Feb 2007

Mr Moh Hon Meng is the Executive Director of iFAST Group. www.fundsupermart.com

Want To Be Happy? Inject FUN Into Your Life

The British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) was one of the 20th century's most influential thinkers. His Principia Mathematica is one of philosophy's most celebrated (and most difficult) works; and his A History of Western Philosophy is one of its most widely read. In 1950 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

But he didn't confine himself to philosophical speculation. He had plenty to say about practical matters, such as marality, sexuality, education and happiness; and he was well-known for his anti-war and anti-nuclear protests, which landed him in jail twice. In 1958 he became the founding president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

You might think that a man od such formidable intellect, engaged in so many important matters, would have little time for "mere" hobbies and pastimes. But this was not the case. In fact, he believed that they are essential ingredients of a happy life.

Russell on happiness
As a youth, Bretrand Russell was very unhappy. He was often on the verge of suicide and was restrained only by "desire to know more mathematics". But as he grew older, he learnt to enjoy life. At age 60, he wrote: "I might almost say that with every year that passes, I enjoy (life) more."

In 1930 he shared his experiences and insights in a book entitled The Conquest of Happiness. The first part of the book is concerned with the caused of unhappiness, such as boredom, envy, fatigue and fear of public opinion. The second part is concerned with the causes of happiness, such as affection, zest, work and family.

Amongst the causes of happiness, Russell includes "impersonal interest", by which he means things that we do simply for pleasure, and which have nothing to do with our work or responsibilities. In other words: things we do for fun.

Why does he consider these things so important?

First of all, they provide us with an antidote to one of our main sources of unhappiness: fatigue. If we are too preoccupied with worries and responsibilities, we quickly lose our zest for life. Impersonal interests provide us with the rest and relaxation we need to keep us energised and invigorated.

Secondly, impersonal interests help us to keep a sense of proportion. It is very easy to attach undue importance to ourselves, to our work and to our little corner of the world. But a passionate interest in chess, butterflies, flower-arranging or basketball counteracts this tendency to self-absorption, and reminds us that there is much of value in the world besides ourselves.

For example, a man or a woman who takes the time to explore the constellations of the night-sky cannot help but gain a wider perspective on things. Someone might say: "Hobbies and pastimes are all very well for some. But not for me. I have too many important matters to attend to." According to Bertrand Russell, this is a grave error. When we deny ourselves the time to pursue impersonal interests, we work longer but we do not work better:

The man who can forget his work when it is over... is likely to do his work far better than the man who worries about it throughout the intervening hours. And it is very much easier to forget work at the times when it ought to be forgotten if a man has many interests other than his work, according to Bertrand Russell.

Time spent on pleasurable activities is not time wasted. It is time invested.

Don't forgo hobbies
From my own experiences, I have found Bertrand Russell to be absolutely right.

I am a keen though mediocre squash player. At times of great stress, I am sometimes tempted to forgo my squash games, and either continue working or simply slump in front of the TV.

But I have learnt to resist the temptation. Even when I am at my busiest, the time I spend chasing a small rubber ball around a squash court is time well-spent. My worries are quickly forgotten, and I return to my responsibilities with renewed energy.

So make time for fun. Not only will it make you happier, it will also make you more productive.

Gary Hayden
United Kingdom
18 May 2007