Vanuatu is world's happiest country

Quote from RichardRimes:

I'm surprised Australia was so far down on the list. I would have guessed it to be a very nice place to live.
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My experience with Aussies has been that they're great fun to be around until they've had too much to drink.

That's the case with many people regardless of nationality, but for some reason the Aussies I've met mutate into obnoxious assholes after one Fosters too many...
 
Quote from reid5525:

if you're walking around naked all the time you got to be happy....probably make the women happy too.
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not my type 'a gals, but does'nt mean it would'nt make them happy.
 
Quote from ZZZzzzzzzz:

Vanuatu is world's happiest country: study

Wed Jul 12, 11:08 AM ET

The tiny South Pacific Ocean archipelago of Vanuatu is the happiest country on Earth, according to a study published measuring people's wellbeing and their impact on the environment.

Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama complete the top five in the Happy Planet Index, compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF).

The index combines life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental footprint -- the amount of land required to sustain the population and absorb its energy consumption.

Zimbabwe came bottom of the 178 countries ranked, below second-worst performer Swaziland, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine.

The Group of Eight industrial powers meet in Saint Petersburg this weekend but have not much to smile about, according to the index.

Italy came out best in 66th place, ahead of Germany (81), Japan (95), Britain (108), Canada (111), France (129), the United States (150) and Russia, in lowly 172nd place.

Andrew Simms, NEF's policy director, said the index "addresses the relative success or failure of countries in giving their citizens a good life while respecting the environmental resource limits on which all our lives depend."

Nic Marks, the head of NEF's centre for wellbeing, added: "It is clear that no single nation listed in the Happy Planet Index has got everything right.

"But the index does reveal patterns that show how we might better achieve long and happy lives for all, whilst living within our environmental means," he said, according to British daily The Guardian.

"The challenge is: can we learn the lessons and apply them?"

Island nations performed particularly well in the rankings. But Vanuatu, with a population of around 200,000, topped them all.

"Don't tell too many people, please," said Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.

"People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little," he told The Guardian.

"This is not a consumer-driven society. Life here is about community and family and goodwill to other people. It's a place where you don't worry too much."

"The only things we fear are cyclones or earthquakes."

Selected others: 17. Philippines; 23. Indonesia; 31. China; 32. Thailand; 44. Malaysia; 62. India; 64. Iceland; 70. Netherlands; 87. Spain; 88. Hong Kong; 89. Saudi Arabia; 99. Denmark; 112. Pakistan; 115. Norway; 119. Sweden; 123. Finland; 139. Australia; 154. UAE; 156. South Africa; 159. Kuwait; 166. Qatar.
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The reason for the prozac, affairs, etc...is because industrialized countries are so advanced in living that it's average citizens live better than many of these island kings. There is no suspense, which is not natural to the human condition. We are still hunter gatherers biologically. When there is no need to hunt and nothing to gather we find something. I would bet that if these island nations were Americanized, however, they would not look back.
 
Quote from DrawDown:

Yeah... they definitely look like they're the happiest people on earth....

<img src=http://www.galen-frysinger.com/graphics/vanuatu1.jpg>
men of Vanuatu

<img src=http://www.galen-frysinger.com/graphics/vanuatu2.jpg>
women of Vanuatu

Where do I buy a ticket to get there...?

dd
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Yep! Put me on the first plane to that joint. Yikes!:D
 
hope they don't get americanized. would be dull if there was nothing exotic, and no diversity on the planet. america is ok, but there is also quality living outside america.
 
Quote from reid5525:

hope they don't get americanized. would be dull if there was nothing exotic, and no diversity on the planet. america is ok, but there is also quality living outside america.
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True, but westernization is only a matter of time, unless there is a specific reason why the land and people cannot be mobilized for profit.
 
Quote from oddiduro:

True, but westernization is only a matter of time, unless there is a specific reason why the land and people cannot be mobilized for profit.
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americanization/westernization is alive and well in third world. american and european corporations drive those economies. but those countries with big tourist business know that they must protect the exotic ambience and not have every piece of bushland developed.
 
well I got few things to say to zzzzz. I really dont care where usa ranks. It could rank last. Ive visited many countries and im more than happy to be here. I personally am happy here and it gives my family the best chance to be happy. I really dont care about others. This country gives just about everyone a decent chance to be happy if they choose to. What i fail to understand is if you are so miserable in this country why stay. If i truely hated the county i would pack my bags and go to a country that i would be happy in. My guess is you are a loser and you would be a loser in any country. You hate yourself and you have a miserable life and from reading a few of your posts its obvious you point out all the negatives of this country to see if someone else agrees with your conclusion.

Every single country has problems. If you are from pakistan you got nothing to write home about. Its one of the shittiest countries. Thats why every one with little bit of commensense there tries to come here. Again that is my opinion about the country as i would never want to live there. If people are happy more power to them.
 
D E N I A L....

Quote from options2001:

well I got few things to say to zzzzz. I really dont care where usa ranks. It could rank last. Ive visited many countries and im more than happy to be here. I personally am happy here and it gives my family the best chance to be happy. I really dont care about others. This country gives just about everyone a decent chance to be happy if they choose to. What i fail to understand is if you are so miserable in this country why stay. If i truely hated the county i would pack my bags and go to a country that i would be happy in. My guess is you are a loser and you would be a loser in any country. You hate yourself and you have a miserable life and from reading a few of your posts its obvious you point out all the negatives of this country to see if someone else agrees with your conclusion.

Every single country has problems. If you are from pakistan you got nothing to write home about. Its one of the shittiest countries. Thats why every one with little bit of commensense there tries to come here. Again that is my opinion about the country as i would never want to live there. If people are happy more power to them.
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