How happy are Thai people lately? Let's explore more...
Created By RISC | 3 years ago
Last modified date : 2 years ago
New Year is a time of happiness… But over the past 2 years, amid many world problems, how happy are Thais? Let's find out together.
The United Nations (UN) releases an annual World Happiness Report (WHR), which ranks countries based on a survey of about 1,000 people in each nation. Happiness scores are based on 6 key factors:
- GDP per capita
- Social support
- Healthy life expectancy at birth
- Freedom to make life choices
- Generosity
- Perceptions of corruption
Recent data shows Thais ranked 54th out of 149 countries, with a 2018-20 average of 5.97, down from 6.12 in 2009-11.
Thailand’s happiness is also measured by the National Statistical Office of Thailand. A survey of mental health in 2020 found that...
- Men's average mental health scores are better than women's.
- People aged 60 and over had the highest levels of mental health.
- Married people had better mental health, while those separated or divorced had the lowest.
- People in the North had the highest mental health, and those in Bangkok the lowest.
People who live alone have lower mental health than people who live with others.
But don’t feel down because Thais are less happy. We can all give ourselves a mental health check to boost our happiness. Being happy involves many factors, according to the WHR. In reality, though, we can create happiness by applying research to reduce anxiety and stress in 3 simple ways:
- Be around people like friends or family members, sharing feelings, and encouraging each other, especially when you’re close to someone happy, raises our happiness by 15%.
- Living with, exploring, and experiencing nature can relax us. Trees, birds, flowing water, wind, natural light, greenery in our homes stimulate the nervous system to balance our brains and improve our mood.
- Exercise that uses muscles can help your body produce endorphins, or "happiness hormones". They help the brain think, memorize, speak, see, hear, and feel better, and also improve our hormonal balance.
These 3 tips are easy to apply. Just start doing them and you’ll find happiness. Last but not least, RISC wishes you a Happy New Year.
Story by: Dr. Sarigga Pongsuwan, Vice President of RISC
Reference: Economic Intelligence Center (EIC), World Happiness Report (WHR) 2021, National Statistical Office. Mental Health (Happiness) Survey 2020