TS reprints an interesting graph from National Review that compares Gross Domestic Product per Capita with Life Satisfaction (i.e. happiness). In other words, on one graph we see a nation’s wealth as compared to individual happiness of its citizens.
As expected, most of the countries are clustered on the low end of the wealth scale. It’s interesting that along most of the scale there appears to be as many countries with below-average happiness versus above-average. But most interesting, is that the happiest country is not among the wealthiest and, here’s the topper, the five happiest yet poor countries are all predominantly Catholic: Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and happiest of all, Colombia. Yes, the nation dubbed the kidnapping capital of the world plagued by drug wars and both Marxist and right-wing guerillas. These are the happiest people as a whole.
Perhaps there’s something to the idea that it isn’t money that makes one happy. Maybe it has something to do with that Catholic faith.
