So, while you're hunkered down at your desk job and making coffee like a pro, you suddenly want to pack your bags and move thousands of miles away to a tropical country. It's up to you whether you actually go through with this plan - generally speaking, fantasy only works in this case - but if you're determined to travel, you might want to check out some of the most active countries in the world. After all, if all your Instagram posts are terrible, quitting your job and traveling will lose its impact.
According to this year's Gallup Global Sentiment Report, which measures the positive and negative experiences of people around the world, Latin American countries are among the most positive in the world. The annual report's findings are based on interviews with nearly 147,000 adults in 140 countries around the world and seek to better understand a country's quality of life beyond traditional economic factors. Given the current refugee crisis and ongoing civil war, it's perhaps unsurprising that Syria ranks as the least positive country, with a score of 36 out of 100. In contrast, Paraguay is the most positive country, with a score of 84.
Of course, dozens of similar reports appear every year; in fact, yesterday the World Happiness Report ranked Denmark as the happiest country in the world. Rankings depend on a variety of factors, from data collection methods to the measures used to determine happiness, so results tend to vary. (It should also be noted that positivity and happiness are related , but they are not the same thing.) However, as the New York Times points out, the happiest countries do have some things in common: stable economies, “strong Social safety nets and relatively equal distribution of wealth, by contrast, the least happy countries tend to be poorer and torn apart by civil strife or disease.
Interestingly, some of the countries that score high in the Gallup report have been known for civil unrest in the past. Most notably, Honduras is home to one of the most violent cities in the world. You can see the results of the Gallup report for yourself here . Let’s take a look at the happiest countries below:
1. Paraguay
Paraguayan dancers perform in the parade.
Happiness Index: 84
2. Guatemala, Honduras, Uzbekistan and Ecuador
Fishermen in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
Happiness Index: 83
3. El Salvador and Indonesia
Mount Bromo, East Java, Indonesia.
Happiness Index: 82
Image: Pexels; Jiffy; Michael Day, Adam Baker/Flickr
