World Happiness Report, conducted by the Wellbeing Research Center of the University of Oxford, Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, on the annual barometer of well-being in 143 countries, showed that Serbia recorded a jump of 69 positions, so it is now in 37th place.
The subjective feeling of the citizens of Serbia is that they live better than 10 years ago, and the best ratings were given by young people under 30, while those over 60 are the most dissatisfied with life.
Social psychologist Srđan Puhalo explains for "Vreme" that if the subjective assessment of happiness was examined, it would mean that someone asks "how happy are you?", and then the paradox occurs that some African countries are happier than some Western European or North American countries, where the standard much higher.
"If it was a subjective assessment, then the question arises as to what parameters they took when assessing how happy they were, whether it is - we are alive, we are healthy, my family is fine, we are together, I have some work, so someone says ' yes, I'm happy'. Who you compare yourself to is very important. "If you compare yourself to those who are worse than you, of course you will say that you are more satisfied," says Puhalo.
He adds that it can also be said that Vučić's media machinery has done its job and that people really believe that they are happy.
In addition to subjective parameters, there are also objective ones, so Puhalo says that it would be best to measure both subjective and objective parameters, and it should be seen what is the most realistic price of some economic prosperity, what is the health, education, how the system is organized, up to and including corruption , and then with that personal happiness. Overall, make a total score.
Culturally conditioned
When asked if happiness is culturally conditioned and how, Puhalo says that if people are raised in a value system where modesty is a virtue or that belonging to a group is more important than individual happiness, then there will be a different perception of life satisfaction.
"In China, Japan, and even in Islamic countries, collective belonging, collective success is much more important than personal success." However, in America it is more important that you are personally successful or personally happy, and these are simply different things that are conditioned by culture, because someone was brought up this way, someone that way", says Puhalo and repeats that this is why there is a paradox where some African countries on those scales, better listed than some European countries.
Young people and pensioners
The report also showed "worrying declines in the happiness of young people, especially in North America and Western Europe," said Prof. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Center and editor of the study.
Puhalo explains that this is again culturally determined because in the West individual values are dominant, so happiness is something that is taken for granted in reality, and that is why when you go to America or the West, you can see how everyone is smiling, and for example they know they don't mind laughing, they are all kind, nice and simply, if they are rich, they want to show it through apartments, cars and various status symbols.
There is research in the world that says there is a U-shaped happiness, so there is an upside-down U and a straight U.
"When happiness increases with age and then decreases, that is the case somewhere in the Balkans." There are societies where it's the other way around, you're happiest when you're young, then it declines until you're 40, 50, and then it starts to grow again. These are usually settled Western countries, such as Denmark or Sweden, where there is a system that has provided older people with a decent life and treats those people who are at the end of their careers and lives with respect," says Puhalo.
According to Puhalo, the data that in this research the most dissatisfied with life are those over 60 years old is completely expected in the Balkans.
He says that the problem is that society does not treat older people adequately, and that when they retire, society immediately writes them off.
Second, he says, economic strength declines sharply once they retire. While they were working they had decent salaries, now when they retire they become a "burden" and in the end "we have a state that treats pensioners like that, and they feel redundant".
Can happiness be defined?
What is happiness? Puhalo says that it is a personal matter and it is difficult to find a definition.
But, he notes that there is a culture of happiness that is "disgusting", so there is positive psychology where someone explains how one should be happy and why.
"I think that we don't always have to be happy and that it's perfectly fine to be unsympathetic sometimes, as long as it doesn't last long and not often," concludes Puhalo. "What would life be like if we were always happy, satisfied, that's not normal yet." Too much expectation, pumping up happiness can be counterproductive, and that sad day after the New Year and holidays is an example of that."
