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In every country people think others are less happy than they themselves say (2017)

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31–40 of 103 posts

Re: In every country people think others are less happy than they themselves say (2017)

#31

What’s wrong with Honk Hong and South Korea ? 90% says they’re very or rather happy and thinks only 20% of their peer does. I wonder if that’s linked to a cultural thing. Any Asian expert have an idea here ?

Knowing someone who grew up in HK, they're the most impossibly optimistic person I know. Maybe there's something in the food :P

From Hong Kong and I’m curious when this survey is conducted. Seriously I can’t imagine people being happy over the trauma the last few years

Re: In every country people think others are less happy than they themselves say (2017)

#32
Read a story about how a large Russian based news site tried to create a "good news" mode which won't prioritise bad news. It was a flop and quickly ended - very few people enabled that mode and ad conversion while in that mode was almost zero.

We people are cruel creatures. We don't want news as much as we want to be entertained, and we are very much entertained by watching other people suffering.

Re: In every country people think others are less happy than they themselves say (2017)

#36

What’s wrong with Honk Hong and South Korea ? 90% says they’re very or rather happy and thinks only 20% of their peer does. I wonder if that’s linked to a cultural thing. Any Asian expert have an idea here ?

One interpretation of the chart is that it shows the extent to which people think their fellow citizens are being honest when they say they are happy.

Re: In every country people think others are less happy than they themselves say (2017)

#37
Such an arbitrary chart. On top of that, like other here said - can be easily skewed if the people surveyed are swayed by constant negative news in the media. They can say they're happy because they know it for sure but for others, they only see things in a twisted view.

Re: In every country people think others are less happy than they themselves say (2017)

#39
> Yup, and it shows that most people are happy but still think that most other people are unhappy

This (and alike) conclusion is likely wrong.

If there is a societal/cultural/political expectation to project happiness, people will say they are happy. Many people wouldn’t say they are unhappy to a stranger.

Fun fact, sociologists in Russia asking people nowadays “how do people around you feel? good/bad/worried/etc.” exactly because getting sincere answer to “how do you feel?” is impossible.

Re: In every country people think others are less happy than they themselves say (2017)

#40

Such an arbitrary chart. On top of that, like other here said - can be easily skewed if the people surveyed are swayed by constant negative news in the media. They can say they're happy because they know it for sure but for others, they only see things in a twisted view.

Isn't that what the chart is trying to show? To confirm that yeah, the world is actually happier than we estimate.

PS. "arbitrary", no idea if arbitrary, but the chart is difficult to read.

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