Shiny happy people

The UAE may offer a cosmopolitan lifestyle, great job opportunities and supply us with endless credit cards that enable us to buy fancy cars and designer gear - but even still, out of the Persian Gulf states, the Emirates came last in recent survey rating happiness. Maktoob Research, a regional online survey group found that the happiest people in the region live, not here, but in Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Having studied 7,434 residents of diverse nationalities across 11 countries, the study reveals that Oman has the highest percentage of happy people, followed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Next comes the UAE, followed by Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Morocco and last on the list, troubled Lebanon.

Numerous studies have shown that happiness can improve the quality of our lives. People who are happy are more likely to enjoy improved emotional and physical health, have stronger immune systems, live longer, possess higher energy levels and use their intelligence more efficiently. Benefits at work are said to include increased creativity, productivity and better salaries, while social benefits include more friends, better relationships and stronger social support.

Some may be surprised to hear that a rigidly conservative and totalitarian society like Saudi Arabia topped the charts in terms of happiness. Ruba Ayat, is a 23-year-old from Lebanon, who has lived 18 years in Dubai, certainly was. “I am very shocked that Saudi Arabia was found to have the happiest people. I would have said people in the UAE were happiest, as we have the social life. I am incredibly happy here. It’s a home away form home,” says Ruba.

Reem, a Palestinian who lived in Saudi Arabia for three years says that she understands why Saudis may be considered so happy. “It would be silly to try and deny the restrictions that living in Saudi Arabia entails, but that by no means translates into it being a life of endless misery. If you’ve been born and raised within that culture and have not been exposed to another lifestyle, then there is as much to be happy about as there is to complain about,” says Reem.

“One of the greatest things that life in Saudi still offers is a reasonable pace to life - there is none of the hustle and bustle and people have actual time to themselves. It is safe and the standard of living is good. It is a consumerist society that provides every conceivable item, that caters to all economic levels and more than anything, the family unit is still sacred and a huge part of daily life. Maybe all this makes people happy.”

Regardless of nationality, the majority of Arabs that I spoke to about happiness, said that they were extremely content with life in Dubai and their reasons included safety, job security, salary and a high standard of living.

Lebanese-born Raed Bouajram, has lived 20 years in Dubai and loves it. “There is security here and plenty of opportunities to find a job. The social aspect of Dubai is unbelievable. You can go bar hopping, clubbing and then the next morning you can attend mass or go to the mosque,” says Raed. “It combines the best of both worlds, from the conservative traditional way of life to the crazy pseudo European lifestyle. The amount of materialism here is a little concerning, but I suppose you have to take the good with the bad.”

----What makes people happy or unhappy

Factors that make people happy vary from country to country. However, major reasons, according to the survey, include an optimistic nature, being part of a close-knit loving family, marital stability, wonderful friends, strong religious faith, high levels of job satisfaction, financial and career stability, sizeable income, good health, a successful career and achievement of personal goals.

Reasons for unhappiness include very high costs of living, problems at work, insufficient salary, unemployment, bad health, obesity, dissatisfaction with personal appearance, unhappy marital and family life, lack of close friends, large debts, unsatisfactory academic results, recent loss of loved ones, general instability and uncertainty regarding the future.

(Source: 7days.ae)

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