Can money buy happiness?

Is the World Happiness Report's methodology flawed? Let's have a look.

- PUJA MEHRA

When I was in college, my mum’s elder brother and I got talking about happiness while on a walk one day. “There will be ups and downs in life that will for some time unsettle you,” he said, “but no matter what goes on in life and the world, if you have four things, you’ll never feel unhappy. The four things are: love of nature, love of reading, the habit of counting our blessings and social connections, whether through work or people, that reaffirm our sense of self-worth.” It is naturally among the most important conversations of my life. I can tell you all these years later that he is right.

The World Happiness Report 2023 has ranked India 126 out of 137 countries. In 2022, India was ranked 136 out of 146 countries. Finland and Denmark retained their positions at first and second place, something most Indians can live with, given the reputation these countries have for high levels of life satisfaction. But where the report’s release predictably – and amusingly – reduced the happiness levels of many Indians, especially those on Twitter, instantly is this: Sri Lanka, a country that is going through a phase of tremendous economic distress and social strife, and Ukraine, which is fighting Russia for more than a year now, ranked higher than India. The countries happier than India, according to this report, include Nepal (78), Bangladesh (118), and, hold your breath, Pakistan (108). This is when Pakistan’s economy is in severe crisis, and the country is on the verge of default. That’s not all. Despite the hardships heaped on them by the war in Ukraine, with many young Russians fleeing the country to escape conscription, Russia has climbed ten positions to rank 70 this year. Some complaints are about the relatively higher number of deaths by suicides in countries ranked higher than India.