Have you ever wondered what makes people happy? Besides love and loved ones, of course.
Probably your first thought will be money. It’s well known that money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can make life more enjoyable. Being able to provide for one’s basic needs and having the flexibility to pursue meaningful activities that bring us joy – whether it be going on a dream vacation, taking up a hobby or helping a loved one out financially – contributes greatly to our overall wellbeing.
Of course, the lack of money affects the feeling of happiness. However, there are other sources of happiness that do not depend on money. They are health, longevity, freedom of choice of occupation, freedom of pastime, a sense of shoulder from the government and leadership, a favorable environment, and much more.
When it comes to governments taking care of the happiness of their citizens, there are a variety of different initiatives that are taken. Many countries have implemented various programs such as free health services for those in need and providing numerous public activities that boost morale and encourage community spirit. Additionally, some countries are investing in urban planning, public transportation systems and infrastructure upgrades in order to improve life quality in cities and towns.
Furthermore, many governments also offer incentives for businesses to open up shop or invest more in certain areas; this helps both create jobs and provides residents with further entertainment options. Ultimately, governments strive to provide a level of satisfaction amongst its citizens through these different approaches in order to ensure a happy society.
Of course, these measures may be sufficient or, conversely, too weak. Some countries are blatantly bad with education, others with corruption, and still others with early mortality. There is no perfect country where every inhabitant is happy. However, many governments do strive for it.
I decided to do research on how happy people are in different countries. I found suitable datasets on Kaggle, uploaded them to Google Collaboratory, and built a lot of interesting tables and graphs using Python.
