It’s no secret that Singapore is one of the most productive and healthy economies in the world. Its economy has doubled in the past decade, and it’s become the hub for doing business in the booming Asia-Pacific region. But when asked questions about quality of life, well-being, and simple things like “Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?”, only 36% of Singaporeans responded affirmatively to the questions compared to 60% of Filipinos.
The findings of the survey have created some talk amongst Singaporean academics and government officials about how they can improve the emotional state of the country. So, why do the Philippines consistently score highly in satisfaction and happiness surveys? For Filipinos, happiness isn’t material, it’s about family, health and religion (they have the third highest weekly religious attendance in the world, 68%; Nigeria tops with 89 % followed by Ireland 84%). Filipinos are also generally self-sufficient, resilient people who get on with things.
