It’s often said that money can’t buy happiness, and now a survey seems to be proving it to be true.
Although it is generally believed that wealthy nations or people are the happiest on earth, a recent survey found that low-income people living in small communities are often happier.
Scientists leading the global survey gathered their data by surveying nearly 3,000 people from 19 locations across five continents.
Although the study initially aimed to assess the impact of climate change on small-scale communities, many of which were local, the researchers also included the question of how satisfied people are with their lives.
This stage of information gathering was not easy. The communities the researchers visited were all remote and sometimes required crossing the jungles of South America, the mountains of South Asia, and the grasslands and deserts of Africa. The team also translated the survey into local languages and conducted interviews with selected individuals from more than 100 small villages.