Less is more? The key to modern happiness
The world's happiest country is Denmark, according to the latest World Happiness Report. Singapore is placed above Britain and below Mexico at number 22 in the report, which is the work of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a global United Nations initiative. The study ranks 157 countries according to factors which include equality, GDP per capita, social support and life expectancy.
Evolutionary psychologists Norman Li of Singapore Management University and Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics, however believe that the lifestyles of our ancient ancestors might have something to do with what makes us happy now.
In this podcast, SMU’s Associate Professor Norman Li from the School of Social Sciences who led the above research, discusses why some individuals are happier than others from an evolutionary point of view and what makes a life well-lived. He began by explaining the 'Savannah theory of happiness' which states that the same influences that made early humans satisfied are technically still the same in our current era.
Additional information for reference:
- Norman P. Li, Satoshi Kanazawa (2016). Country roads, take me home... To my friends: how intelligence, population density and friendship affect modern happiness. British Journal of Psychology.
- The Washington Post, 18 March 2016: Why smarter people are better off with fewer friends.