People in Oman, Saudi ‘happiest’

Of the total number of people under research Oman topped the happy people list with 61 per cent followed closely by Saudi Arabia which recorded 57 per cent.

People residing in Oman and Saudi Arabia are the happiest in the Middle East, according to a survey. The survey, titled the ‘Happiness Survey’ was conducted by Maktood Research in March and focused on 7,434 residents of diverse nationalities across 11 countries in the GCC, Levant and North Africa region.

Of the total number of people under research Oman topped the happy people list with 61 per cent followed closely by Saudi Arabia which recorded 57 per cent. “Our first ‘Happiness Survey’ has revealed some very interesting results. The GCC countries emerge as the happiest with Oman and Saudi Arabia taking the lead. The survey has also revealed that respondents below the age of 18 and above 36 are the happiest. Another important finding is that one of the most quoted factors for unhappiness among surveyed countries is the rising cost of living,” said Tamara Deprez, Maktoob Research director.

According to a company statement, “A number of studies have been conducted in recent years by psychologists, who have endeavoured to find out whether happiness can truly benefit a person. Results from these studies have shown that happiness can indeed improve the quality of our lives. People who are happy are more likely to enjoy improved emotional and physical health, have stronger immune systems, live longer, possess higher energy levels, and use their intelligence more efficiently.”

Benefits at the workplace include higher creativity, increased productivity and better salaries while social benefits came from larger circles of friends, better marital relationships, stronger social support and richer social interaction, it said. “With a list of benefits this large, it’s no wonder that people the world over constantly seek novel ways to increase their levels of happiness,” said the statement.

Some of the key findings of the survey were factors that contribute to happiness and reasons for unhappiness. The survey found that happiness boosters included an optimistic nature, being part of a close-knit and loving family, marital stability, good friends, strong religious faith, high levels of job satisfaction, financial and career stability, sizable income, good health, a successful career and achievement of personal goals. Similarly, major reasons for unhappiness include battling high costs of living, problems at work, poor salaries, unemployment, ill health, obesity, problems with personal image, an unhappy marital and family life, the lack of friends, large debts, unsatisfactory academic results, general instability and uncertainty regarding the future.

According to some respondents from Lebanon, one of the chief reasons for unhappiness is the current lack of political stability in the country. But a good number of respondents said they saw themselves as neither happy nor unhappy but somewhere in between.

Surprisingly, the results reflected equal levels of happiness among men and women across the region. The combined percentage was 49 per cent where 19 per cent men and 17 per cent women described themselves as unhappy with the remaining standing in between. Older respondents (aged 46 and above) were clearly the happiest with an overall happiness quotient of 59 per cent. They were followed by the middle aged group (ages 36 – 45) who recorded 54 per cent on the happiness scale. Next came respondents below the age of 18 with a happiness quotient of 53 per cent and the 18-35 age-group recorded
47.5 per cent.