BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
It is a prevalent perception that wealth leads to happiness, but new research contradicts this notion, revealing that some of the happiest people on the planet live in small, low-income communities. A global survey discovered that many people in these communities report better levels of life satisfaction than those in wealthy countries, implying that pleasure may be more closely linked to social bonds and basic living than financial success.
Exploring happiness in small-scale societies
The study, which included roughly 3,000 people from 19 remote areas across five continents, sought to investigate the impact of climate change on small-scale communities. However, the researchers also investigated the individuals’ life satisfaction by asking, “All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life on a scale from 0 to 10?”
The researchers encountered several hurdles in accessing these communities, including travel across South American jungles, South Asian Himalayas, and African grasslands and deserts. They translated surveys into native languages and interviewed randomly selected people from over 100 tiny settlements. Because many participants did not have a fixed income, the researchers calculated earnings based on home goods, finding that many people in these regions lived on only a few dollars per day.
Despite their modest income, many participants expressed high levels of life satisfaction. In some communities, average satisfaction levels exceeded those of wealthier countries. According to Eric Galbraith, one of the primary researchers, “Some of the communities in the survey even reported ‘very high levels of satisfaction (above 8 out of 10) that exceeded the national average in many wealthy countries.'”
Challenging the wealth-happiness connection
These findings contradict the generally accepted belief that happiness is inextricably associated with money. The Easterlin paradox, which states that an increase in a society’s wealth does not always result in increased happiness, may help explain this disparity. Historically, studies have focused on the relationship between money and happiness, but this study reveals that the association may be weaker than previously thought.
Furthermore, the study emphasizes the limitations of standard happiness indicators, such as the Cantril ladder approach, which appears in studies such as the World Happiness Report. This method asks respondents to rank their lifestyles on a scale of 0 to 10, which typically leads to people focusing on their income. This could explain why wealthy countries have better happiness rates, even if financial affluence does not always translate into higher life satisfaction.
The power of social connections
So, what’s the key to happiness in these low-income neighborhoods? According to Galbraith, the solution resides in social bonds and the deep connection to nature that many people in these communities have. “As deeply social animals, humans are tightly attuned to the security of their position within society, including the support they can count on from others,” he said. Strong interpersonal relationships and a stable social standing are sometimes more important to happiness than material wealth.
Galbraith also noted that, while these communities have limited resources, they are not impoverished in the sense of lacking fundamental essentials. Instead, they live in intimate contact with nature, which numerous studies say promotes overall well-being.
This study demonstrates that happiness is not exclusive to the wealthy. In reality, some of the most contented people live in small, low-income communities where social bonds and a strong connection to nature trump financial wealth. According to this study, the ultimate core of pleasure may lay in who we share our life with rather than what we have.
Source study: PNAS—High life satisfaction reported among small-scale societies with low incomes
