A study reveals the impact of Covid-19 on global happiness

New research finds that the coronavirus pandemic has not had a negative impact on global happiness.

according to study Of more than 100,000 people in 137 countries, people rated their quality of life as high between 2020-2022, as they did in the two years before the pandemic.

The poll, conducted by Gallup and published in the annual World Happiness Report, asked respondents to rate their lives on a scale of one to 10. Respondents gave the same scores before and after the crisis.

The study also found that global measures of “misery” decreased and those over the age of 60 reported an improvement in their happiness compared to the younger groups.

People also reported positive emotions—laughter, enjoyment, and caring—twice as often as they reported negative feelings of anxiety, sadness, and anger during the pandemic.

“It’s amazing,” said John Helliwell, professor of economics at the University of British Columbia and co-editor of the report.

“People ended up spotting their neighbours. People were checking in regularly [with other generations] So this sense of isolation was not as great as you might expect… Even during these difficult years, positive feelings remained twice as prevalent as negative feelings, and feelings of positive social support were twice as strong as those of loneliness.”

However, the report noted, “It is important to remember that some of the people most affected by Covid-19, including the homeless and the founding, were not included in the survey samples.”

The research comes after a BMJ review found that people’s general mental health symptoms rarely worsened during the pandemic.

However, a study published in scalpel It was suggested last week that people who have experienced severe Covid-19 symptoms are more likely to develop long-term mental health problems.

Meanwhile, the new survey found that per capita GDP, social support, a healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and freedom from corruption were the main drivers of happiness.

It found that Finland topped the general happiness table for the sixth year in a row, while Denmark came in second place and Iceland in third place. The United Kingdom dropped to 19th place and Afghanistan came last.

“The ultimate goal of politics and ethics should be human well-being,” said Jeffrey Sachs, a Columbia University professor who co-authored the report.

“The happiness movement shows that well-being is not a soft and vague notion but rather focuses on the areas of life that are of crucial importance: material conditions, mental and physical wealth, personal virtues, and good citizenship. We need to turn this wisdom into practical results to bring more peace, prosperity, confidence, civility – and, yes, happiness – in our communities.”