So, the Happy Planet Index in Guatemala has ranked us number 4 as far as the happiest places to live go. Costa Rica is ranked number 1, but I think they paid off the surveyors, and the Dominican Republic and Jamaica at spots number 2 and 3, respectively.
The HPI, or Happy Planet Index, ranking of each country is determined by the life expectancy, life satisfaction, and ecological footprint left on the country.
Life expectancy in Guatemala is where we rank lowest, with the estimate being between 60–75 years. This falls in the middling range, and is what brings our score below Costa Rica’s. (The life expectancy in Costa Rica is above 75 years.)
When it comes to life satisfaction we are right in the top section, where on a scale of 1–10 Guatemalans are 7.4 on the ‘satisfied with their life’ scale. (US citizens claim to be 7.8 percent satisfied…)
The ecological footprint measures the amount of resources used per head in each country, and here is what makes the United States fall behind on the HPI index (they use more than 4 planets worth of resources!). Guatemalans, on the other hand, use less than 1.
So, how long you live, how satisfied you feel, and how much you respect our planet’s resources and live within your means dictates how happy you are, and Guatemala is up there on that list!
Visit www.happyplanetindex.org for more information on this interesting study.
