Affluent Nations Depression

Affluent Nations Depression

Affluent nations depression. According to survey statistics happiness of wealthy country people is no greater! The research findings of an international New Scientist happiness survey and other more local studies for health and happiness may surprise you! Affluent countries, including the U.S., tend to have higher rates of depression than lower-income nations such as Mexico, a new study from World Health Organization researchers suggests.

Depression rates are consistenty higher in more affluent countries than in low income countries, according to researchers who correlated socioeconomic data with depression levels. The new study tracked depression rates across 18 countries, noting that the average lifetime occurrence of depression in 10 affluent countries was 14.6 percent, with much higher depression rates in France (21 percent) and the US (19.2 percent). For those living in higher-income countries, the average age that depression is likely to strike is between 25 and 26 years old, according to the researchers.

Happiness is an emotional state that indicates our satisfaction with life; a measure of how favorable we perceive the overall quality of our life to be.

Throughout human history, philosophers have considered happiness as the most fundamental motivation for all human action. It is assumed to be our ultimate goal in life – everything we do merely a means to achieve it.

Indeed, when questioned most of us would identify the quest for greater happiness as the great motivating force behind everything we do to improve our material prosperity. After all, that's even how our governments measure what they call our 'standard of living': the amount of goods and services we consume.
Where would you say that the happiest people in the world are? In the richest countries, say Europe, Australia, the United States, Canada? ...Wrong!

As part of a World Health Organization study, major depressive episodes were evaluated by trained surveyors giving in-person interviews with more than 89,037 people in 18 countries, making this the first study to assess depression with standardized surveys, said the researchers.

Why richer countries experience higher rates of depression isn't crystal clear, but the researchers suggest it might be because wealthy countries have more income inequality. Another theory is that wealthier countries tend to be more socially fragmented and individualistic, with the pursuit of a career often taking precedence over family or spirituality.