Malaysia fifth happiest country in the world, according to report

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has been listed as number five in the ten happiest countries in the world, according to a report.

Topping the list of top ten happiest countries by the Global Mind Project’s fourth annual “Mental State of the World” report was the Dominican Republic, followed by Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Panama, Malaysia, Nigeria, Venezuela, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Uruguay.

The report by non-profit neuroscience research organisation Sapien Labs, had polled 419,175 individuals from 71 countries in an anonymous online survey.

Also listed in the report were the top ten unhappiest countries with Uzbekistan listed first, followed by the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Tajikistan, Australia, Egypt, Ireland, Iraq and Yemen.

The poll aims to find an individual’s Mental Health Quotient (MHQ), which assesses 47 aspects of mental health, in six categories – mood and outlook, social self, drive and motivation, mind-body connection, cognition, adaptability and resilience.

Information on lifestyle, dynamics with family and friends, and personal trauma, was also collected in the survey.

Based on responses, those who participated in the survey were given a score and placed on a spectrum from thriving to distressed.

According to the report, the Dominican Republic had an average MHQ score of 91 out of 300, Sri Lanka (89) and Tanzania (88).

Malaysia scored 85%, an increase of 2.9% from the previous year.

Sapiens Lab said that MHQ scores this year remain unchanged in 2021 and 2022, which recorded a sharp drop during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This raises important questions about the lasting impact of the pandemic, and how shifts in the way we live and work and the amplification of existing habits like remote working, online communication, consumption of ultra-processed food, use of single-use plastics have cumulatively pushed us into a space of poorer mental wellbeing,” it added.

Sapiens Lab also said those under 35 years old saw the worst declines in mental well-being, adding that it was exacerbated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As in previous years, several African and Latin American countries topped the country rankings, while wealthier countries of the Core Anglosphere such as the United Kingdom and Australia are towards the bottom,” it said.

“This pattern suggests that greater wealth and economic development do not necessarily lead to greater mental well-being,” it added.