i have no idea what is considered to be happiness, because nobody has defined it to my satisfaction. whenever people from North America and Europe go to third world countries, most of which are mired in poverty and deprivation, they all have the same response....oh, they have so little, yet they smile so much. so, you look at the most recent tabulations of international mirth and glee, and all the top countries are Latin American countries, which are marked by poverty, suffering, and inequality. but the people smile, just like most of the Haitians i say hello to in my daily rounds.
for some of you Euromericans out there, ponder this more carefully. it is culture you are looking at, whch has nothing to do with happiness. if i walk on the malecon, and i come across a Euro or North American, the chances of him saying good morning is 5 percent. every Dominican will say buen dia. it is custom. the same happens when they get on public transport. buenas tardes a todos. foreigners just sit still with no acknowledgement of others. no smile, no nothing.
that does not mean that the guy who says hello is happier. i can?t see how a guy who does not know where the next meal is coming from, and who just had his electricity supended is happy just because he smiles and says how do you do.