Recently latest edition of the World Happiness Report for the year 2020, where it is recorded that UAE still maintained its rank 1st place in the Arab world for the sixth consecutive year. This global report was revealed on the International Day of Happiness.

The happiness levels were taken by surveying citizens and residents to assess their general life satisfaction levels. This includes 153 countries where UAE surpassed these counties and maintained its advanced position globally, the report issued annually by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

This year a special indicator is used to captures happiness i.e. happiness on the city level and resultant leading ‘Cities Happiness Index‘ are Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the Arab region.

The significance of this index is underlined by the fact that half of the world’s population are urban inhabitants and live in large cities, as 80 percent of the world’s GDP is produced within cities.

Well being and the SDGs

This year’s World Happiness Report also included a new study that discovers the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and well being.

In a proportional analysis between nations listed in the World Happiness Index and the Sustainable Development Goals index, the analysis exposed a direct relationship between hard work to achieve the SDGs and reported happiness levels.

Healthy natural environment leads to happier communities

An analysis has been taken on how natural environment can be a factor in raising happiness and well being for individuals. The report says that the specific reactions in the happiness polls specified that preserving and maintaining healthy and natural surroundings does support and raise levels of happiness and well being in societies.

There are numbers of key natural factors affecting happiness, such as weather, green spaces and water surfaces, including beaches and canals. There must be an increase of happiness levels by individuals who live near green spaces or bounded by natural trees, more than those who live far from any natural greenery. The same was also true for those who live overlooking water surfaces.

The conclusion says that a healthy natural environment plays a role in raising the levels of happiness and well being by presenting chances and skills that instill happiness, such as entertaining activities with family and friends in natural open-air surroundings.