Pakistanis Among the Happiest in the World

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistan ranks 16th among 151 countries of the world on the Happy Planet Index (HPI) 2012, slightly behind Bangladesh in 11th place but well ahead of India in 32nd spot.

 Earlier, Gallup 2012 Wellbeing survey reported that 20% of Pakistanis say they are "thriving", down from 32% last year. However, the report
also  showed that more of them are still better off than their neighbors in
Bangladesh (16% thriving) and India (11% thriving). The number of those
"thriving" increased in Bangladesh by 3% and declined in India by 6%.
 
Here are some of the possible reasons:

1. Pakistan has continued to offer much greater upward economic and social mobility
to its citizens than neighboring India over the last two decades. Since 1990, Pakistan's middle
class had expanded by 36.5% and India's by only 12.8%, according to an ADB report titled "Asia's Emerging Middle Class: Past, Present And ...

 2. Rising consumption of durables
(cars, motorcycles, tractors, Appliances) and non-durables (FMCGs or
fast-moving consumer goods) as well as increasing cement sales are
indicative of the underlying strength of the economy.

3. Pakistan's undocumented economy is continuing to thrive as seen in packed shopping malls and restaurants.

4. There are double digit increases in cash remittances flowing in to
Pakistan from the world's seventh largest diaspora, rising 21.45 percent
to $9.73 billion in the first nine months of the 2011/12 fiscal year.

5. Karachi stock index is booming, hitting new 4-year highs. Share prices are driven by healthy profits and foreign buying, making KSE-100 the third fastest growing index in the world.  

6. Even the preliminary official estimates are indicating that Pakistan's nominal per capita income has increased by 9% to $1,372 in 2011-12 from $1,258 in 2010-11.

7. Preliminary estimates are showing that poverty rate in Pakistan has declined from 17.2 per cent in 2008 to slightly over 12 per cent in 2011.

The Gallup survey confirms that only 28% of Pakistanis have confidence
in their national government. In my view, it stems from the obvious
failure of the state in delivering basic services such as rule-of-law,
security and electricity to the people .  The best way to improve the
wellbeing of the people is to improve governance, reduce corruption and
persuade people to pay taxes to give the state more resources.

Coming back to HPI 2012, the Happy Planet Index website
says that "the new HPI results show the extent to which 151 countries
across the globe produce long, happy and sustainable lives for the
people that live in them." "The overall index scores rank countries
based on their efficiency, how many long and happy lives each produces
per unit of environmental output", it adds.

 There are
three components of HPI – life expectancy, experienced well-being and
Ecological Footprint - that each country is measured on. The scores for
each component are color-coded green (good), yellow (middling) and red
(poor). An additional color-code deep red is used for countries with
poor score in one of the three components of overall HPI score.

Among
South Asian nations, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are rated as
"middling", while Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myamar are rated poor.



The
top-ranked countries are mainly from Latin America with Costa Rica
occupying the top spot. The bottom of the list include sub-Sharan
African nations with Botswana at the bottom.



Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Upwardly Mobile Pakistan

Pakistanis Rank Above Neighbors on Gallup Well-being Index 2012

Economic Survey of Pakistan 2011-12

US Technical Analyst Bullish on Pakistan

Pakistan on Goldman Sachs' Growth Map

Pakistan's 64 Years of Independence

Goldman Sachs & Franklin-Templeton Bullish on Pakistan

Emerging Market Expert Investing in Pakistan

Pakistan's Demographic Dividend

Genomics & Biotech Advances in Pakistan

The Growth Map by Jim O'Neill

Pakistan Rolls Out 50Mbps Broadband Service

More Pakistan Students Studying Abroad

Inquiry Based Learning in Pakistan

Mobile Internet in South Asia

Online Courses at Top International Universities

[Riaz Haq]

Though instability continues to plague Pakistan and many areas are dominated by social conservatism, some of the country's more affluent residents have worked to fashion a very different kind of lifestyle for themselves. Pictures of men and women taking part in all sorts of activities and professions - from being a pilates instructor, to a textile retail entrepreneur, to a member of a rock band - offer a different view of Pakistan to images of conflict that often make the news.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1118136

[Riaz Haq]

There are six love styles: Be, Do, Encourage, Give, Talk and Touch

http://www.tfifamilyservices.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/January...

The five main ways people can give/receive affection are:
Quality Time – where you give each other 'undivided attention’ to talk, listen, eat together or enjoy a shared activity. With a young family you may have to grab small amounts of time together while you can, or you may prefer to schedule uninterrupted time when the kids are asleep.
Words of Affirmation – these are kind, affectionate, appreciative statements that recognize what your loved one means to you. Phrases that respect and encourage each other are also important. As is actively listening to what your partner has to say. You could do this verbally, and/or via email, text, letter, Facebook, or through sharing music, poems or phrases that reflect your feelings. Meg Barker expands on this in her blog post about different ways we can communicate.
Acts of Service – this sounds very formal but simply means doing kind things for each other. Like taking on tasks a partner may not want to do or sharing household chores. It also involves showing you care - for example through preparing meals, paying the bills, and doing the laundry. This category is often the easiest one to miss as it is already part of our daily routine. Highlighting it is as a means of showing affection – and having that recognized and appreciated by a partner can make a big difference to you both feeling cared for.
Gifts – this might be an expensive present or something you have made. The idea here is to show someone you were thinking of them, you recognise what they do for you and you’ve paid attention to their likes and chosen something appropriate for them.
Physical Touch – could be shown in the form of hugs and cuddles; sitting close on the sofa or lying together in bed. Other touch people enjoy includes hair brushing, holding hands, massage (a hand, foot or head massage can work if you’re time-poor). This may or may not be sexual. You might find that time for pleasure has disappeared and finding opportunities to kiss, touch and reconnect physically may lead to you feeling more like sexual intimacy, or just enjoy nurturing touch without it leading to sex.
It may feel strange to sit back and deliberately choose how you want to have affection shared with you and to ask this of your partner. Talking about this might reveal things you didn’t know about each other and highlight opportunities to create consistent positive connections you’ll both enjoy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/9989306/The-five-types-of-affe...