Emotions around the world

The most and least emotional nations

Happiness, wellness, well-rested, and respect are just some of the emotions you may be feeling every day or what you might be looking for elsewhere, in another city or country. Did you know that last year at least 70% of the world's population had learned something new or done something interesting before taking part in the survey? Globally, Central African Republic, Peru and Sierra Leone are the world's most emotional nations; however this doesn't necessarily mean that they are the happiest.

The survey reveals that six people out of ten have had a daily positive or negative emotion. Among the most emotional nations, you also have the inhabitants of Guatemala, the Philippines, Madagascar, Ecuador, Iraq, Colombia, and South Sudan. At the same time, the least emotional nations are those of Yemen, Belarus, and Azerbaijan.

The most positive experiences

We're often tempted to think that European nations are the happiest in the world, which is not wrong. Thanks to their economic, political and social stability, as well as infrastructure and the different facilities and policies set up by their governments to ensure the well-being of their inhabitants, countries like Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland and Switzerland, are known for their unparalleled quality of life and high standard of living. However, nations having the most positive emotions every day are those of Latin American countries. People living in Paraguay, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras, therefore, have the most positive emotions. Canada, Iceland and, surprisingly, Indonesia, are on the same list.

The least positive emotions were felt in conflict countries like Afghanistan, Yemen, Tunisia and Turkey. You are probably aware that Yemen is currently facing the worst humanitarian crisis ever, as described by the United Nations. Afghanistan is also falling in the positive emotions ranking due to its chaotic situation. In 2017, the country experienced its most deadly bombing. Nepal, Macedonia, Egypt and Belarus are also among the countries where the least positive emotions were felt.

The most negative experiences

The survey reveals some interesting data regarding negative experiences. Globally, there was a 2% rise in the level of stress and worry compared to the previous report. At the same time, there's no significant change regarding anger, and sadness and physical pain slightly increased. One in three people admits being worried or stressed while three out of ten say they have been experiencing physical pain in some way. Also, one in five felt sad or angry.

The most negative emotions were felt in the Central African Republic, Iraq, South Sudan, Chad and Sierra Leone. Replacing Iraq on the list, the Central African Republic is severely affected by political and social conflicts since 2013 due to the presence of the armed forces. Thousands of families were forced to flee and seek refuge elsewhere. The destruction of medical facilities also forced medical staff to flee. Today, the people in the Central African Republic are vulnerable to plagues and infectious diseases such as malaria. Nearly three-quarter of its population suffers from physical pain and is worried every day.

Devastated by unprecedented civil war, South Sudan's situation is not likely to improve any time soon. In the past year, many conflicts were also reported in Madagascar and Niger who join Egypt and the Palestinian territory in the negative emotions index. Just like the Central African Republic, the inhabitants of Chad and Niger are the victims of social and political conflicts and climate-related phenomena like drought, which lead to water shortage. These factors without any doubt account for the significant rise in negative experiences in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Middle East and North African countries remain at the top for negative emotions.

Mixed emotions in diverse countries

Having less negative emotions doesn't mean that you're happy. It's worth noting that Taiwan and Kyrgyzstan are the least emotional nations in the world. Mixed feelings were reported in other countries like Bulgaria, Mauritius, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Poland and Russia. Reasons for being less emotional are not clear; however, it is assumed that mixed emotions are related to cultural differences experienced by residents of these highly diverse countries.