Why Czechs Are Happier

As previously stated and already known, not only are the Czech Republic and the United States different countries, but they are also full of different people. An assumption has been made that the people who make up the Czech Republic are a generally happier bunch than those of us who inhabit the USA. There are many reasons that suggest this very assumption. Certain things make us happy: close family ties, many friends, discovering our 'flow,' being religious, staying married, and many other things. In a lot of these very ways, the Czechs have us beat by a long shot.

One of the ways that the people of the Czech Republic have beaten us Americans is by not confusing wellbeing with being well off. First of all, the Czech Republic has a gross domestic product per capita of a little over $18,000. The GDP per capita in the United States is a bit above $41,000. Already making, on average, twice as much as the people of the Czech Republic, it is a lot easier for Americans to confuse having a lot of money with having a lot of wellbeing. The Czechs, however, live in a country where bread is fifty cents instead of two dollars. In a country where there is little, if any, "keeping up with the Jones'." Therefore, it is a lot easier for them to have wellbeing, even if they didn't get that raise at work, or don't drive that Jaguar to the store.

Even if they don't make a whole ton of money each year, ninety-nine percent of Czech homes have a television. However, only 2% have DVD players, and 19% have satellite TV. This makes another case for why the Czechs may be happier than we are. People who just turn off the television and find a hobby are, almost always, happier than those who loaf around watching TV shows all day. And the people of the Czech Republic do have hobbies. Everyone there plays an instrument or a sport, which encourages them to get off the couch and do something, be it exercise for your body or for your mind.

Playing sports or instruments are not only endorphin-creators, but they are also a great way to discover 'flow,' which is 'a state of consciousness in which our concentration is so focused that we are absolutely absorbed in an activity.' It is proven that people who experience flow most often are happier than their non-flow-experiencing counterparts. It is only a values assumption that because so many people in the Czech Republic engage in these activities, at least a number of them achieve some sort of flow.

There are even some reports of flow happening while interfacing with others, namely family and friends. Family ties are another indicator of true happiness, and Czechs seem to have that part down. In addition to the fact that families grow up closer to each other than compared to the States, people in the Czech Republic seldom move far from the place they grew up, which is a very different situation in the United States. Many people move far away from home, their parents, and their extended family in this nation. So there is not only this idea of emotional ties with family, but also physical ties.

Ties with family are not the only relationships that add to ultimate happiness. Friendships are also highly valued in the grand scope of things. People who have more friends are end up being happier than those who do not. And many friendships are formed on the basis of trust, which is something else that is prevalent in the Czech Republic. There are no shower curtains on showers, and that lack of privacy almost spells out trust. Also, there is no security around castles or the president which also inadvertently shows trust. This plentiful amount of trust in fellow man helps people to forge more friendships and spend more time socializing which, in turn, make them happier people.

Although we cannot specifically pinpoint the reasons why people in the Czech Republic are happier than people in the United States, we can at least come up with a broad scope of ways that they might be. Now it's up to us Americans to take up the challenge of being truly happy.