The survey is not recent (2003) but still surprising.
Nigeria has the highest percentage of happy people followed by Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador and Puerto Rico, while Russia, Armenia and Romania have the fewest.
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"New Zealand ranked 15 for overall satisfaction, the US 16th, Australia 20th and Britain 24th - although Australia beats the other three for day-to-day happiness," New Scientist says.
The survey is a worldwide investigation of socio-cultural and political change conducted about every four years by an international network of social scientists.
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The survey appears to confirm the old adage that money cannot buy happiness.
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The researchers for World Values Survey described the desire for material goods as "a happiness suppressant".