You're reading: Survey: Ukrainians among the world’s saddest people

Ukrainians turn out to be among the world’s saddest nations, according to results of the latest United Nations World Happiness Report.

Over the last three years, Ukrainians’
happiness level plummeted as their country moved down 36 positions in the
survey.

Ukraine, sandwiched between Kenya and Ghana,
took 123rd place among the 157 countries in 2016.

Experts link such a significant decrease in
the level of happiness with the turbulent events Ukraine experienced over the
past years – Russia’s war against Ukraine, lack of positive changes in
government and decline in living standards caused by a weakened economy.

The report includes research from scholars, public activists and leaders of non-governmental organizations. The
rankings are based on six variables: gross domestic product per capita, social support, healthy
life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, charity and corruption level.

The report was released several days before
the World Happiness Day which will be celebrated on March 20.

But Andriy Boychenko, the head of the
sociological department of Kyiv-based Razumkov Center, a think tank, told the
Kyiv Post that current conditions don’t play so much of a role as the prospects
for a better future.

“To be happy, the current situation is not as
important for a person as having hope for better changes, or at least
expectations for improvements,” Boychenk said. “Today there are very few
people in Ukraine who are expecting positive changes.”

Psychologist
Valentyna Efimova says that Ukrainians have little chances to feel happy
nowadays. Many cannot afford healthcare, lots of Ukrainians are not involved in
sport activities as people live under constant psychological stress, without
confidence in future betterment.

One way to feel happier is to watch less television as most of its content often causes anxiety and fear, Efimova says.

“Try to find ‘little joys’” such as
appreciating good weather, someone’s smile or a compliment, she suggests.

In 2015, 64 percent of Ukraine’s citizens experienced
some sort of stressful situation, according to the results conducted by Kyiv
International Institute of Sociology in 2015. Two years earlier the level of
stress among respondents was 15 percent lower. Overall, serious illness, feeling
of helplessness and job loss are the most frequent causes of stress among
Ukrainians.

Similar to Ukrainians, Greeks, Spaniards
and Italians, whose countries suffered from the consequences of economic crisis
since 2008, are among those who had experienced the biggest drops in happiness
and life satisfaction.

But the Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and
Burundi citizens turned out to be among the unhappiest, according to the
survey.

Perhaps Ukraine could learn from Scandinavian
countries which lead the rankings.