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Defying logic: Nigerians are happiest in the world
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If something can go wrong in a country, then it has probably happened to Nigeria. Rebellions, bloody civil wars, massive corruption, violations of civil rights, military coups, and religious violence are only scratching the surface. So why did the World Values Study reveal that of 65 countries surveyed, Nigeria's population is the happiest? This fundamentally challenges the Western notion of happiness: that success and material progress bring happiness. It causes us to ask: what does make a person happy?
Nigeria's per capita GDP (total output of the economy divided by the number of people) is $2,134. When the billionaire oil barons are taken into consideration, the average Nigerian is very, very poor. Most survive on subsistence farming, where everything produced is used to feed the farmer's family.
Progress is an idea that is ingrained in our society: we are driven to improve ourselves, our technology, our level of wealth, our body, our house, our car- in a word, everything. This value is rooted in Western thought, harkening back to the Enlightenment and the emergence of the Protestant work ethic. It's a good thing Africans don't have this preoccupation with progress. Most of them pass on their livelihood to their children in a similar condition to how they received it from their parents. Countries can go decades without any substantial improvement in their level of wealth or their political freedom. One need look only as far as Zimbabwe or Somalia to see that countries can regress as well as progress.
Why do African societies defy logic by having happier people than Western societies? One reason is their support networks are many times stronger than ours. Newcomers to Africa are confused when a person introduces more than one person as his/her father. This is because the extended family is extremely tight-knit: cousins are brothers and sisters, aunts are second mothers, and nephews and nieces are children. Africans go to great lengths to help relatives in ways that would surprise us.
The village unit is also supportive. Your Correspondant lived in the same house for over a decade, and never knew his neighbors. Africans are shocked to hear this. In many societies, chiefs still play an important role in society, making decisions and working to improve the community. For funerals, weddings, or holidays, an entire village may come together. Many Africans leave the villages for the opportunities offered by big cities. They rarely forget their roots, sending back money to support the village. Sometimes to the detriment of national unity, the ethnic group can also provide support for its individuals.
For better or for worse, most Africans have a deep sense of spirituality. Whether animist, Christian, Muslim, or otherwise, Africans rely on their spirituality to get them through sometimes horrific events. When powerless, their fate privy to the whims of warlords and dictators, Africans find peace in prayer. This does an equal amount of bad as it does good; when direct action and protest are needed to topple corrupt leaders, their resignation to life's currents can be detrimental.
What is the secret to happiness? Thinkers have pondered this question for millenia, but have left behind nothing more than theories. Americans read countless self-help books, see therapists, and spend copious amounts of money on clothing and health products- with all these tools, they should be able to achieve a state of contentment. The evidence shows that they haven't. Maybe we can learn something from those who have achieved a semblance of happiness- despite having the cards stacked against them.
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