When comparing countries and cultures, few people think of the fact that the frequency of basic emotions can vary widely depending on the society where one lives. Using Gallup's State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report I created maps showing the percentage of respondents that felt anger, stress, worry, and sadness on a daily basis. Note that this survey was done just before the invasion of Ukraine. Negative emotions would be much higher later in 2022 in Ukraine.
People in Muslim countries are generally more angry than in Western or East Asian countries. It does not really correlate with wealth or development though, as Turkey and Tunisia are richer than, say, Egypt or Libya, but people feel angry nonetheless. Kuwait is a rich country, with a GDP per capita at PPP higher than Italy, Spain or Japan, but its people are angrier than almost anywhere in Western countries.
I wonder what makes Montenegrins so angry compared to other Europeans.
Stress may be correlated to anger. That appears to be the case in Turkey and Tunisia. On the other hand, Americans and Greeks are very stressed, but not particularly angry.
Worry is more common is countries with a deteriorating economy or an unstable political situation. However it's not the whole story. British people are known for being phlegmatic, which would explain why they worry less than they should with the debacle of Brexit.
Sadness is obviously high in countries experiencing war, like Iraq and Syria, in the surrounding countries where people see the effects indirectly with the huge number of refugees settling there.
In Europe I am not exactly sure why over a quarter of Italians and Portuguese feel sad on a daily basis. The survey was done in the workplace, so being unemployed is not a reason.
People in Muslim countries are generally more angry than in Western or East Asian countries. It does not really correlate with wealth or development though, as Turkey and Tunisia are richer than, say, Egypt or Libya, but people feel angry nonetheless. Kuwait is a rich country, with a GDP per capita at PPP higher than Italy, Spain or Japan, but its people are angrier than almost anywhere in Western countries.
I wonder what makes Montenegrins so angry compared to other Europeans.
Stress may be correlated to anger. That appears to be the case in Turkey and Tunisia. On the other hand, Americans and Greeks are very stressed, but not particularly angry.
Worry is more common is countries with a deteriorating economy or an unstable political situation. However it's not the whole story. British people are known for being phlegmatic, which would explain why they worry less than they should with the debacle of Brexit.
Sadness is obviously high in countries experiencing war, like Iraq and Syria, in the surrounding countries where people see the effects indirectly with the huge number of refugees settling there.
In Europe I am not exactly sure why over a quarter of Italians and Portuguese feel sad on a daily basis. The survey was done in the workplace, so being unemployed is not a reason.