Central America: thinking positive

It seems that money does not buy happiness.

None of the eight most economically powerful countries in the world are among the leaders, in terms of having a positive attitude towards life, according to a survey of more than 150,000 people worldwide, published last month by Gallup, which asked if on the day before they experienced anger, stress, sadness, respect, happiness or laughter, among other emotions.

The global ranking is led Panama, where 85% of respondents had a high degree of personal satifaction, followed by Paraguay and El Salvador.

Last-place finishers were Armenia and Singapore, where only 36% of respondents had a positive outlook.

The results were based on interviews conducted in 2011 in 148 countries. In the region, the results were as follows (figures in parentheses represent the position in the world ranking).
 

1. Panama (1)
2. El Salvador (3)
3. Guatemala (7)
4. Costa Rica (10)
5. Honduras (20)
6. Nicaragua (32)