Map of the day: The world’s most and least emotional countries
The Philippines is the world’s most emotional country. It’s not even close; the heavily Catholic, Southeast Asian nation, a former colony of Spain and the U.S., scores well above second-ranked El Salvador.
Post-Soviet countries are consistently among the most stoic. Other than Singapore (and, for some reason, Madagascar and Nepal), the least emotional countries in the world are all former members of the Soviet Union. They are also the greatest consumers of cigarettes and alcohol. This could be what you call and chicken-or-egg problem: if the two trends are related, which one came first? Europe appears almost like a gradient here, with emotions increasing as you move West.
People in the Americas are just exuberant. Every nation on the North and South American continents ranked highly on the survey. Americans and Canadians are both among the 15 most emotional countries in the world, as well as ten Latin countries. The only non-American countries in the top 15, other than the Philippines, are the Arab nations of Oman and Bahrain, both of which rank very highly.
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Sadness isn’t an emotion? Cause them Russkis love an over the top sad story.
LincolntheHun on November 28, 2012 at 10:26 PM
Singapore?
Again?
Surprised to see that ALL of America is uber emotional (really? even Idaho?). Interesting too to see that some parts of South America are as pathos-filled as us.
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 28, 2012 at 10:35 PM
Sounds like by “emotional” they’re referring to happiness. Turns out those who are still recovering from 75 years of socialism don’t smile a whole lot. Who’da thought?
Gingotts on November 28, 2012 at 10:36 PM
This is just a “mapping” of the CNN story here in Headlines 5 days ago:
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 28, 2012 at 10:52 PM
Well in fairness it holds up. The people of the former Soviet countries aren’t insanely happy, but they don’t get all that stressed or worried either. They’re so used to pretty much everything being a screwed up corrupt mess, that nobody gets worked up over it. Nichevo.
Gingotts on November 28, 2012 at 11:13 PM
At the current rate we should be about the same in a decade or so. We’re currently as corrupt as most post-Soviet governments, just heading in the other direction.
Gingotts on November 28, 2012 at 11:14 PM
I’m ecstatic about this survey.
Ted Torgerson on November 29, 2012 at 12:20 AM
Just this world? What about Vulcan?
DarkCurrent on November 29, 2012 at 1:00 AM
They were the control group.
Mr. Prodigy on November 29, 2012 at 1:16 AM
What’s up with WaPoo?
On slow news days, they dig up old stories?
Reruns to become prominent in the news industry?
itsnotaboutme on November 29, 2012 at 4:00 AM
Having been to the Philippines a few times before I married my wonderful Pinay (Filipina) asawa (wife), I know they are a very happy people. This is despite the poverty, governmental corruption, & natural disasters that plague the nation.
itsnotaboutme on November 29, 2012 at 4:05 AM
I only know about this story because I enjoyed it 5 days ago right here on Hot Gas Headlines.
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 29, 2012 at 4:31 AM
I get so emotional … baby.
hawkdriver on November 29, 2012 at 7:47 AM
What a crock.
farsighted on November 29, 2012 at 8:18 AM
It’s a measurement in search of a method.
Axeman on November 29, 2012 at 9:12 AM
I don’t find this poll terribly useful. Some cultures like to dramatize, others not so much. That doesn’t mean their people don’t feel comparable levels of emotion, just that they have varying willingness to admit to it. A stereotypical Brit or Scandinavian probably thinks it’s vaguely frivolous and even a bit pushy to tell you what he’s actually feeling, whereas even WASP Americans for nearly a century have bought into Freudian thinking which holds that you can literally hurt yourself by keeping a stiff upper lip. Of course Catholic countries are traditionally more tolerant of emotional expressiveness than Protestant ones. There’s probably a division across Africa along such lines btw. Muslims present an interesting case. Jihadists are big on days of rage, that much we know.
Seth Halpern on November 29, 2012 at 9:54 AM