British Americans and Australians.

[Breshna]

It seems as a Brit we seem to criticize a lot more than other

People.

I have noticed Australians are the same as Brits they criticize everything.

On the other Americans criticize less, are much more contempt.

Why is this?

Is the weather?

The food?

[Admin Khan]

It's the weather. It makes those that reside in Britain really miserable and grumpy at times(all the times?).

[Breshna]

So is it the weather that keeps Americans so contempt and happy?

Here's general posts i found on a British University sight.


Because for 3 years we had a prat running our country to the ground?

Because in order to go to university you have to build up a debt of over £27k?

Because our 'free health service' is the most inefficient service ever with waiting times of an hour in A&E.

The fact that every thing is taxed, even a chocolate bar, on top of income tax, so technically the minimum tax rate with VAT is 40%.

Politicians are stupid as hell, for example taxing our roads which lead to more or less traffic?

The fact that your family for 4 on benefits down the road can live in a nice 5 bedroom flat on a comfortable income with flat screen TV's and designer clothes yet your working family is practically broke after bills.

That fact that the free education is quite poor? The fact that the average abled person can't learn much in the environment full off people who don't care who the teachers aren't allowed to expel.

Maybe because if you walk around a dark street at night there's a 1/2 chance of getting mugged of stabbed.

The fact that all our democracy has been lost to Europe and the Lisbon Treaty which sucks away all our money an power for the benefit of Eurocratic idiots and Northern Europe.

And the weathers ****.


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It is part of the British culture to moan, it seems. Moan instead of acting or doing something. On a small scale, complain about goods or services to friends instead of the company or boycotting the company.


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HEAR HEAR!

The most we complain about here is the bloodi weather!
We complain if it RAINS, if its too HOT, too COLD, too SNOWY!!!
I came to this country 13 years ago to gain better education.....but now im not so sure if thats the case anymore
And yeah, why do we ALWAYS get such rubbish bunch of pathetic stupid pig-faced losers for POLITICIANS???!! They are like a bunch of scrooges!
I mean would you look at places like Japan? Regardless of always having EARTHQUAKES and TSUNAMIS, the people there ALWAYS get back on their feet and helping them getting back to normal!! buildings would be built within months... Even the government there has a COMMON SENSE!!!
....I salute to all those esquimos in the Antarctica

[Breshna]

• America's bizarre secret to happiness: More work (while in Europe, the pursuit of pleasure is key)
• Happiness for U.S. workers stays at 43%, regardless of working hours

Americans really do live to work, it seems.

For a new study on happiness has shown that those who work longer hours in the U.S. are actually happier.

In Europe, on the other hand, the more hours you work, the more unhappy you are.
Researchers think the data shows a fundamental difference between the goals held by Europeans and Americans.

Isn't this fun! Two men working on a computer (file photo). A new survey has shown that Americans live to work, while Europeans work to live

The study's authors at the University of Texas in Dallas said that working hours do not have a statistically significant impact on Americans' happiness, but that there is a distinct boost in bliss as the amount of working hours increases.

'Europeans are more inclined to enjoy life... Americans are more likely to pursue income'


'Those who work longer hours in Europe are less happy than those who work shorter hours, but in the U.S. it's the other way around,' study author Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn told LiveScience.com.
The study could not conclude that work actually causes happiness.

Researchers speculated that instead, the results have to do with expectations and how a person measures success.
European and American respondents were asked to identify if they were 'very happy', 'pretty happy' or 'not too happy'.



The survey found that the likelihood of Europeans describing themselves as 'very happy' dropped from around 28 per cent to 23 per cent as work hours climbed from under 17 a week to more than 60.
It was not clear what percentage of Europeans described themselves as merely 'happy' when compared to working hours.

IN A HAPPY STATE


It’s the home of Justin Timberlake and Aretha Franklin and claims to represent ‘America at its Best’ but Tennessee also seems to be the happiest U.S. state.

According to Cambridge University PhD student Alex Davies, residents of Tennessee are happier than natives of any other states – if their Twitter feeds are anything to go by.

Mr Davies analysed the use of happiness-related words such as ‘nice’ and ‘best’ and found Tennessean tweets were littered with positive language.
His project, based on analysis of tweets from 25 countries, also ranked Germany as the happiest country on the planet, judging by the frequency of references to love and happiness.

The roots of Tennessee residents’ happiness is difficult to judge from Mr Davies’ research, as the most frequently-used positive Twitter terms include ‘happy’, ‘love’ and ‘thanks’ – rather than something more specific such as a lottery win or sporting victory.

Their sadness is easier to explain, however, with references to illness, the music of Adele and, strangely, ‘burgers’.
Colorado was ranked as the second happiest U.S. state, with North Carolina, Georgia and Florida following.


For Americans, however, overall happiness held steady at about 43 per cent, regardless of working hours.

The results stood up even after researchers had accounted for other factors such as age, marital status and household income.
The study warned that without more research, it was difficult to argue if the results represented a correlation or causation.
Other experts said the discrepancy between Americans and Europeans could be accounted for by examining the goals held by each group.
University of Southern California economics professor Richard Easterlin, who was not part of the study, told LiveScience.com: 'Europeans are more inclined to enjoy life and enjoy leisure.'
'Americans are more likely to be pursuing income and increasing their income.
'There's a difference in the structure of aspirations.'
Mr Okulicz-Kozaryn and Professor Easterlin agreed that perceptions could also play a big part, as those who think their hard work has a greater impact on their success or upward mobility may be happier to work longer.
Professor Easterlin added: 'In some countries in Europe, the income mobility may be higher, for instance in Germany.

'It's not really that hard work brings more success in the U.S. than in Europe - it's what people believe in.'
The difference could be down to the American dream: That Americans simply believe that hard work has a greater impact on their success and upward mobility, and when they achieve it, buy in to that dream even more.
Previous studies have shown that wealth can result in happiness - especially if a person's earnings are greater than their peers.
But an overall satisfaction with life was shown to depend more on social and physical factors, such as whether a person smoked or spent the day alone.
The paper appears in the April issue of the Journal Of Happiness Studies.

Blame it on the commute? Londoners struggle in to work during yet another Tube strike - something hardly likely to do much for happiness levels

[Breshna]

Feeling grumpy 'is good for you'


An attack of the grumps can make you communicate better, it is suggested

In a bad mood? Don't worry - according to research, it's good for you.
An Australian psychology expert who has been studying emotions has found being grumpy makes us think more clearly.
In contrast to those annoying happy types, miserable people are better at decision-making and less gullible, his experiments showed.
While cheerfulness fosters creativity, gloominess breeds attentiveness and careful thinking, Professor Joe Forgas told Australian Science Magazine.
'Eeyore days'
The University of New South Wales researcher says a grumpy person can cope with more demanding situations than a happy one because of the way the brain "promotes information processing strategies".
Negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world


Professor Joe Forgas

He asked volunteers to watch different films and dwell on positive or negative events in their life, designed to put them in either a good or bad mood.
Next he asked them to take part in a series of tasks, including judging the truth of urban myths and providing eyewitness accounts of events.
Those in a bad mood outperformed those who were jolly - they made fewer mistakes and were better communicators.
Professor Forgas said: "Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, co-operation and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world."
The study also found that sad people were better at stating their case through written arguments, which Forgas said showed that a "mildly negative mood may actually promote a more concrete, accommodative and ultimately more successful communication style".
His earlier work shows the weather has a similar impact on us - wet, dreary days sharpened memory, while bright sunny spells make people forgetful.
Trust an Australian making excuses that Grumpiness is a good thing.

[faye]

lol. i've just been dealing with my grumpy brother and he is very well organised and efficient. i think it is from fear. afraid of a negative future, one must be prepared for.

[DaZahroJaam.]

... People blaming their douchbagness on the weather.. How pathetic!
I don't know about Australia but the British have a serious attitude problem.

[faye]

brits love to talk about illnesses. it is one of their pet subjects and one has to intervene and change the subject as it is terribly boring and negative.
the weather is pretty lousy in england. plenty of damp and grey skies, so i don't blame them for having a bit of a whinge.
australians are usually pretty laid back about things, from my experience. probably too much so.
my swiss/australian landlord was having a major whinge, about how the australians are not as efficient timekeepers as the swiss. hence the good swiss watches.
our ozzy weather is mostly good in most areas.

[randolph85]

bad weather makes me happy and more willing to put in hard work.

[RevolutionThroughReason]

bad weather makes me happy and more willing to put in hard work.

you should have been hired by FEMA

[randolph85]

that would require no work though

where do i sign up?

[SiiNii]

bad weather makes me happy and more willing to put in hard work.

Bad weather? Don't you live in sunny SoCal?

[Pisho]

http://www.happyplanetindex.org/data/#table-view

bam afg has a life expectancy of 48 yrs

check the happy idex it shows otherwise
americans are as miserable and they only work alot because they want the unlimited useless things they can get
like a house that they cant afford or like a ridiculously expensive car

[SiiNii]

re: America's bizarre secret to happiness: More work (while in Europe, the pursuit of pleasure is key)

In America, busting your ass can get you to the top... or at least out of the trailer park / section 8 ghetto. My guess is that the American's who work more and are happier for it are self-employed professionals and business owners, especially small business owners. My father and uncle enjoy working long hours, since they own their respective business and their profits aren't unfairly taxed (yet). My engineer uncle loved what he did.

Its true we spend money and get into debt buying useless things, the two you mentioned are the common major ones but there is another biggie : non-STEM undergrad degrees, to include 'Gen. Biology' and 'Information Technology'.

A close by example of the uselessness of an undergrad is my own family, SiiNii's sister has a Gen Bio degree that came with a 30k student load debt. Since graduation she's landed jobs at a bakery, busing tables, data entry, and two office jobs which are basically call centers. None of these paid more than what I used to make delivering pizzas even after deducting my gas costs.

[SiiNii]

...
americans are as miserable and they only work alot because they want the unlimited useless things they can get
like a house that they cant afford or like a ridiculously expensive car

Says the girl with an iPhone!