The Happiness Equation

What makes people in Singapore happy—and how to be happier

Having a sense of purpose in life, with the perseverance to go through what life throws at you, along with strong social support networks are the key predictors of happiness in Singapore, according to a report released on World Mental Health Day in October last year.

The State of Happiness Study, conducted in 2020 by social enterprise Happiness Initiative through an online poll of 1,230 respondents in Singapore, takes inspiration from the annual World Happiness Report (WHR) by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Both reports focus on life evaluation, but WHR ranks countries based on national, macroeconomic factors that drive happiness, while the local study focuses on individual and personal factors.

While psychological and social factors including purpose, perseverance and people can help individuals improve their happiness and well‑being by 17 per cent, socio‑demographic factors, specifically the household income level and one’s sexual orientation, can also influence the happiness score by as much as 15 per cent.

Lead researcher Simon Leow, the co‑founder of Happiness Initiative, which aims to build a flourishing society with evidence‑based interventions, says that the study “gives us a lot of insight into the important factors to focus on in order to improve the well‑being of these individuals and the larger community”.