Pinoys among world’s most positive people – poll

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos are among the top nationalities around the world that are experiencing a lot of positive emotions, a recent survey by the US-based research firm Gallup revealed.

The 2013 Gallup’s Positive Experience Index showed the Philippines, with a positive experience score of 80, tied with Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand and Indonesia in 13th place.

A total of 138 countries were included in the survey.

Gallup asked respondents to answer “yes” or “no” when asked whether they experienced positive emotions the previous day such as enjoyment (laughing or smiling a lot), feeling well rested, being treated with respect, or sense of accomplishment from something learned or done.

Paraguay topped the list with 87, closely followed by Panama with 86.

Three other South American countries – Guatemala, Nicaragua and Ecuador – are tied in third place with a score of 83.

Costa Rica, Colombia and Denmark scored 82, followed by Honduras, Venezuela and El Salvador with 81.

Of the 10 countries in the world with the highest percentages experiencing all of these positive emotions, nine of them are in Latin America.

“That so many people are reporting positive emotions in Latin America at least partly reflects the cultural tendency in the region to focus on the positives in life,” Gallup said.