On the International Day of Happiness, March 20, came the news that India was placed 116th among 140 countries in the World Happiness Report 2026. That such a day is commemorated and such a global index exists to be updated every year in the midst of so much displacement and suffering brought on by genocide and wars is itself a cause of mild pleasure. How would the happiness in Gaza, Yemen, Lebanon, Venezuela and, now, Iran and the United Arab Emirates be measured against that of Israel and the US? Is there a sound metric, academically structured with appropriate methodologies, to calibrate happiness during widespread devastation? But such cheerless questions must be done away with when, clearly, some parts of this world function with the business-as-usual approach to bring out the World Happiness Report.
India was ranked 118th last year; we have moved two places up. That’s perhaps two degrees or two pints or two ‘Likes’ more of happiness; who’s to say? The last is important because the theme for this year’s report revolved around ‘Happiness and Social Media’. Decade-long research and inquiry into this subject have shown, incontrovertibly, that social media has fuelled more mental health problems, especially among the young everywhere in the world, than the happiness it has offered. Be that as it may, we must focus on the happiness in India. It’s gloomy that we are still behind our little neighbours, Nepal and Pakistan. Afghanistan is still the last on the ranking list, but it does not surprise anyone.
Nearly 800 million Indians are connected to the internet, of which at least 500 million use social media for at least three hours a day, according to industry reports. Something there—perhaps the gloominess of life in Afghanistan and violence-hit nations—must be lifting their gloom. The disaggregation of the parameters, which include GDP per capita, life expectancy, perception of corruption, generosity, and social support, is remarkable. India’s score is the lowest on social support. There is a lot to unpack there even if we treat the idea of a happiness rank with facetiousness. Why is that so many in India, the land of large and joyful joint families and related social networks, feel so dismal about the support they offer?
This must have something to do with the relentless fast-paced urbanisation that has disrupted relationships between people and equally between people and nature. Or, perhaps, there is something not yet apparent to mental health professionals, sociologists, economists, and others in the humanities, who reflect on the essential character of Indians. The deeply embedded philosophy of the land suggests that happiness is a fleeting—and undesirable—destination; the joy is in the journey. So, rather than see Finland, which holds the top rank in the World Happiness Index, we must take our small pints of joy and cheer on the ride we are on.
