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SINGAPORE - We may be among the wealthiest in the world. But emotional? Look elsewhere, please.
According to a Gallup poll, Singapore ranks as the world's most emotionless society, behind Georgia, Lithuania and Russia.
According to the US-based pollster, Filipinos feel the most - in a slew of emotions such as pain, happiness and anger.
Singaporeans, on the other hand, are unlikely to report feelings of anger, physical pain, or other negative emotions.
"If you measure Singapore by the traditional indicators, they look like one of the best-run countries in the world," Bloomberg BusinessWeek quoted Gallup's Jon Clifton as saying. "But if you look at everything that makes life worth living, they're not doing so well."
According to the report, not many Singaporeans answered "yes" to negative questions, and to questions measuring happiness, such as: Had they smiled yesterday; had they learnt something interesting or felt respected or well-rested?
Only 36 per cent of Singaporeans responded affirmatively to either the positive or negative questions. The survey ranked 152 countries to analyse how people feel about their lives.
The Philippines came out on top (60 per cent), beating El Salvador (57 per cent), Bahrain (56 per cent), Oman and Colombia (55 per cent), followed by a host of nations, including the US, Chile, Canada, Costa Rica and Peru at No. 5 with 54 per cent.
At the bottom, above Singapore, Georgia and Lithuania had 37 per cent, with Russia, Madagascar and Belarus, among others, at 38 per cent.
According to Gallup's research, only 2 per cent of Singaporean workers feel engaged by their jobs. The global average is 11 per cent.
"We are taught to keep going and not make too much of a fuss," research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Leong Chan-Hoong told Bloomberg.
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