Why Are Africans Happier Than Americans?

flourishing, well-being, African countries, Africa research, African happiness, African success, Africa growth, uplifting stories, African culture, happiness index, Africa trends, quality of life.
Several African countries score very well when tested for well-being, or flourishing. They out-perform even the US, Sweden and the UK. They are Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania and Egypt. But what exactly is flourishing? And how can it be measured? These are questions for DR VICTOR COUNTED, Associate Professor at Regent University in the US. His research has revealed shortcomings in the way well-being is measured; it is heavily dependent on western values. There is an emphasis on the individual - job satisfaction, wealth, status etc. REAL well-being, he says, should include how you relate to the people around you, how valued you feel in your community, your sense of self-worth - and these, Dr COUNTED says, are areas in which African countries do well. It's about much more than GDP.

So how can these positive indices actually benefit the countries that score well? Development goals, he says should be adapted to harness the positive attributes of African life and policy should be tailored to work to their strengths.

I was joined in this discussion by PATRICK SMITH, Editor of Africa Confidential and DONU KOGBARA, Journalist, columnist and commentator. Donu also has her own channel on Youtube: Donu's World.

Find out more about Dr Counted's work:
The Human Flourishing Program
www.vcounted.com