thrive

Before we dive into the nature of happiness, I would like to ask you to do a short quiz.
I\'m going to introduce you to the three people I met during my trip and I want you to tell me which one you think is the happiest.
The first is the January hammer. year-
The old father of the three girls lives in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark.
Every morning at 3, his alarm clock rang and he rolled out of the warm bed he shared with his 15-year-old wife.
He ate two fried eggs and toast, washed it off with a cup of coffee, and then put on a fiery orange jumpsuit.
By four, he\'s reached the climax.
A tech garbage truck is staring at NASA.
Like a dashboard with flashing buttons and multiple buttons
View the video screen.
At every stop at Station 59, he jumped out of the cab with the groundhog.
Like enthusiasm, with the help of the hydraulic lift, from the bin to the bin, throw fresh garbage into the hopper.
\"I can\'t smell it anymore,\" he hu, and the sweat oozes out of his jumpsuit.
The second person is Norridah Yusoh, 43-year-
Old couple living with husband and three schools
Children of age in an apartment in Singapore.
Every morning, she wears her headscarf with due diligence and covers her hair as required by religion;
Make breakfast for kids
Prepare lunch for her husband, an accountant;
Ask her family for a day off.
After they left, she did housework, and at noon, she might walk to the nearby food market, buy food from a variety of vendors, and stop all the way to chat.
Some nights after dinner, she goes to the local McDonald\'s and socialize with other Muslim mothers when her children eat French fries and do homework.
Then, according to tradition, every night before going to bed, she kisses her husband\'s hand to show respect.
The third person is Manuel Uribe, 45. year-
Old Mexican living in the workplace
Classes near Monterrey.
Manuel has a knack for trading, a soothing facility for communication, and a sincere sympathy.
He\'s a big man too.
In fact, the combination of bad genes and taste for junk food has inflated his weight to a bed where he is restricted to his mother\'s living room.
This does not prevent tourists.
On any given day, his room was packed with people seeking to reach an agreement, get advice or experience the charm of Manuel.
At noon, Manuel\'s mother took out his lunch.
A slice of lean meat and a portion of steamed broccoli.
\"It comes from a regional diet,\" he said . \".
\"I lost 200 pounds last year.
\"The door opened just then.
Claudia Solis, 30
There was a secretary who walked in high heels.
She put her knees on the bed, hung her lovely neck, and planted a pink --
A frost kiss on Manuel\'s lips
So what is the answer to the quiz?
Which of the three is the happiest?
You may have guessed the answer: all three of them are happy
In fact, according to the latest research, they are almost certainly the happiest three people in the three happiest places on Earth. How is this possible?
Let\'s go back to garbageman.
On January 6, I met a gray morning in the alley behind the Aarhus hotel.
He is putting the bin in his giant garbage truck.
He greeted me warmly and I knew immediately that he was a good man.
He took off a dirty cotton glove and handed me his plump hand, which made a sweet voice --
The sour taste of his profession
Later, on January, we sat in his taxi and hit the accelerator. we sped through the misty Danish dawn.
\"You can\'t find a better job than sending garbage . \"
\"I only work 21 hours a week and earn $80,000 a year.
I drive a Mercedes every year and take my family to Greece.
\"I gave him a look.
He was dressed in red.
Wear glasses, Nike running shoes, and bracelets of \"the most beautiful trash man in the world.
He said: \"By 8, his route is over and he returns to the garbage truck factory.
After taking a shower, he went to the gym and spa provided by the Union.
One day, he may go for a second job where he is a freelancer.
There, he earns $60,000 a year.
However, what is more important than money is his satisfaction with life.
\"I\'m like the egg yolk of an egg!
He expressed \"fat and happiness\" in Danish \".
\"In his community, there is no stigma in the\" spam \"business.
Over the weekend, he will be dealing with dentists and lawyers who live in his neighborhood.
When he comes home at 3: 00 every day, he has time to help his three daughters with their homework.
Three nights a week, he will go to a local gym, put on shorts, sneakers, a red sports shirt, and take a group of daughters to guide the indoor football team.
His life is full and full.
As for Norridah, when I asked her to rate her happiness with a ratio of 1 to 10, listen to what she said: \"I am 9 years old. 5!
I have a lot of friends from different backgrounds.
\"It\'s important for her that she lives in Singapore because the government there strongly encourages harmony among the three ethnic groups of China, India and Malays (like Norridah.
\"Since I went to school, I have been mixing up with Chinese and Indians and learned how to make friends with them,\" she said . \".
\"Maybe my malay friend and I talked the most on the phone, but when I went out --
I do it every day.
I meet my Indian friends in the market or play cards with Chinese friends.
So is my child.
They can\'t see the color and race, they see people.
\"How about your potatoes?
\"I asked, do headscarves with Malay words.
\"You live in this modern city and your husband is an accountant and your children listen to the ipod.
Your scarf looks traditional.
Do you think you can take off your hair if you want?
\"This is my choice,\" she said . \" She handed the scarf gently with her hand.
\"It\'s part of our religion and the way our leaders are.
I chose to wear it.
My daughter may have different ideas in this generation.
But I\'m comfortable to wear.
\"What about this custom of kissing husbands? \" I asked.
\"This is a form of mutual respect,\" she said . \"
\"This is part of being a good Muslim.
Do this every day and make sure you eliminate guilt and resentment.
I did it from the heart, not that I must have done something wrong.
This is just a respect.
My husband paid me back in his own way. \"And Manuel?
What is the source of his happiness?
That\'s what he told me.
\"When I was young, I saw ads from an electronics company in Texas looking for English-speaking technicians,\" he said . \".
\"But when I was 35, I had lost my taste, my auto parts business and my wife,\" he said . \".
\"I bought a gun and put it on the bed, thinking I might use it myself.
God came to me one night and told me I had work to do.
Manuel began his diet and began to lose weight.
With the consent of his mother, he made a hole in the wall of the bedroom and installed the double
The open glass door recognized the world and released his trading skills.
Today, he receives as many as 70 tourists a day.
From blue jeans to Thompson helicopters, from Cousins to friends to chat, or people who seek his business advice, clients who seek to trade everything.
He doesn\'t need to look for social opportunities.
It\'s his.
One night, when I was sitting with him, his cell phone rang and he lifted the little device to his ear.
At the other end, a girl who is extremely overweight is looking for hope.
\"If I can change my life,\" he said softly, \"you can, too, my dear.
He hung up and an old friend came to visit.
And then another phone call.
This time, the website operated by Manuel crashed, which is news.
In his smooth voice, he solved the problem of the webmaster.
I sat behind and looked.
\"Is this over? \" I asked.
\"If that\'s the case, I\'m dead,\" he said . \"
A year later, Manuel married Claudia.
With her help, he lost more than 500 pounds.
Life has never been so good.
These three people
A garbageman who has time to take care of the children, a housewife surrounded by close friends, a junk dealer with faith as his personal mission --
They all think they are \"very happy \".
\"With the permission of the National Geographic Society, reprinted from Dan Butner\'s book\" thrive: finding happiness in the blue zone.
Copyright 2010 Dan buetouch.
All rights reserved.