When my friend Bepi Constantino published a book called "Costa Rica, il paese piu' felice del mondo" (Costa Rica, the happiest place on Earth), I got very curious about it and started wondering why. So, as soon as I started to think where to go for a short, hot break, Costa Rica jumped up the list of options and I booked right away.
I did a bit of research trying to get an understanding about Costa Rica's superlative position, so I was a bit prepared before going, but I wanted to hear from real Ticos (that's how Costa Rica inhabitants are called). I wanted to know if a) they knew it and b) they agreed and why.
I wasn't sure where to go, so I started with Nosara and ended up spending almost all my time there, so I can't claim to have visited most of Costa Rica, but I talked with many ticos that were there, and they were from all over the country.
It was very interesting to learn that all the people I talked to, knew about this research and proudly confirmed that it was true.
The reasons given to me were diverse but 90% of them said that it was related to the fact that they don't have a military army.
Starting with the taxi driver that took us from the airport to the hostel in Liberia, he said: "because of Pura Vida! Quality of life is great, we love our nature and respect our lands. This attracts tourists and we love having foreigners here, we are very welcoming and friendly"...He was a very happy person, he started singing 'O' Sole Mio', when I told him I was Italian!
Moving on, and having to deal with a bank issue, I started talking with the bank employee (a tico) and he said that surely being the happiest place on earth had to do with the fact that Costa Rica is a very peaceful region; they refused to have a military army and - except for some dispute at the Nicaraguan border over land ownership - they don't really have any enemies. This is surely a reflection on the population's attitude to life in general, but in practice this has other advantages. The government invests money in sustainability, education and health, rather than the Army and defence. (Clever!)
Myriam - the owner of a lovely hotel set in the jungle, moved to Nosara over 15 years ago and took a more personal approach, stating that Costa Rica is safe, peaceful and "it's my paradise"... I had to agree with her.
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| Photo by Maria Teresa Salvati |
Many foreigners have moved here in the past years, so how not to ask one of the gringoes I met? Casey left his studies in journalism and moved to Costa Rica to have a quieter and happier life… and he's indeed happy. Reasons: there is a sense of community and belonging that simply don’t exist in big cities like NY (where he's from). This is something recurrent in a few of the people I talked to.
Moved by the will to do horse riding, I booked a tour with a tico, so I met Juan, 26 years old, originally from Nosara and lucky me, there was only him and I during the three hours riding, so I got to ask him a few questions.
He's married with an American lady - it's very common here to find ticos and gringoes married to each other - so I asked what he thinks of the fact that many Americans are buying big parts of the Costa Rica land? Is he content with the fact that more tourism will bring more work and so more money and things to do for local people? Juan didn't seem to care of the "more" options. He said that he's been horse riding since he was 6 years old and, the road that we were riding, used to be all mountain in the middle of the jungle, while now there are roads and private properties. He said, "what I don't like about this, is that fact that the land that they buy becomes private and so we have to change our habits."
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| Photo by Maria Teresa Salvati |
He took me to Playa Pelada, were ticos go on holiday, camping and mainly looking at the stunning sunset while drinking an Imperial cerveza.
While Sebastian (my horse) and Leo (Juan's horse) were having a break, I met Victor, a Tico friend of Juan, businessman from San Jose'. He was very friendly and happy to talk with an Italian lady, so he was very generous with comments and points of view to explain why they are a happy country. He talked about the lack of the army and their willingness to be peaceful as being the reasons. Additionally, they love nature and are very respectful of the environment, making them one of the greenest countries too...(maybe related?)
Apparently it is law here that for every tree cut they have to plant a new one.
Another couple of interesting chats with Ticos were about the fact that people here have a really strong family bond, and they never stray too far away from their families even when they get married. Life expectancy here is one of the longest in the world, and apparently this has to do with the water they drink, the strong family connections and the reasonable work - it's not too hard, which is reflected in the pay: just enough to sustain the family and be able to buy a beer sometimes...they are not too demanding here!
Coincidentally, I was reading “The Paradox of Choice” by Barry Schwartz, during the trip.
The connections I kept making between my Costa Rican study and the so-called first world or "more advanced" economies were unavoidable. "Paradox of Choice" is about Consumerism and how it has impacted on the happiness of people living in modern countries in a negative way; increasing levels of stress and reducing the level of satisfaction due to the overwhelming number of choices available.
The link with the following fact cannot be only a coincidence: "Britain is only halfway up the Happy Planet Index (HPI), calculated by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), in 74th place of 143 nations surveyed. The United States features in the 114th slot in the table." (The Guardian)
This quote from the book seemed to stay with me for a long time:
"Perhaps most important, if you limit the number of choices you make and the number of options you consider, you are going to have more time available for what's important, than people who are plagued by one decision after another, always in search of the best. You could use that time wisely by getting to know more deeply your lovers, your children, your parents, your friends, your patients, your clients, your students. The real challenge in life is doing the right thing in social interactions. [...] in a hurried world that forces you to make unlimited options, it's hard to find the time. You may not always be conscious of this, but your effort to get the best car will interfere with your desire to be a good friend. Your effort to get the best job will intrude on your duty to be best parent. And so, if the time you save by following some of my suggestions is redirected to the improvement of your relationships with other people in your life, you will not only make your life happier, you will improve theirs. It's what economists call "Pareto efficient", a change that benefits everybody"
The only person that was really skeptical about Costa Rica being the happiest place on earth was a gringo from San Diego. He said: “the only ones that complain here are the locals!”
Guess what? he was a property developer.
Maybe we have more to learn from Costa Rica than from America, at least if we aim to reach happiness - it’s up for grabs!
