A recent survey by Gallup International found that Africans – residents the poorest continent in the world – are the happiest people. See NYT link here.

…a recent survey by Gallup International Association of 50,000 people across the world found that Africans are the most optimistic people. Asked whether 2006 would be better than 2005, 57 percent said yes. Asked if they would be more prosperous this year than last, 55 percent said yes.

There are many ways to explain this, but it is interesting just how little most measures of poverty and development have to say about happiness. A recent conference here in Antigonish tried to grapple with some of these questions.