The other day, I was on Pinterest (guilty pleasure, save your judgment!) and perusing the multitude of French inspired boards I follow, when I stumbled upon this fascinating article. Over the years, there has been a certain stereotype associated with the French people: they come off as frigid, and are believed to hate all things not French. While it is true the French are a proud culture, and have much to boast considering their exports in gourmet wines, foods, and Paris being a fashion capitol; the people of France are just. not. happy. A study on the "European Happiness Scale," which ranks 1 being unhappy to 10 being happiest, France scored only a 7.2, ranking almost a full point behind Belgium and Denmark . That means that choosing to live in France increases your chances of unhappiness by a massive 20%!
Due to this rating, studies have also concluded that France holds the highest percentage of suicide out of all of Europe. Wait...what!?
Now, I may be biased because I have been a French enthusiast for almost half of my life...but it is completely impossible for me to believe that I'd be unhappy living in France. I'm obsessed with everything relating to French language and culture, and find France as a country to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing places in the world. Yet, simply living in France isn't the cause for unhappiness; being French is.
The article states that there is a French paradox; the overall wealth and prosperity of the country does not reflect onto the French peoples happiness. Most of these traits are picked up at a young age through social establishments. Makes sense that if the parents are unhappy, their children are unhappy. Here's the kicker though, this paradox exists because the French like being unhappy. They use their unhappiness as a form of social prowess; they can never work hard enough to satisfy their need to devour life's riches. So next time you visit France, remember to appreciate and admire every piece of art, all the wondrous architecture, and every piece of food the French have to offer. The people may not immediately fall in love with you, but they will appreciate your willingness to learn about their culture!
The French --Glad to be Unhappy?
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