Why are singaporeans unhappy despite having so much?
I find that there are many good things in SG that ppl from other countries would be very envy- safe and secure environment, good healthcare, education and public transport, convenience to get around anywhere, affordable and wide variety of food options etc
Most singaporeans don’t need to worry about when their next meal is coming and access to clean water and shelter.
Nor any conflicts, violent crime in the streets or natural disasters. Most can get a job if they wanted to. There is a wide variety of entertainment options to suit every taste and many can afford at least a short overseas vacation a year.
Even the poorest and most destitute people can receive some help from the community and government. I bet you probably can’t find most of the above in even many developed cities.
Why are Singaporeans generally feeling unhappy when they have so many good things?
Netizens’ comments
- a few things:
– you generally don’t miss what you’ve never had. if you haven’t lived (not taken a holiday) in a foreign country, it’ll be hard for you to appreciate the ways in which Singapore stands out globally
– wealth inequality is increasing, and we tend to compare ourselves to those who are better off. the fact that some of those are politicians gives rise to a perception of unfairness
– in the past few years, things haven’t been so good, and recency bias is very real - Honestly, I think it’s just the high stress nature of Singaporean life. From young you are stressed at school to study and get the best marks so you can go to a good University.
Then you need to get a good job and save so you can get married and then you need to keep working to support your family etc.
About the only real time you can relax is when you finally retire and even then, it’s not something a lot of Singaporeans can consider as they still need to worry about their finances.
You are right, there are a lot of great things about Singapore and I do feel that the younger generation are slowly changing, but let’s not kid ourselves, Singapore is not the place were we can practice, work like balance. - The unhappy minority is loud and happy people don’t complain. The loud ones makes you think that people are unhappy. Most of the people in my circle are happy with their lives.
Sg is a good place, we do have space for improvement but, definitely one of the best place to live in right now in 2023. I won’t wish to live elsewhere considering the amount of global turmoil that’s going on right now.
With every unhappy sentiment, there’s so much more to be thankful for. The unhappy whiney peeps probably don’t realise they can whine this much because, life is good too.