Country living, hard work, warm weather -- secrets to Australian happiness: report

secrets to Australian happiness: report

By Callum Godde

MELBOURNE, July 15 (Xinhua)-- Australians are happier living in small towns rather than big cities, and men get more out of marriage than women, according to a landmark "happiness" survey of Australians, conducted by the University of Melbourne.

The survey, released on Wednesday, also found that other causes of happiness and emotional wellbeing were good relationships with neighbors, working hard -- as opposed to taking early retirement -- and drinking the surprisingly large amount of 42 alcoholic beverages per week.

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, a long-term annual study, polled almost 20,000 participants Australia-wide and was conducted by Melbourne University associate professor Roger Wilkins.

In an interview with Xinhua, Wilkins said the traditional relationship between a man and woman did not produce equal amounts of happiness for each party. "It definitely seems that men get more out of marriage than women,"Wilkins told Xinhua on Wednesday.

But he said the presence of a child generally correlated in an increase in the women's contentment. "Children are definitely a factor in happiness (for both men and women), but duration of the relationship is also important.

The study found those who entered into de facto relationships -- often because of their short-term nature -- achieved greater happiness than those who tied the knot. "De facto relationships, generally, don't survive as long as marriages so they're happier."

Perhaps surprisingly, the study suggested those who worked long hours and held off from early retirement were generally happier, making a lie out of the accepted wisdom about the need for a work- life balance.

The report also found those who consume 42 alcoholic beverages a week -- a rate that many would perceive as excessive -- reported high levels of wellbeing, at least in the short term.

Wilkins said that these"seriously heavy drinker(s)"would not likely maintain these levels for long, with the well known long- term effects of alcoholism catching up with them eventually.

The HILDA report also showed that people were most happy if they lived in small towns, were friendly with neighbors and lived in Australia's warmer climate in Queensland.

Yet, despite these results, the migration of people from small country towns to the cities continues unabated. Wilkins said this could be explained by job opportunities. "Income and employment are also drivers of happiness, and cities typically have more of this than country towns,"he told Xinhua.

Not every recommendation raised eyebrows, however, with some old pillars of achieving health and happiness still ringing true.

The HILDA report said you could never exercise too much, with those who worked out every day recording the highest levels of wellbeing.

The happiness of people who smoked, even if only occasionally, and those who were overweight (with a Body Mass Index over 25) also took a hit. They were generally less happy than those who didn't smoke or who had a moderate BMI reading. "It's nice to have the data to confirm some common sense, not everything has to have the'tell us something we don't know' connotation," Wilkins said. Endi