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Happiness index for Korea is 6 Happiness index for US is 6.9 Suicide rate in Korea is 21.2 per 100k Suicide rate in US is 14.5 per 100k Drug death rate in Kor

Happiness index for Korea is 6 Happiness index for US is 6.9 Suicide rate in Korea is 21.2 per 100k Suicide rate in US is 14.5 per 100k Drug death rate in Korea is 0.16 per 100k Drug death rate in US is 18.83 per 100k And I only did the US and Korea because I only know the US. My conclusion is South Koreans feel about the same as Americans but do way less drugs.

PoignardAzur 3y ago
Having the same suicide rate as the US is not indicative of a healthy culture, especially in a country without easy access to guns.
- DoughnutHole 3y ago
  It’s not even remotely the same, it’s nearly 50% higher than the US (which isn’t doing that great either). South Korea has the 10th highest suicide rate in the world.
  - rayiner 3y ago
    On the flip side, how much as South Korean society managed to advance in the 50 years compared to “happy America?”
    - DoughnutHole 3y ago
      Other countries have managed economic miracles without mass suicidal tendencies. Plus, that explosive growth has ended. South Korea escaped poverty and now its growth rate is comparable to western countries with much better suicide rates.
    - hollerith 3y ago
      The US government gave South Korean manufacturers access to the US market as part of the US strategy to fight the Cold War. Would South Korea have been able to get rich fast without that access?
    - ffgjgf1 3y ago
      You can hardly compare growth between economies in extremely different development stages directly. Also the gap between Korea has remained constant since the 90s (in fact it even widened over the last 15 years or so)
    - dctoedt 3y ago
      > how much as South Korean society managed to advance in the 50 years compared to “happy America?” It's apples and oranges. Compared to the U.S., how much did western Europe and Japan advance in the half-century preceding 2000, relative to where they started in 1945?
      - rayiner 3y ago
        It’s not apples and oranges. America was far more prosperous than South Korea or Japan in 1945. But it didn’t get that way by being happy.
        dctoedt 3y ago
        I think you missed my point: In 1945, western Europe and Japan were largely in ruins, so they could rebuild with then-modern technology and not be held back by the curse of the installed base. (What have you got against being happy?)

PoignardAzur 3y ago

Having the same suicide rate as the US is not indicative of a healthy culture, especially in a country without easy access to guns.

DoughnutHole 3y ago
It’s not even remotely the same, it’s nearly 50% higher than the US (which isn’t doing that great either). South Korea has the 10th highest suicide rate in the world.
- rayiner 3y ago
  On the flip side, how much as South Korean society managed to advance in the 50 years compared to “happy America?”
  - DoughnutHole 3y ago
    Other countries have managed economic miracles without mass suicidal tendencies. Plus, that explosive growth has ended. South Korea escaped poverty and now its growth rate is comparable to western countries with much better suicide rates.
  - hollerith 3y ago
    The US government gave South Korean manufacturers access to the US market as part of the US strategy to fight the Cold War. Would South Korea have been able to get rich fast without that access?
  - ffgjgf1 3y ago
    You can hardly compare growth between economies in extremely different development stages directly. Also the gap between Korea has remained constant since the 90s (in fact it even widened over the last 15 years or so)
  - dctoedt 3y ago
    > how much as South Korean society managed to advance in the 50 years compared to “happy America?” It's apples and oranges. Compared to the U.S., how much did western Europe and Japan advance in the half-century preceding 2000, relative to where they started in 1945?
    - rayiner 3y ago
      It’s not apples and oranges. America was far more prosperous than South Korea or Japan in 1945. But it didn’t get that way by being happy.
      - dctoedt 3y ago
        I think you missed my point: In 1945, western Europe and Japan were largely in ruins, so they could rebuild with then-modern technology and not be held back by the curse of the installed base. (What have you got against being happy?)