The Geography Of Bliss Analysis

This quote from Eric Weiner’s travel narrative, The Geography of Bliss, epitomizes an American perspective on thinking. Before his travels pursuing happiness, Weiner never had to consider what thinking did, or does, emotionally. Like many Americans, I find my perspective to be limited in that we Americans do not naturally consider how our thinking is affecting our own happiness. In his book, Weiner finds that other countries have views very contradictory to ours at home. Weiner even points out that, though our thinking vocabulary is strong, our happiness vocabulary is next to nil compared to other countries, like Thailand, which has multiple words for smiles. The American dependency on thinking – in any form, shallow or deep – is unique, and …show more content…
In fact, Weiner visits the Netherlands primarily to see their World Database of Happiness, or WDH. The WDH, created by Ruut Veenhoven, was founded to substantiate subjective well-being, or happiness studies. When Weiner arrives, he is less than impressed with what he finds, reporting nary a smiley face in sight. Weiner meets Veenhoven, who then gives him the grand tour of the WDH. Weiner reports, “Veenhoven leads me to a room as nondescript and soulless as the rest of the campus. Inside is a bank of a half-dozen computers. They are manned by the small, mostly volunteer staff of the WDH, none of whom looks especially happy. I let this incongruity slide” (13-14). In essence, Weiner has found the epitome of scientific happiness – without the appearance of happiness. However, Weiner does learn valuable information about countries that are happy or unhappy. In fact, the Netherlands scores consistently high on the happiness scale, and Weiner creates his travel itinerary from his findings at the WDH. Yet, he is surprised to find that most of the world is largely happy, contrary to popular American belief. Weiner believes that the true culprits of the unhappy myth are the early European philosophers who sat over-thinking and brooding alone in dark cafes. Weiner disagrees with these philosophers, pointing out, “The happy people of, say, 18th century Heidelberg were busy being …show more content…
When Weiner informs the Swiss he meets that their country is high on the happiness scale, the Swiss have to make themselves think about their own happiness. Weiner recounts, “The Swiss at the table look surprised, as if they’re thinking, “Hmmm. Maybe we are happy. Who knew?”” (30). Essentially, Weiner finds that the Swiss tend not to think about how happy they are. Yet, he also discovers that the Swiss think of unhappiness more often. For example, Weiner meets Susan, a New York writer, who has had plenty of experience with the Geneva diplomatic corps. Weiner finds that the diplomatic corps is excellent at fretting, asserting, “They [the Geneva diplomatic corps] do their fretting well dressed and, whenever possible, over lunch. Or, if extreme fretting is required, at conferences” (29). Basically, Weiner discovers that Switzerland gives more thought to unhappiness, and fretting, than happiness. In fact, Weiner uses the railway he loves so much as an example. One Swiss he speaks to, Dieter, tells Weiner about how easily the Swiss become unhappy. Weiner reports, “A few years ago, he [Dieter] says, the entire rail system broke down for 18 hours, hurling the nation into deep existential doubt” (31). In other words, Weiner finds that the Swiss fret easily and perhaps frequently. As far as thought is involved, Weiner determines that the Swiss enjoy thinking of