Happy or Lying?

A recent study by the OECD reported that Israelis are among the happiest of people living in Developed Nations, even as they lag behind in other measures such as income and housing.  The question is, why?  Haaretz hypothesized that maybe Israelis were more likely to lie, wanting to appear happy for an international audience or maybe the sample was flawed.  Maybe one or both of these are true, but I have an alternate theory from my admittedly short time here.

For many of the Israelis that I have met there is a purpose to living here.  Many Israelis have made an active decision to be Israeli.  Unlike many people who are born in a country and live there because that is where they are from, Israel is still a nation of immigrants.  There is a pride that comes from choosing to live in a place and finding happiness seems to be much easier in those circumstances.  The decision to leave your family, friends and culture behind is difficult, yet people make it every day to move here.

Of course, Israel isn't the only nation with immigrants.  Even for those who were born here, Zionism gives a purpose to living here that makes life very different from most places.  A few weeks ago I spent Shabbat with a family that lives on a Religious Kibbutz a little west of Tiberius.  Everyone in the family was born in Israel, but they believe that as Jews they are fulfilling a religious and national obligation by living and working there.  Granted I think it would be difficult to be unhappy where they live, surrounded by natural beauty with hard but fulfilling jobs and surrounded by great neighbors.  But even still, they are happy for reasons beyond personal and material.

For many secular Israelis who may not have the same religious belief of an obligation to live here, there is still a choice.  When violence has erupted here at different points some have chosen to leave for better jobs and less terror in other nations, especially the United States. Those that stay do so in spite of these challenges.  As an example I looked up salaries of Professors in Israel versus the United States.  The average salary of a full university professor in Israel is similar to the median salary for all post-secondary teachers in the US.  Considering the amount of Israeli Professors with degrees from US schools, it's clear their decision to live here is deeper than simple monetary concerns.

I think part of this happiness comes from a "living your beliefs" lifestyle that I see a lot.  I spent Seder in a community that is so proud of its mixture of secular and religious, Ashkenazi and Sephardic, that there is a waiting list and religious families can't buy a home there until more secular people move in to maintain the community's balance.  Similarly I have found most Israelis to be incredibly friendly on a personal level.  Last week while touring Haifa we asked someone for directions.  He thought directions were too complicated, so he just lead us to where we wanted to go.  And people here are genuinely interested in the life stories of the people they meet.  I think both of these come from a sense of community and unified purpose that few societies have.  Every news outlet here covers Israel, but they also cover the accomplishments (and failings) of Jews worldwide.  The sense of unity and corresponding happiness would certainly satisfy Weber's definition.

Of course there are tensions and problems, and the above observations don't apply to Arab Israelis and I'm not sure they apply to the ultra religious, so maybe Haaretz is right and there is a sampling problem.  But then again, maybe not.

Update: Another good look at this survey with some more data rather than anecdotes: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=8359