The Conditions for Happiness
What makes you happy? During the two weeks that I spent abroad in Guatemala studying how neighborhood conditions influence the happiness of residents, this question was asked many times. The question was not only posed to me and my fellow ASU classmates but also to the many Guatemalans that we met in our travels. Unsurprisingly, there were many different answers. However, listening closely to what the Guatemalans were saying revealed a common thread within many of their responses. To my surprise, this frequent source of happiness seemed to occur regardless of physical neighborhood conditions.