Crime and anxiety weaken the perception of happiness among Mexicans

Mexico City, March 16 Experts from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) said on Wednesday that the increase in organized crime and the increase in the level of anxiety in Mexico caused a decrease in the perception of happiness among Mexicans. It also pointed out other factors, such as the loss of economic and health security, and the escalation of domestic and domestic violence during the confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At a remote press conference, “What does the happiness of Mexicans depend on?” Several experts have pointed out that crime and insecurity make Mexico “stop being a happy country,” and that this state of mind is a personal matter, but it cannot be separated from the environment. Manuel Alonso González, from the Faculty of Psychology at UNAM, recalled that states such as Baja California and Baja California Sur are happier than other states in northern Mexico, according to the evaluation carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi). “For example, Sonora, Chihuahua or Koahuila where social unrest exists. Organized crime greatly undermines the perception of happiness.” Gonzalez said. On the other hand, Beatriz Montemayor, from the Department of Anatomy at the Faculty of Medicine, pointed out that the situation of danger and anxiety is aggravated by the effects of the pandemic, that is, the loss of a loved one, and especially the prevailing state of uncertainty. He added that in order to be happy, regardless of age, we need to be responsible for what we love. “We need a purpose. Love and companionship are also factors that achieve that condition, being right with yourself and knowing you,” he said. In that sense, González pointed out that contact with other human beings makes us feel good. We form friendships or couple bonds; that is why, during the pandemic, “their absence has caused sadness and anxiety, especially among the elderly.” Montemayor said that happiness “largely depends on will and habits, and finding a place where we need to feel comfortable and achieve our goals. It is not a concept that we can define, but a composition that changes with the passage of life.” “We must have an active presence and purpose so that the regulation and balance of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine can guarantee us a happy time”, explains the expert. At the meeting, experts recalled that happiness is no longer a subjective and personal aspect, using indicators such as housing, income, employment, education, environment, health, safety and work-life balance by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). According to the 2019 OECD index, Mexico ranked 23rd among the happiest countries, but this was before the pandemic and now its position is lower. Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness on March 20, recognizing the important role that happiness plays an indispensable role in the development and well-being of all human beings. jmrg/rrt