Normally, people would think that living in developed countries is better for all. But here is a question, why do the United States, China, and Japan, which are recorded as the highest GDP countries, not occupy the top three positions in the happiness ranking? The happiest country in 2022 was Finland, according to the Gross National Happiness index, which is calculated from 33 indicators classified into nine domains, surveyed by the World Happiness Report. In addition, the other five northern Europe countries also ranked in the top even though their rank in GDP is not high. From this, we can say that developing technology does not always affect one’s happiness. This report will discuss how things have changed in developing countries from four different facts.
Changes in education methods
Better education is a key to ending poverty. Therefore, developed countries have been implementing Western education systems in developing countries. However, the differences in culture and lifestyle between developed and developing countries make its implementation difficult. Western education is focused on individuals succeeding (Reports, 2017). Though people in developing countries are required to learn how to plant and grow crops to have something to eat. Moreover, some students did well going abroad, and others were left behind. In thinking of their country, it can be said that Western education is not always good for them.
Changes in environment
Climate change is a common fact for everyone in this world today. Nevertheless, developed countries have produced causative agents of climate change the most, while developing countries face so many difficulties caused by it. In particular, countries around the Pacific Ocean face the huge problem of sinking land. If people lose their land, they will not develop. People in developing countries are living with their untouched nature. However, as they develop and their population grows, they need additional land to live on, so they cut forests. In 2015, more than 400,000 ha of forest were cut in Brazil and Southeast Asian countries (Ritchie and Roser, 2021). Their lifestyle is changing because of such changes caused by humans in order to develop their country.
Changes in physical and mental health
Currently, three in four people living in low or middle-income countries are suffering from diabetes (International Diabetes Federation, 2021). Pakistan has the highest rate of diabetes with 30.8% in 2021 (The World Bank, n.d.). Growing crops or wheat is much cheaper than growing vegetables. Therefore, low or middle-income countries cannot afford to buy vegetables. Developing technology will solve this problem. Agriculture development makes products cheaper and last a long time. Even after he or she gets diabetes, they can take insulin easily and fast. People suffering from diabetes are expected to decrease in the near future.
Mental health is essential to living a happy life nowadays. People who live in developing countries have a lower rate of mental issues than people in developed countries. In Pakistan, they have a strong bonding network to help each other. In Kenya, the traditional healer, ritualic healer, and health workers help to find out mental issues (Jacinto Convit, 2021). So, mental health will get worse as a country develops.
Conclusion
Living in a developed country has many benefits for the people living in it. However, making everything developed does not always work as people who live in developed countries think. This is because people are used to living lifestyles that are suited to them.
References
International Diabetes Federation (2021). IDF Diabetes Atlas 10th edition 2021. [online] diabetesatlas.org. Available at: https://diabetesatlas.org/ [Accessed 17 August 2022].
Jacinto Convit. (2021). Mental health in developed vs developing countries | Jacinto Convit World Organization. [online] Available at: https://www.jacintoconvit.org/social-science-series-5-mental-health-in-developed-vs-developing-countries/ [Accessed 17 August 2022].
Reports, S. (2017). The Differences Between Eastern and Western Education. [online] BORGEN. Available at: https://www.borgenmagazine.com/eastern-and-western-education-differences/#:~:text=The%20Western%20system%20focuses%20on [Accessed 17 August 2022].
Ritchie, H. and Roser, M. (2021). Deforestation and Forest Loss. [online] Our World in Data. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/deforestation [Accessed 17 August 2022].
THE WORLD BANK (n.d.). Diabetes Rates by Country 2020. [online] worldpopulationreview.com. Available at: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/diabetes-rates-by-country [Accessed 17 August 2022].
