Social Well-being, Religion, and Suicide : A Comparison of Japan and Korea with Thailand and Indonesia

This study analyzes the relationships between social well-being, religion, and suicide in Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia. Both Japan and Korea are countries with high economic development, and yet these countries are found to have lower levels of happiness than Thailand and Indonesia. Moreover, in these countries the suicide rates, a sign of unhappiness, are also higher. This is a condition of an external paradox occurring between different countries, rather than within one country like the Easterlin internal paradox where economic growth in a country is not accompanied by happiness. The findings show that happiness or personal well-being should be analyzed in both macro and meso contexts. Religion, as a macro-subjective factor, should be given more attention in the study of happiness and suicide.