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US-based consultant company Gallup this week released a new study which ranked negative emotions in 138 countries in the world for 2013. According to the study, Iraq has the “highest negative emotions” in the world; five of the top 10 nations were from the Muslim World, with four of them being Arab countries.
Gallup’s method for measuring negative emotions was by asking people if they had experiences related to “anger, stress, sadness, physical pain, and worry “. According to the study, the “yes” results were compiled into a Negative Experience Index Score. The results are based on interviews conducted by telephone or face-to-face conversation with around 1,000 adults (ages 15 or older) in every country from the 138 countries mentioned in the study in 2013.
Iraq topped the Gallup study with a score of 57. The 990 Iraqis interviewed said that the weak government, the sectarian violence, the economic difficulties and the high rate of unemployment made Iraq a very unstable country, and the nation with the most negative emotions among its citizens.
Iran came in second place in the study, with a score of 53. According to the 1,040 Iranians interviewed, the high unemployment and the high inflation in the country, along with international sanctions over its nuclear program badly affected their emotions. The report added that 48% of them said they would not recommend friends or associates to live in their country.
Egypt came in third on the list, securing a score of 50. The 1,105 Egyptians who gave face-to-face interviews stated that the political instability, anxiety over their future, the tension between Islamist and secular parties, violence, criminal activities, high unemployment rate and weak economic growth were the major reasons for their concern.
Syria was the next Arabic country on the list, coming in at fifth place with a score of 48. The 1,209 Syrians interviewed said that their country is one of the most dangerous places to live in the world because of the ongoing civil war. Syria was the least ranking nation in a previous Gallup study ranking positive emotions, with a score of 36.
Lebanon was in tenth place, scoring 41 on the index. According to information gathered from face-to-face interviews with 1,002 Lebanese people, the political deadlock, the increasing tensions due to the conflict in Syria, sectarianism and the gap between rich and poor were important factors for the high negative emotions running in the country.
The top ten countries on the index, along with their scores, are as follows –
Rank Country Score
1 Iraq 57
2 Iran 53
3 Egypt 50
4 Greece 50
5 Syria 48
6 Sierra Leone 47
7 Cyprus 45
8 Northern Cyprus 44
9 Cambodia 42
10 Lebanon 40
