Indulgence
One challenge that confronts humanity, now and in the past, is the degree to which little children are socialised. Without socialisation we do not become “human”. This dimension is defined as the extent to which people try to control their desires and impulses, based on the way they were raised. A tendency toward a relatively weak control over their impulses is called “indulgence”, whereas a relatively strong control over their urges is called “restraint”. Cultures can be described as indulgent or restrained.
France scores somewhat in the middle (48) where it concerns indulgence versus restraint. This, in combination with a high score on Uncertainty Avoidance, implies that the French are less relaxed and enjoy life less often than is commonly assumed. Indeed, France scores not all that high on the happiness indices.