Rich countries did not experience steep declines in happiness . The decreases in America and Britain were tiny ( a single percentage point ) while the share ot happy Germans rose 13 points . A larop in formerly joyful Spain ensured a modest overall decline for the rich. But the convergence happened thanks to huge improvemens in countries such as Indonesia ( + 35 ) and Pakistan ( + 22 ) . In 12 of the 24 emerging mrkets , half or more people rate their life satisfaction in the top the ladder .