Lifestyle
Is Taiwan the happiest place in Asia?
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Growing up, Huang Wen-chun remembers listening to friends and family complain about life in Taiwan. So when she saw news reports declaring Taiwan the happiest place in Asia, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.
“When I was young, everyone believed that the moon was rounder abroad,” said the 25-year-old freelance worker in Taipei. “As I got older, I realized there are so many ways in which Taiwan surpasses everywhere else.”
According to the annual World Happiness Report, the island democracy has surpassed Singapore as the happiest place in Asia. Globally Taiwan ranked 27th, while the top three spots went to Finland, Denmark and Iceland.
The report, which draws on Gallup World Poll data, is compiled by asking more than 100,000 participants in more than 140 countries to rank their lives on a scale from 1, worst possible, to 10, best possible. Taiwan averaged a response of 6.669 over the last three years.
The World Happiness Report also cited factors such as having someone to count on, economic development, healthy life expectancy, generosity and the freedom of choice and freedom from corruption as reasons for a feeling of contentment. It also attributed high levels of happiness to activities such as volunteering and sharing meals with others.
One thing Huang appreciates about Taiwan is the sense of safety. When she was a high school student, she visited Oakland during a trip to California, where thieves broke into her family’s car. Then they were targeted by scammers, who claimed they were sent to tow the car. When her father asked about a replacement vehicle, they drove away.
“In Taiwan, I never had to worry about this kind of thing,” she said.
Office workers pray for business prosperity as their company reopens after Chinese New Year holidays in Taipei, Taiwan, in February 2020.
(DAVID CHANG/EPA-EFE/REX/DAVID CHANG/EPA-EFE/REX)
In interviews, Taiwanese pointed to universal healthcare, an open and friendly society, freedom of expression and convenience in daily life as other potential contributors to local happiness. But some residents were not convinced that Taiwan should rank the highest in happiness in all of Asia.
“Right now, I don’t feel particularly happy, because of the pressures of inflation,” said 55-year-old Shen Shi-hung, who runs a food stall in Taipei. “But on the whole, Taiwanese people are very friendly and the quality of life is very good.”
Yu Ruoh-rong, a professor at Taipei-based research institution Academia Sinica, said that although the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with loneliness, her research indicated that most Taiwanese people had reverted back to their previous social lives. “Even people who are single or live alone seem to easily gather with friends, and find people to share meals with,” she added.
Yu, who has helped the Taiwanese government conduct happiness surveys, said that such reports often garner reactions of surprise from the general public. She said that although younger generations have some frustrations with economic stagnation, their sense of well-being rates higher compared with prior generations.
Stagnant wage growth and high housing prices are common complaints among Taiwanese. “When I saw the news I was a bit confused,” said Shen Wan-ju, a 37-year-old accountant in Taipei. “I feel like the salary growth is not quite keeping up with the increase in our cost of living,” she continued, adding that the cost of raising kids puts a lot of pressure on parents. Although Shen does not have children, she has watched her brother work hard to send his two sons to good schools.
“Honestly, it seems really hard to be parents. The cost of providing a good education for your child is getting higher,” she said.
Taiwan’s birth rate has fallen so low that it’s considered a major crisis, prompting the government to provide more financial support and matchmaking services for singles. Last year, the island’s fertility rate, or the number of children the average woman will bear in her lifetime, was 0.885, among the lowest in the world.
The title of “happiest place in Asia” also coincides with increasing military threats from China, which claims the self-governed island as part of its territory. In 2021, the Economist labeled Taiwan “the most dangerous place on Earth.”
But Tony Yang, a professor in health policy at the George Washington University School of Nursing, said the ability of Taiwanese to adapt to adversity such as ongoing tensions with China and see happiness as a fluctuating condition contribute to the quality of life.
“Despite persistent threats, daily life proceeds with remarkable normalcy and optimism,” he wrote in an op-ed for the Taipei Times. “This is not denial, but an ability to hold contradictory realities simultaneously — acknowledging threats while refusing to let them dominate our collective consciousness.”
Ariana Grande arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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The brightest stars in TV and film kicked off the 83rd annual Golden Globes tonight in Beverly Hills, Calif. with Ariana Grande, Noah Wyle, Teyana Taylor and George Clooney are just some the names who walked the red carpet. This year’s ceremony was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser.
Here’s a glimpse of what some of the attendees are wearing tonight.
Michael B. Jordan
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2026 Golden Globes
Nikki Glaser Shouts Out Rob Reiner …
Dons ‘Spinal Tap’ Hat at Close of Show
Published
Rob Reiner wasn’t forgotten at this year’s Golden Globe awards … because host Nikki Glaser paid tribute to him just weeks after his murder.
Here’s the deal … during the sign-off for the awards show, Nikki came onstage wearing a black and white “Spinal Tap” hat — the band which serves as the subject of Reiner’s iconic 1984 mockumentary of the same name.
Worth noting … the Golden Globes do not typically air an in memoriam — so this was the only time Reiner was mentioned at the show.
As you know … Rob and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home last month. Their son Nick Reiner has been arrested for murder in connection to the case.
TMZ.com
Nick’s arraignment was scheduled for last week … but, his lawyer Alan Jackson dropped out of the case — leaving Nick with a public defender and new arraignment date set for late February.
Jackson told a gaggle of reporters outside the courthouse that Nick’s not guilty … but, he simply can’t defend him. He did not provide a reason for his withdrawal.
Our new documentary “TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” dives into Rob and Michele’s grisly deaths … as well as Nick’s history of mental health issues and even how his weight gain set him on a dangerous path.
“TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” is now streaming on Hulu.
On-air challenge
Today’s puzzle is called “Pet Theory.” Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word start starts PE- and the second word starts T-. (Ex. What walkways at intersections carry –> PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC)
1. Chart that lists all the chemical elements
2. Place for a partridge in “The 12 Days of Christmas”
3. Male voyeur
4. What a coach gives a team during halftime in the locker room
5. Set of questions designed to reveal your traits
6. Something combatants sign to end a war
7. Someone who works with you one-on-one with physical exercises
8. Member of the Who
9. Incisors, canines, and premolars that grow in after you’re a baby
10. Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast to score this at the Olympics
11. What holds the fuel in a British car
Last week’s challenge
Last week’s challenge was a numerical one from Ed Pegg Jr., who runs the website mathpuzzle.com. Take the nine digits — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. You can group some of them and add arithmetic operations to get 2011 like this: 1 + 23 ÷ 4 x 5 x 67 – 8 + 9. If you do these operations in order from left to right, you get 2011. Well, 2011 was 15 years ago. Can you group some of the digits and add arithmetic symbols in a different way to make 2026? The digits from 1 to 9 need to stay in that order. I know of two different solutions, but you need to find only one of them.
Challenge answer
12 × 34 × 5 – 6 – 7 + 8 – 9 [or] 1 + 2 + 345 × 6 – 7 × 8 + 9
Winner
Daniel Abramson of Albuquerque, N.M.
This week’s challenge
This week’s challenge comes from listener Ward Hartenstein. Think of a well-known couple whose names are often said in the order of _____ & _____. Seven letters in the names in total. Combine those two names, change an E to an S, and rearrange the result to name another famous duo who are widely known as _____ & _____.
If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Thursday, January 15 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.
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