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David Mclain

Located in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, Monterrey is a particular pocket of happiness in a country that already ranks high in happiness studies. This is despite rampant crime, including assassinations, kidnappings for ransom, and the murders of hundreds of police each year in ongoing drug wars. Lack of confidence in the police and government is widespread. But even while coping with such realities, Mexicans continue to experience high levels of well-being. In his research, Buettner found that strong relationships with friends and family, supercharged faith in their church, and a remarkable capacity to laugh in the face of hardship are some of the qualities that have lifted Mexicans above all but a few nations in happiness rankings. —Text adapted from the National Geographic book Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way

Couples in Singapore gather for Movies on the Beach, a government-sponsored event designed to promote love. Public programs—from litter-prevention campaigns to grants for studying abroad—are common in Singapore. So too are strict laws, with many crimes punishable by caning or hanging. Yet Singaporeans have accepted broad limits on their personal freedom in return for stability and safety. For them, happiness and success have become tightly intertwined. —Text adapted from the National Geographic book Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way

Singapore’s Marina Barrage beckons Sunday strollers. Researchers say the island city-state of 5.1 million people is the happiest country in Asia. What makes this densely populated, ethnically mixed country with strict government oversight happy? Buettner cites security and rapid economic growth as the primary forces. Also important are status equality, strong ties to family, and an environment of trust between groups that follow different religions and cultural traditions. —Text adapted from the National Geographic book Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way

While this scene of a hostess checking a nightclub-goer's temperature in Singapore seems eerily familiar now, it first appeared in a January 2010 story about the swine flu epidemic.