Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2012

The filmmakers of this thought-provoking documentary traveled around the world to study what makes people feel the treasured yet elusive title emotion. You probably already suspect that it’s not money or possessions, but what is it? Why does a Calcutta rickshaw driver consider himself as happy as the average American? And why does Japan rate so low on the global happiness scale? As is the problem with most international docs here, the many languages are only subtitled in Japanese, so I recommend that you try to snag a DVD of this rewarding film subbed in a language you can understand.