Have you wondered whether unhappiness could perhaps be attributed to poor air quality to a certain extent? Do you find yourself feeling unhappy on days where the air quality index hits the unhealthy range?

Well, numerous studies have evaluated the correlation between happiness and air quality, and they all arrive at the same conclusion – air pollution can contribute to lower levels of happiness, especially among the urban population. 

In a research led by Siqi Zheng in 2019, it was revealed that higher levels of pollution in China are associated with a decrease in people’s happiness levels, as shown in Fig 1. According to the Air Quality Index (AQI) ranking, China ranked 22nd out of 118 countries for having the worst air quality in 2021. Despite the country attaining an annual economic growth rate of 8%, the satisfaction levels among urban residents have not risen as much as expected. Why is that so?

Fig 1: The relationship between PM2.5 concentration and happiness index in China (Source: Zheng et. al., 2019)

One reason could be the presence of air pollution decreases peoples’ perception of the “freshness” of air outdoors, thereby increasing their unwillingness or rendering them unable to engage in outdoor activities. Studies have proven that spending more time in green and blue spaces like parks or beaches actually help to boost happiness levels. However, the bad air quality reduces opportunities for people to partake in activities like walking, hiking, and gardening. Being in natural areas has positive effects on lowering depression and anxiety levels. 

Air pollution causes extensive health impacts among urban residents, both directly and indirectly. Fig 2 depicts the bleak city backdrop of Shanghai, China, being covered by smog and heavy fog. The air quality index often hovers between the 150 to 200 range, which is considered an unhealthy level.

 

Fig 2: Smog and heavy fog envelop Shanghai, leading to an AQI between 150 to 200, which is considered unhealthy (Source: Lopez, 2018)

Prolonged exposure to airborne particulate matter such as PM2.5 particles may be extremely detrimental to one’s well-being. According to the World Health Organization, breathing in contaminants and pollutants can cause inflammation, oxidative stress, immunosuppression, and mutagenicity in cells throughout our body. In other words, it will affect the health and functionality of vital organs like our lungs, heart and brain. Some specific diseases or illnesses associated with air pollution include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and stroke. 

On the other hand, air pollution also indirectly impacts people’s health by reducing time spent in nature or outdoors, forcing most to remain indoors. This leads to rising sedentary levels and the promotion of inactive lifestyles due to increased screen time and a lack of exercise. Exercise is crucial because when we exercise, our bodies release chemicals like endorphins and serotonin, which help us regulate our mood and manage anxiety and depression levels. It increases our sense of positivity, thus leaving us feeling happier and more upbeat. Without the chance to exercise outdoors, people’s happiness levels will hence decrease. 

Another interesting fact is that happiness levels are highly subjective, whereby in some cases happiness levels increase with escalating pollution magnitudes. A 2022 study conducted by Tian and other researchers demonstrated that when air pollution levels are low, economic growth brought by pollution dominates the rise in people’s happiness. This means residents are willing to accept a certain level of poorer air quality in trade-off with the country attaining economic advancement, because this could signal improved standards of living for them in the long run. Pollution caused by economic growth can be a result of increasing industrialization and the building of infrastructure, denser transport networks, as well as a surge in energy consumption. 

Personally, I do not think that sacrificing my happiness for the sake of achieving growth is worth it. Our pursuit for constant development has only brought about a slew of negative environmental impacts worldwide, which will only continue to worsen and be borne disproportionately by the less privileged. Prolonged exposure to contaminants will put my own health at risk, causing unhappiness and suffering not only to myself in the longer term but also to my loved ones as well. I hope cities and countries will reevauluate their environmental and development policies to safeguard both the health of the public and our earth. 

As the saying goes, happiness is indeed contagious, and so is unhappiness. If we do not take action to resolve the air pollution issue in urbanized regions, the population of unhappy people will continue expanding, making the world we live in a gloomy one. However, not all hope is lost as it is better to start now than never!

 

 

Bibliography

IQAir. (2023, January 14). Air quality in China. Retrieved from IQAir: https://www.iqair.com/china

Krekel, C., & MacKerron, G. (2020). How Environmental Quality Affects Our Happiness. London: World Happiness Report.

Lopez, J. (2018, November 28). Expect Heavy Smog in Shanghai for the Next Few Days. Retrieved from thatsmags: https://www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/post/25928/expect-heavy-smog-in-shanghai-for-the-next-few-days

Richards, J., Jiang, X., Kelly, P., Chau, J., Bauman, A., & Ding, D. (2015). Don’t worry, be happy: cross-sectional associations between physical activity and happiness in 15 European countries. BMC Public Health, 15:53.

Tian, X., Zhang, C., & Xu, B. (2022). The Impact of Air Pollution on Residents’ Happiness: A Study on the Moderating Effect Based on Pollution Sensitivity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(12): 7536.

Tyrväinen, L., Ojala, A., Korpela, K., TimoLanki, Tsunetsugu, Y., & Kagawa, T. (2014). The influence of urban green environments on stress relief measures: A field experiment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38: 1-9.

WHO. (2022). Air quality and health. Retrieved from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/air-quality-and-health/health-impacts

Zheng, S., Wang, J., Sun, C., Zhang, X., & Kahn, M. E. (2019). Air pollution lowers Chinese urbanites’ expressed happiness on social media. Nature Human Behaviour, (3): 237-243.