Despite being fairly well off, Chinese people still have a low well-being. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Qu Mengxuan, 30, who works at a lottery company in Beijing, has been feeling down about his well-being in many ways - his health, work and social life.

"I have been feeling really tired for a long time, and I am beginning to gain weight. It feels really bad," Qu said. "I don't like my job either, although it provides social security and a relatively good income, it is boring and I feel I'm irrelevant in my company."

Qu also complained that his social circle doesn't bring him much joy because it's very limited. Most of his childhood friends still live in his hometown in Hegang, Heilongjiang Province, and he can't exactly have a heart-to-heart with the friends he has made at work.

"Not to mention I still don't have a girlfriend yet, which has made my life even more boring."

Qu is not the only Chinese person who has been in the doldrums about their well-being.

According to the latest 2014 Gallup-Healthways Global Well-Being Index, China doesn't fare well on most of the criteria. The results of the survey conducted in more than 145 countries last year were released last week. In China, Gallup interviewed 4,696 adults, aged 15 and older.

The survey appraised five well-being elements including purpose (China ranked 133), social (129), financial (59), community (134) and physical (91) well-being.

This year, Panama scored the top spot on the overall well-being index. Last year, it was Bhutan. Both countries are not as economically developed as China.

Rich, but unhappy

Tian Feng, a sociologist from the Chinese Academy of Social Science, is not surprised to see China ranked relatively high for its financial well-being. He cited the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures released by the Xinhua News Agency earlier this month. China's GDP for 2014 was $10,385 billion - the second highest in the world after the US.

"The Chinese ranking of 59 for financial well-being is rather shabby compared to its GDP ranking, which speaks to the income inequality in China," Tian said.

The same Xinhua News report showed that China ranks 80th in the world according to per capita GDP.

Qu said he thinks his financial well-being is still relatively low. Although he has bought an apartment in the city, it's far away from the downtown area, and the monthly mortgage of more than 4,000 yuan ($644) is a lot for him.

"I want an apartment in an area where there are good schools, so that my kids will have a good education. But the prices are too high," he said.

The recent stock market turmoil also drained his savings, Qu added.

Lu Jiehua, a sociologist from Peking University who specializes in population studies, said that the reason that Chinese people rank so low in the purpose, social and community well-being categories, has everything to do with the overall economic environment.

"The current social environment mainly focuses on economic development, and most Chinese have just made their decision based on how much money they can make," Lu said.

According to Lu's observation, school education and academics have been over-emphasized in the way that they can lead to a high salary or a high-ranking job in the future.

It seems that most Chinese people share the same dream of being rich and becoming a CEO or running a successful business rather than just leading an ordinary life, said Lu. "This ideal severely lowers the purpose well-being, because people don't actually like what they do every day."

It also results in low social well-being. People are anxious to over-achieve and compete with their peers, and they have a hard time forming deep relationship with others, Lu added.

Qu, who was the top scorer in the gaokao (national college entrance examinations) in his hometown, said that growing up, he only focused on achieving the best exam scores and choosing a major that promised to make him the most money.

"I don't feel happy or fulfilled every day, because the things I do are not in line with my interests. To be honest, I don't even know what my interests are," Qu said.

Besides a low spiritual well-being ranking, Chinese people's physical well-being also ranks poorly. The survey said it was because people lacked an awareness of the importance of an annual physical check-up, continuous treatment for chronic disease, leading a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy dietary habits.

As to Chinese people's low community well-being, Lu said the major reason is the erratic living conditions in big Chinese cities. "Residents in big cities move around a lot, because they usually rent accommodation due to the high house prices; therefore, it is hard to maintain a long stable neighborhood relationship."

Another reason is that people in Chinese cities don't really get involved in community affairs. The development of a community in China is largely  dependent on local government, unlike those Western communities which are highly self-governed. Westerners tend to participate more in community affairs, getting a better sense of belonging, according to Lu.

"Besides, the social classes in a Chinese community are usually mixed, while in Western societies, people from the same social class usually live in the same community, giving them a greater connection to one another," he said.

Chinese people also scored low on the social well-being index, measured by the supportive relationships with family and friends. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Follow your dreams

Tian said to improve Chinese people's well-being in all aspects, the government needs to invest more in improving social security conditions.

"Help people meet their basic needs, such as housing, medical care, education and leading a decent life after retirement," Tian said. "People from countries with a good social security system, such as those in Nordic countries, usually have a high well-being score."

Lu suggested Chinese people just be themselves, follow their own interests and dreams and enjoy the little things in life.

"We can see that people's well-being is not determined by their economic power," Lu said. "Once people stop making comparisons with each other and find their own happiness through their own interests and beliefs, their well-being will improve."

Dai Hailong, 38, who works at a television station in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, agrees with Lu.

"I find great fulfillment doing things I love and trying new things," Dai said.

Dai learns to do something new every year, such as how to steer a boat, how to fly a plane, flyboarding and car racing.

"I am not a very rich guy to be able to have so many hobbies. A lot of people are richer than me but with low well-being, because they only focus on making money rather than looking after their health and pursuing their interests," Dai said.

He said he thinks most Chinese people have a low well-being because they don't know how to play hard and separate work from their personal life.

Dai said through playing and participating in his interests, he has made many valuable friends, and he not only shares his hobbies with them, but also does business with them.

Dai has organized several car racing events and is planning to organize a flyboarding show with his buddies. "We even made some money from it. Nothing makes you  happier than doing things you love with the people you like and making money from it."

Unsuitable criteria

Although the findings of the Gallup survey is food for thought, Lu said the criteria used by Gallup do not suit the Chinese situation.

"The criteria Gallup used mainly focus on the individual, but Chinese people value family more than Westerners do, therefore, most Chinese people's well-being is dependent on their families." 

Lu conducted a Chinese family happiness index report in 2012. The report shows that the relationship between couples, the education of children and the health of family members, could all influence Chinese people's happiness. For this reason he feels the Gallup report has missed a key factor that determines Chinese people's well-being.

Still, he said, the low ranking sounds an alarm for Chinese people. "After all, a higher state of well-being leads to a higher quality of life and higher productivity," Lu said.

According to Gallup, the concept of well-being encompasses all the ways people think about and experience their lives. So their survey is based on five criteria: daily purpose, social relationships, financial security, connection to community, and physical health.

•Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals

•Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life

•Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security

•Community: liking where you live, feeling safe and having pride in your community

•Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily