Because I’m working with a financial services client, I’ve been thinking a lot about the meaning of success. In America, successful accomplishments of personal goals are often tied to happiness and fulfillment. But as a recent study shows, this is not a universal concept.

Researchers found that while Americans link happiness to personal achievement, Japanese link happiness to social harmony. The same dichotomy occurs when talking about unhappiness — Americans cope through anger and aggression while Japanese cope through self-improvement.

It’s interesting to me that this one concept, happiness, is a result of two different stimuli in two different countries, and I wonder whether the expression of happiness differs as well. While working on oral care, I’d always hear that a smile is a universal symbol of happiness. Is that really true? Or does that also differ?

(via Mindhacks)