Seven of the world's 10 most joyful countries are in Latin America, according to a Gallup poll of 150,000 people worldwide.

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Hmmm. Latin America is a big place, with a lot of diversity. Not all Latin Americans are alike or have the same culture. From my experience in Latin America [not in the U.S. among Americans of Latino descent, even though I grew up in so-called Hispanic neighborhoods, and I'm 'white'] Mestizos in particular are generally very polite and civil people. And they don't like to rock the boat. They'll tell you or say what they think you want to hear, and rarely complain, at least publicly. They also hide their family problems and other problems. It's considered impolite to criticize or complain too much. So I'd take this poll with a grain of salt.

Even in the U.S., we have cultural differences region to region. Here in the northeast it's considered perfectly acceptable complain and discuss grievances. You'd be considered a chump if you didn't. There's less passive aggressiveness and more outright aggressiveness. And of course there's socioeconomic differences, also. Rich and poor people in my experience tend to be the most not afraid to express their anger or grievances, many middle class are afraid to make a 'scene' [and be considered low class?], rich and poor people don't seem to care.

The U.S. and Canada rank low on the list but not as bad as European countries. You want to deal with some seriously moddy people, travel and live around Europe. Asians rank dead last in happiness, with Singapore taking the top spot.