Men better at enjoying life, says report

Men are better at enjoying life, according to a global report released today.

Men have a higher pleasure quotient (PQ) with an average PQ score of 120 as opposed to 116 for women, according to Magnum ice-cream’s 'The State of the World’s Pleasure' survey.

Irish people rank ninth happiest in the world in the report, with an average score of 120, compared to the average worldwide PQ score of 117.

Wexford has the happiest women in Ireland, where females score an average PQ of 180. Leitrim women displayed the lowest score in the country with an average PQ score of just 43.

Tipperary Men are the happiest with a PQ of 173, with Laois men coming last in the Ireland study with a PQ of 63.

The survey also revealed that those working in Retail and Leisure industry in Ireland have the highest PQ scores with an average of 143.

The lowest-ranked PQ score by occupation is for students, with an average PQ of 115.

Those contemplating emigration however may be put off by the finding that people from popular destinations such as Australia (111) and New Zealand (105) have a far lower average PQ score.

The PQ or pleasure quotient scale has been developed by University of Leicester Professor of psychology Alex Linley and his team.

Professor Linley’s research identified the existence of 10 different pleasure triggers – from taste sensations to physical arousal – and created the PQ scale based on the frequency and intensity to which an individual is stimulated by these triggers.

“The PQ test has been a phenomenal success – people are genuinely interested in finding out more about how much pleasure they’re currently receiving and how they can increase their pleasure potential and it’s fantastic to be able to assess the state of the world’s pleasure – something that hasn’t been done before,” said Professor Linley

“Life is too short to not be enjoying it!”