In February, Time Out Dubai ecstatically reported that the United Arab Emirates was "one of the happiest countries in the world", according to a new study by the Boston Consulting Group.
The article's author, Scott Campbell, gushed that the "transformation to happiness" had been "guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum", who is not only the ruler of the emirate of Dubai but also the vice president and prime minister of the UAE.
Transformative steps have included "adopting a globally unique, science-based programme to analyse happiness levels" and "asking people to rate public services with emoji-style reviews".
Obviously, nothing says genuine human contentment - in an artificial land characterised by soul-crushing materialism and malls with ski slopes - like a digital yellow smiley face.
This is not the first time that the UAE has turned up on the frontlines of "happiness". In 2018, the World Happiness Report, published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranked the country twentieth among 156 nations and the happiest in the Arab world.
Emirati nationals were furthermore ranked the eleventh-happiest worldwide. So much for that silly old saying that money can’t buy happiness. READ MORE AT MIDDLE EAST EYE.