There's a lot of evidence Latin American countries, especially around the Caribbean basin. Tend to report relatively high levels of happiness. Americans also have a really strong positivity bias compared to say Russians or people in China. And it's just the so the way people think about their well being and emotional lives is different between cultures.
Philosopher and author Daniel Haybron of St. Louis University talks about his book, Happiness, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Happiness turns out to be a little more complicated than it sounds. Haybron discusses the good life and different philosophical perspectives on how to achieve happiness.