Abstract
Latinos are highly satisfied with their lives despite poor livability of the environment. This mostly theory and review article studies apparently quite unlivable but very happy fool's paradise, Colombia, in contrast to apparently very livable but quite unhappy fool's hell, the US. We argue that Colombia is not a fool's paradise– genuine happiness is possible in an apparently unlivable environment, because livability tends to be measured mostly in terms of material comfort, and already very basic material comfort is good enough to satisfy human needs and produce happiness. On the contrary, it is the excessive pursuit of material comfort, such as that in the US, that arguably actually decreases happiness by: 1) having to focus on what's unimportant, overwork, and alienate oneself; and 2) making an environment and interaction inhuman, sanitized, hospital/airport-like, and alienating. The world has much to learn from Colombia. Still, we cannot fully rule out that Colombia is a fool's paradise. We discuss alternative explanations and provide directions for future research.