Peak sadness: India's happiness levels drop significantly

If you've been feeling a notch gloomier than you've ever felt before, you're not alone.

A recently released India-specific happiness study has found that we, as a nation, are sadder than we've ever been.

The report, released by MDI Gurgaon's Professor Rajesh K Pillania, ranks all 36 states and Union Territories on the basis of their happiness quotient. According to Pillania's findings, Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana are the worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with Mizoram and Punjab reporting the jolliest mood.

Echoing a similar sentiment, a global happiness report released in February revealed that India dropped 15 points in the index ranking of global countries in just one year.

The same report also noted that India is one of the five countries facing the steepest decline in happiness since the year 2013.

While none of the reports establishes the key contributor in this decline, a mixture of pandemic anxiety, dwindling job security and over exhaustion from an increase in workload could be some of the factors to blame.