However, according to a recent survey, the people in these ten Malaysian cities had no problem finding a reason to smile.

Small towns, but happy towns

The Urban and Rural Planning Department has revealed the ten happiest cities in Malaysia on Monday (1 June), in conjunction with the International Day of Happiness.

According to the department, the Happiness Index study ran from 2013 to 2019 involving 60,000 respondents.

A city's happiness is judged based on several factors, including happiness with family and relatives, pleasure in working, relationship with neighbours, community activities and environmental quality.

Here are the ten cities labelled the happiest by the Department, in no particular order:

#1 Taiping (Perak):

#2 Melaka (Melaka):

#5 Kulai (Johor):

#6 Kuantan (Pahang):

#8 Jasin (Melaka):

#9 Yan (Kedah):

#10 Jeli (Kelantan):

Not surprisingly, major cities like Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya did not make the list (because city people are stressed af, amirite?).