Choosing a vacation based on your current mood just got a lot easier, thanks to this new map from The Washington Post's Max Fisher. Feeling "emotional"? Head to the Americas — even if they don't include the moodiest place on Earth. Not in the mood to deal with any feelings? Maybe Russia. Fisher mapped the results a Gallup study that surveyed people in over 150 countries and areas around the world between 2009 and 2011 about their daily emotions. The study measured how frequently respondents said they were experiencing emotions both positive and negative. In the map, countries that were most emotional get a darker purple shade, and those that were least emotional have yellow shades, with blue for somewhere in between.

What is perhaps most striking when looking at the map is how emotional the American continents seem, especially compared to that big swath of yellow over part of Asia around Russia. Still, Singapore takes the least emotional prize, while people in the Philippines are the most emotional. Fisher explains that the map leaves a lot of questions: "Every color-coded national boundary here tells a story. Why is Haiti so bereft of emotion compared to its neighbors? Why is Angola so heavy with feeling?" 

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Esther Zuckerman