Shadowing Practice: How Happy Are Singaporeans Really in 2025? | Street Interview - Learn English Speaking with Video
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What's your biggest source of stress right now?
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Umm...
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I guess the usual, money.
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Singaporeans are...
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consistently all striving to do better.
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So, if you don't look successful on the outside, right, people kind of see you lower in terms of social status maybe.
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Do you think money can buy happiness here in Singapore?
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Hmm...
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Hey, it's Kay from Asian Boss.
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Let me ask you something.
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Does having more money actually make you happier?
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Singapore is one of the richest countries in the world.
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But in 2025, it just got knocked out of the top spot as the happiest country in Asia, according to the World Happiness Index.
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So what happened?
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Let's hit the streets of Singapore to find out how happy are everyday Singaporeans really.
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Let's go.
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This is a bit of a random question.
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how happy would you say you are on a scale of 1 to 10?
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Nowadays, maybe a 5.
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Yeah.
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Why 5?
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Interesting.
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Why do you say that?
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I just feel like recently I've been really tired, like from work and I guess just life in general.
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I'm in my late 20s.
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So I just feel it's been very tiring in life.
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So I would just rate it a 5 right now.
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On a scale of 1 to 10, maybe like 7 or 8 I guess.
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I think it's about 7 to 8.
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How about you?
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How happy would you say you are on a scale of 1 to 10?
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9 out of 10.
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Why do you say that you are 9 out of 10 happy?
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Because school is fun and on weekends I get to do fun stuff like going to shopping malls.
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I would say generally I'm around an 8 but this is not every day okay on average
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interesting why why do you say that?
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I guess
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because I've learned to kind of see the silver linings you
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know like appreciate the small things every day I wouldn't say
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all along I'm very happy person obviously I went through like 10 years of very unhappy times and then Yeah,
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I feel like now I'm able to really see the small little joys in everyday life.
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Singapore just dropped from being the happiest country in Asia on the World Happiness Index.
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Does that surprise you?
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No, actually, it doesn't surprise me.
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Yeah, I think because you see less
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and less people who are gracious nowadays like even on the train
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when I take the train to work you know you get pressured even
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when you sit on like the priority seat without getting judged I think that's a really bad indication
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that you know if people are just not happy
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and yeah in fact I'm surprised that we are yeah
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but I'm surprised that okay I mean honestly I'm surprised we are one of the happiest first
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but have you seen it drop i think is uh in
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you know in the stock market they call mean reversion right yeah
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so this is actually mean reversion we are going back to where we should be
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so i don't know how that index was calculated
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but i'm guessing in terms of national security
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and like safetiness in like the country we are generally quite happy
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but i feel the people around me are always like tired they're just like running the red race
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so I'm even I'm not surprised we dropped but I'm surprised we're even the top country.
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I guess it could be overall the world is a lot
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more turbulent than it has been with you know all the social unrest the wars
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that have been going on economically it's not looking too good
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and things are getting more difficult in that sense
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so people might be feeling that pressure you know it's a bit harder to find that job,
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things are getting more expensive and so that pressure does add to that sense of this satisfaction.
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Do you think money can buy happiness here in Singapore?
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I think it can buy you certain happiness
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but let's say I would say like short-term happiness for example
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when you're able to afford something you know I feel like you feel
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that short burst of happiness but then after that it dips.
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How do you think helping others this way contributes to your own happiness?
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Yes, I think one thing that's very not talked enough about is the fact
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that helping someone else does increase your happiness, right?
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Because you kind of, you just feel more valuable to another individual.
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Speaking of helping others, here at Asian Boss, we've been raising money for of various causes,
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including supporting the elderly and single dads in Korea, providing milk for children in Malaysia,
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and giving meals to seniors in need in Singapore.
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To make that possible, we've been partnering with one of the largest kindness platforms, GiveAsia, for over six years.
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They've raised over $100 million from more than 2 million donors.
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Unlike most platforms, 100% of your donation can go directly to the cause.
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They're constantly making the platform easy to use, more secure, and improving marketing tools so anyone can raise funds quickly.
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But building and improving these tools takes resources.
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And that's where you come in.
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By becoming an impact partner, you're helping build tools that let thousands reach their fundraising goals faster.
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Click the link in the description to help create meaningful change.
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And maybe you'll find a little more happiness along the way.
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Now back to the interview.
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When you're helping others, like, you also tend to feel, or like, tend to feel more grateful about your own situation.
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Like, you see how, like, other people are and then you feel blessed yourself.
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And I think that contributes to your own happiness because seeing other people's situations,
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right, and if they're somehow not as privileged as you, it just makes you, gives you a different perspective.
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Yeah, makes you feel more blessed yourself, and I think that contributes to happiness.
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Do you ever do something for others, whether it be helping the local community or those in need?
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I helped the grandma this morning.
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I helped her grab her grocery back to the bus stop and I sent her off to her stop.
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Yeah, I think whenever I can, I do.
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But it's also mostly because I receive that a lot from strangers too.
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Like people tend to help me just to stop a bus or like stop an elevator.
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Kindness is everywhere actually when you look at it.
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So when you receive it, you should give it.
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And what's your biggest source of stress right now?
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I guess the usual, money.
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I mean, usually I'm worrying about how am I going to pay the bills,
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cover the bills, how am I able to retire properly next time,
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and how am I going to support my daughter, am I being a good parent?
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That's the usual stress.
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How stressful is your life on a daily basis?
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um i uh i think it's quite stressful uh
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but to be honest like at this point just like i just suck it up
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and do it
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and i find ways to relax um i don't take it
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too seriously yeah uh i think you know just to chill out
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and find pockets of time to just space out i think um makes it okay yeah
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but stressful yeah then what is the biggest source of stress that you face right now in your life
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It's probably like a longer term thing.
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It's not really currently about like the current this year or the next five years.
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It's probably what would I get or how would I feel when I get a bit older.
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What's there for me and what's there for everyone who are around our age.
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Because probably our generation is going to face a lot of different issues versus our parents' generation.
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So that's the long-term uncertainty that probably may stress me a little bit, but I think it's too far away for me to actually worry about it.
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Uncertainty?
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Yeah.
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Maybe sometimes when you are trying your best, there are things that are within your control, right?
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But then there are also things that are not within your control.
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So then you overthink it, like how things are going to pan out,
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and hopefully things that are uncontrollable can actually pan out the way you wish that it can.
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So the uncertainty and the fear of not getting what you want causes that stress.
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I think the biggest loss for me right now is just getting a house
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and wondering if the current job that I have right now, the current pay grade that I have right now, how long can I sustain on that? and managing my expectations.
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If I want to live a better standard of life, I probably need to hit a certain standard of pay grade in order to support myself.
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And it's not just supporting myself, supporting my family as well, my loved ones.
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So I think money is the biggest stress for me.
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Not exactly the job, but trying to manage the money right now.
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Do you ever feel like you're stuck in the rat race?
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Yes, definitely.
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Although I'm not doing the usual rat race because I'm actually a freelancer myself.
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But yes, I feel the constant pressure to do very well.
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I'm actually in the content creation industry and I feel that all the more my life is out there in the open, like how well I'm doing.
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You know, like it's out there for everyone to see and judge.
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So yes, definitely.
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Currently I'm in university, I'm a year one student.
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I wouldn't say I'm in a rat race yet, I'm not in the working world, so I can still enjoy some downtime and whatnot.
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But I feel that it's constantly a struggle to just keep on improving myself, keep on attaining the higher grade.
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Although I'm not a great student, I think I'm average.
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But there's always the pressure from my peers or even my parents to try and get better grades.
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So I try to get more internships or even get more experience.
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I think money can only satisfy you to like a certain extent right but to me it's more of
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am I earning enough to be able to have meals with my friends you know to buy things for my family
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do I have time to do things
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that I like like say my hobby like tennis or something
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so I think I flipped my view of being more conscious that I'm not just focused on money
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but also seeing like what a job can present me right is it giving me enough time like
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because if you have all the money in the world
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but you don't have time let's say you're paying you're being paid really high
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but you don't have time to do anything then like is
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it really worth it like you can't spend time with your loved ones you can't even meet your friends
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so i know a lot of people around me
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or like people my age i feel like you know they're
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always chasing like the next promotion they're chasing they have like a lot of goals they want to achieve but you know,
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in the process of chasing those goals, they're very tired.
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I don't think they have time for themselves or time for people around them. So, yeah.
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Honestly, I kind of decided to take myself out of the rat race.
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Because my current job at the moment is as un-corporate as you can get.
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And having worked in that kind of industry for a while, I'm in an events industry.
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so we mainly do events for games and e-sports.
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There was one time in corporate job, it got so bad that I got diagnosed with general anxiety,
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so I was going to my doctor crying.
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So it was pretty bad.
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And that's when I slowly took a step back and asked myself, what do I really want out of this life?
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You only got one life, so yeah.
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Does that mean there's this pressure in Singapore to look successful as well?
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Oh, I think it's really evident that it's everywhere.
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Like the car that we drive, the house that we have, and your clothes, your makeup,
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like just stroll around Ultra Road or any MRT station with advertisement everywhere.
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So yeah, I say for sure.
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Yeah, yeah, I would think so.
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I think because Singaporeans, it's just the mentality.
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Singaporeans are consistently all striving to do better.
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So if you don't look successful on the outside, people kind of see you lower in terms of social status maybe.
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So yeah, I think looking successful might be more important in Singapore than in most countries.
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I always tell myself that although there is this constant struggle to appear a certain way online, I must never forget who I am
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and also never forget to take care of myself and to slow down in the process of this race.
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At the end of the day, I think it's not the destination.
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It's more about the journey.
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So yeah, I have learned to really slow things down, be really gentle with myself and just enjoy the journey whenever I can.
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Do you think that's also part of the reason why you think that you're happier now versus you mentioned 10 years ago?
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Yes, definitely.
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I think like in my 20s, I was a little bit more clueless about this kind of things.
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Just really focused a lot of external validation.
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And I did not really have like a actual relationship with myself.
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I think now I have a really positive relationship with myself
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and I enjoy my company every day and I just like how I encourage myself during hard times.
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So yeah, definitely that is why I'm an 8 I guess.
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What's something you wish was more affordable in Singapore?
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Housing, cars.
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Definitely housing.
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So I'm 35 this year and I'm I'm gonna get housing alone.
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And just looking at the market out there, it's insane.
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I do not know how many singles would be able to afford housing, especially if they wanna get four room and above,
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or even a three room i think like depending on the location
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and and whatnot it could be really expensive
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so yeah housing is one thing
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that i wish was more affordable really i spend all my
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money on groceries what kind of groceries do you buy i mean especially
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if you're looking for like healthy stuff you know like
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if you're trying to get like lean beef
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if you're trying to eat good stuff and healthy stuff at the same time that's where it gets really expensive in Singapore.
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Pets.
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Pets and pet supplies.
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I feel like having an animal companion actually boosts your happiness, but it's such a luxury to have in Singapore.
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It's also really regulated.
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If you could change one thing about Singapore to make people happier, what would it be?
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I really hope people talk to each other more more.
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Like, you know, sometimes when you approach people on the street, they're like, oh, why are you talking to me?
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Like, I understand, but I do hope people like smile to each other more, like talk to each other more.
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Just small talks actually doesn't take that much to make people happy.
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Maybe it's education.
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It doesn't impact me, but probably the younger generations to come and probably parents who are around our age who have kids.
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So I wish we can be a little bit less competitive
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and a little bit more creative in terms of how we bring up the next generation
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because i mean we didn't like end up going to tuition classes all the time
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but we still turn out to be fine
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so i guess the next generation could enjoy a little bit of their childhood
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and they can grow up to be happier adults i think for the younger generation i think
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we should encourage more empathetic communication in our culture as a
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society i think a lot of times people here can be
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a bit too rationally wired i mean i have thoughts about
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this right as to why we are like this you know
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it's the system you know in terms of like how we
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have been developed to in terms of how what the priorities of development for us you know growing up
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so how we think what we think is important i think it's shaped in
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that way um so i think i would like to change
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that it does go back to to this this entire conversation on rethinking what education
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and a child's development means maybe a four-day work week i don't know how it would work for like everyone
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but i'm guessing having more time to rest
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and to like focus on themselves would be great
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but i think i hope that can happen soon sometime soon yeah maybe a four-day work week what's your definition of happiness?
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I think happiness is being able to afford what you want,
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being able to be surrounded by people that love you and you love, you know.
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Yeah, just not dreading waking up and liking life.
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I think my definition of happiness is constantly just trying to better yourself like making yourself a better person
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and while doing it having friends
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that are going the same journey as you i think
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that is one of the most meaningful things life can offer
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striving even though you might not ever achieve it just striving
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to be the best you can be what's your definition of happiness a nice family
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that loves you and a lot of friends to play with
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and then maybe some money so you can go somewhere fun with your friends and your family.
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I guess for me it's more that sense of empathy and understanding to understand that happiness it's up to you.
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A lot of the times yes you cannot control what happens
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but you can control how you react to it so I mean
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that was a state of mind I found myself
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when I was younger as well nobody really taught me that
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so every time something bad happens you know i you go
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in i go into this spiral why is this happening to me oh my god my life sucks
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and then it's so horrible but one day someone actually taught me a very important lesson
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that i took to her she told me yeah
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but yeah all these things are happened
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but christine you can either be a victim
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or you can put your mind to it
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and ask yourself what can I do to change this
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or to make this situation a little bit more bearable a little bit better
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so that is something that's a lesson
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that I hope to teach my daughter as well I agree
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on the empathy thing what about it do you agree that people need to understand me more
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do you think mommy's doing a good job shall we give her some encouragement She's doing a very, very, very, very good job.
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Understanding Happiness in Singapore: A Real-Life Dialogue for English Practice
The video takes to the streets of Singapore to explore how happy residents truly are in 2025, featuring candid conversations about stress, money, and daily joys. This relatable dialogue is perfect for english speaking practice, as it uses natural, conversational language that mirrors real-life interactions—ideal for IELTS speaking practice too.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "on a scale of 1 to 10" – A common way to ask for ratings, useful in discussions about opinions or feelings.
- "see the silver linings" – Means finding positive aspects in difficult situations; great for expressing resilience.
- "small little joys" – Refers to simple, everyday pleasures, a phrase that adds warmth to conversations.
- "get pressured" – Describes feeling stressed by others' expectations, a relatable term for talking about stress.
- "knocked out of the top spot" – A vivid way to say "removed from first place," useful in casual news or updates.
Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video
The shadowing technique is a proven way to improve pronunciation and fluency. Here's how to use it with this video:
- Listen and repeat immediately: Pause the video after short phrases (e.g., "Nowadays, maybe a 5") and repeat them, matching the speaker's tone and speed. This trains your mouth to form natural sounds.
- Focus on intonation: Notice how speakers rise or fall in pitch when expressing fatigue ("I've been really tired") or happiness ("school is fun"). Mimicking this makes your speech sound more native.
- Practice with longer sentences: Once comfortable, try shadowing full sentences like "I feel like now I'm able to really see the small little joys in everyday life." This builds stamina for shadow speak in real conversations.
- Record and compare: Record yourself shadowing, then listen to the original. Note differences in rhythm or stress—this helps you refine your skills.
Learning English with videos like this not only improves your language skills but also gives you insight into global cultures. Use these tips to turn real-world dialogues into powerful english speaking practice tools.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been going · we've been raising · we've been partnering |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've been · it's been · I've learned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was calculated · being paid · have been developed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who are · everyone who are |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.