A growing number of people in China want inner peace as the demand for Buddhism and psychiatry soared, the Guangzhou-based Southern Weekly reported.
The report said that happiness and inner peace have now become popular topics with the development of China as the world's second largest economy, following decades of rapid economic growth.
"No matter what, Chinese people do not live happily," Xiao Zeping, the superintendent of the Shanghai Mental Health Center, said at an annual applied psychology conference held in Guangzhou in March.
Li Yan, the head of the psychiatry and sleeping disorder department at Guangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that the number of visits made by patients to the department significantly increased from 7,000 in 2005 to 50,000 last year.
Li added that the incidences of anxiety disorder, depression and schizophrenia in China are higher than the global average.
According to the report, the rapid growth of the self-help industry in the country may be attributed to the rising demand for mental care. The report said that registered users of Xinli001, a psychology information website, grew to 9.31 million since it was launched in 2011.
Huang Yongming, a Wuhan University professor, said that urbanization contributed to people's unhappiness, citing a study which said that pollution and food safety issues are the major causes of people's misery.
Mark Williams, an Oxford University clinical psychology professor, also said that Chinese people want to maintain inner peace amid regular anxiety and rapid change.
The Southern Weekly reported that most Chinese turn to Buddhism as their top choice, as government data showed that the number of Buddhist venues increased from 13,000 in 1997 to 33,000 in 2013.
The report added that many people have also shown more interest in meditation.
The report furthered that many religious groups in China see it as an indication of progress based on President Xi Jinping's pronouncement in February that having spiritual beliefs will give better hope for the nation and strength to the country.