Kathmandu, May 29 -- For decades, foreigners have noted and celebrated the good-natured cheerfulness of Nepal's Sherpas.

One western climber, in a preface to Tenzing Norgay's autobiography, noted that Norgay epitomised 'the tolerance and good humour . for which they [the Sherpa] are renowned . they are indeed a happy people, as anyone who has travelled with them will know, tolerant and good-humoured to a high degree, finding enjoyment in almost anything they do, interested in everything and with a strong sense of fun'.

As with any cross-cultural generalisation, this seemingly simple statement is actually far more complicated than it seems. Were the Sherpas really so cheerful, more so than any other group of people? Did the foreigners wh...