GNP.... GNH lol

ThailandTom

We all know what the GNP of country means, well Mr david Cameron, AKA the prime minister of the UK has spent 3million pounds to send out a census to find out the gross national happiness hahaha.
These MPs and so called experts were explaiming that happiness is not entirely dictated my how much money one has, but it is a big part of being happy...

What is happiness, how can one define and measure it.

What are everyones thoughts on this..

Mountains

Bhutan doesn't calculate GDP (the new name for GNP), but the government of Buhtan has calculated a Gross National Happiness figure for some time now. Mr. Cameron apparently got the idea from them.

Regardless of how you define or quantify it, I'd lay you any money you want that overall Bhutan is a happier country than the UK, the US, China, Japan, or any other "advanced" nation.

patbb

yes i believe it is a fantastic proposition!

Mr David Cameron not afraid to innovate in his country.

Wonderful!

if they get any kind of success, perhaps other countries will follow.

ThailandTom

I hope it works for the positive and lessens this ideology that money wll bring happiness, true happiness, when it never ever will. Unless some time in the future there is liberation sold at like £100 a bottle or something

Mountains

Can I get a discount on that bottled liberation if I buy it by the case?

ThailandTom

you can mtns, if you know the right people I can sort you right you right out mate

Epicurus

Mountains wrote: »

Bhutan doesn't calculate GDP (the new name for GNP), but the government of Buhtan has calculated a Gross National Happiness figure for some time now. Mr. Cameron apparently got the idea from them.

Regardless of how you define or quantify it, I'd lay you any money you want that overall Bhutan is a happier country than the UK, the US, China, Japan, or any other "advanced" nation.

I wouldn't be so sure. Denmark is known as the happiest country in the world.

I think it's because Danish people are content, more than happy in the classical sense.



I define happiness as having one's needs satisfied.

compassionate_warrior

Once Bhutan came up with its concept of "Gross National Happiness", the World Bank, IMF and other international agencies asked, "How do you measure it?" "So the Bhutanese produced an intricate model of well-being that features the four pillars, the nine domains, and the 72 indicators of happiness. Specifically, the government has determined that the four pillars of a happy society involve the economy, culture, the environment and good governance. It breaks these into nine domains: psychological well-being, ecology, health, education, culture, living standards, time use, community vitality and good governance, each with its own weighted and unweighted GNH index.

"All of this is to be analyzed using the 72 indicators. Under the domain of psychological well-being, for example, indicators include the frequencies of prayer and meditation, and of feelings of selfishness, jealousy, calm, compassion, generosity and frustration as well as suicidal thoughts. 'We are even breaking down the time of day: how much time a person spends with family, at work, and so on,' according to a Kinley Dorji, Secretary of Information and Communications.

"Every two years, these indicators are to be reassessed through a nationwide questionnaire, said Karma Tshiteem, secretary of the Gross National Happiness Commission, as he sat in his office at the end of a hard day of work that he said made him happy.

"Gross national happiness has a broader application for Bhutan as it races to preserve its identity and culture from the encroachments of the outside world. How does a small country like Bhutan handle globalization? 'We will survive by being distinct, by being different', said Dorji."

[They're off to a good start, in the distinct and different department. --CW]

The New York Times, May 7, 2009

Dakini

That's impressive how the Bhutanese analyzed the GNH and broke it down to make it quantifiable, to meet the criteria of the international development agencies. Go, TEAM! Brilliant!

compassionate_warrior

It actually gets a lot more technical; I left out the part where it all translates into mathematical formulas. Reading that, you get the feeling that the Bhutanese government really enjoyed the challenge of quantifying their happiness, like they really had fun with it, which, I suppose, is totally appropriate!

Dakini

Maybe we should have the Bhutanese come over and help us get out of this miserable recession.