Bhutan - Gross National Happiness
Nestled in the bosom of the Himalayas, Bhutan is rich with a history of the Buddha. In modern times, these ways of life are not forgotten. The wealth of joy and contentment that springs from discipline, compassion, and mindfulness are the essence of the Buddha and of Gross National Happiness. With these, we can meet the challenges of economic fortitude that call upon sacrifice, networking, and strategy. In Bhutan, the King has called upon all of its citizens to utilize the tools of happiness in all aspects of their lives. What's more is there is a way to measure the accumulation of happiness. The exciting challenge awaits in creating a way to deliver these decrees to those in need.
The nine dimensions of GNH are:
- Psychological Well-being
- Time Use
- Community Vitality
- Culture
- Health
- Education
- Environmental Diversity
- Living Standard
- Governance
Some qualitative and quantitative measures for GNH are:
1. Economic Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of economic metrics such as consumer debt, average income to consumer price index ratio and income distribution
2. Environmental Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of environmental metrics such as pollution, noise and traffic
3. Physical Wellness: Indicated via statistical measurement of physical health metrics such as severe illnesses
4. Mental Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of mental health metrics such as usage of antidepressants and rise or decline of psychotherapy patients
5. Workplace Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of labor metrics such as jobless claims, job change, workplace complaints and lawsuits
6. Social Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of social metrics such as discrimination, safety, divorce rates, complaints of domestic conflicts and family lawsuits, public lawsuits, crime rates
7. Political Wellness: Indicated via direct survey and statistical measurement of political metrics such as the quality of local democracy, individual freedom, and foreign conflicts. [2]
