Gross National Happiness

In 1972 King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan made a political decision that would change the world. He decided that human development was inspired by spiritual as well as material needs, and put in place policies based not just on Gross National Product, but also on what he termed `Gross National Happiness’.

In Bhutan, most street advertising is banned, especially that aimed at children. Industrialisation is limited, and only enough timber is cut each year to meet needs. The environment, including native animals are protected, development is sustainable, and their unique Buddhist culture is preserved. There is a ban on plastic bags. In 1999 the King allowed TV and the internet to be introduced to Bhutan, because he thought it would contribute to GNH. However programs such as wrestling and MTV have since been banned, as they were not seen to promote GNH.

In recent years countries such as Britain and USA and Canada have followed suit. The British government have discussed the implications of a happiness strategy and The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has now defined its purpose as improving people's health and happiness. In 2004 the American National Institute of Health came up with `The Day Construction Method’ to measure people’s happiness doing different tasks throughout their day. For the last decade Canada has been collecting data aimed at creating ‘the Canadian Index of Well-Being’ that will, alongside GNP, help planners and decision makers create policy.

For the full article on this subject, go to www.actionchange.com. The article appears in issue #10 out 24th November 2006