Changing what we Measure from Wealth to Well-Being Gross National Happiness

“The time is ripe for our measurement system to shift emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring people’s well being.” Stiglitz Commission Report, August 2009, p. 12, emphasis in original

Robert F. Kennedy challenges Gross Domestic Product

Nic Marks 2010G

Joseph Stiglitz - Problems with GDP as an Economic Barometer

RSA Animate - The Empathic Civilisation

What is Gross National Happiness?

What’s wrong with GDP? Measures Domestic Production –Positive feedback loop to increase production –Increases growth endlessly Counts “regrettables” as positive Fails to account for environmental costs, livecycle costs or Natural Systems costs Doesn’t get us what we really want

Happiness/Well-Being Subjective Well-Being New science of Positive Psychology –fMRI scanning allows real-time studies of thought processes –Profiles of happiness common to all, Release of dopamine and activation of pleasure centers in the brain Altruism now shown to be hard-wired More pleasure when giving than when receiving

The Happy Planet Index Costa Rica #1 US #114 –Happiness and life expectancy / ecological footprint

Exercise Please write down all the things that you desire Please place a check mark next to all those you expect will still be important to you in 5 years Rank order those Write in how many hours per week you spend on each of those items

The Four Pillars The promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, the preservation and promotion of cultural values, the conservation of the natural environment, and the establishment of good governance.

Nine Domains of GNH time use living standards good governance psychological well-being community vitality cultural vitality health education ecology

MEW ISEW GPI Green GDP Adjusted Net Savings HDI GPI EF CF HPI GNH ESI QUARS EA Satellite Accounts SEEA NAMEA GEEA SESAME SDI PCFI MDG Twenty one alternatives to GDP from Goossens, Makipaa, Schepelmann, et al., “Alternative Progress Indicators to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a means toward sustainable development,” European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety, 2007

What about money? Evidence is that you need a certain amount which varies depending on the people around you in your neighborhood and your work. Your satisfaction relates to how you feel you are doing relative to others.

The GNH Program 1)Online clearinghouse for information, tools and resources 2)Survey tools 3)GNH Policy Analysis Tools 4)Community discussions and action 1)Conversation café’s – happiness circles 2)Report outs and discussion on Survey results

Policy and Program tools Checklists based on happiness indicators Used to evaluate the effect on well-being across the 9 domains for proposed policy or new programs. Ongoing Survey results show actual effects of the policy or program

Objective Measures Twitter – real-time, place and time Look for key emotive words in 5 million twitter feeds per day Happiest time of the week is Saturday around 8pm… What about surveillance cameras? Life expectancy,

Community Happiness is a core aspiration for everyone We need to discuss what improves well- being for everyone We need to guide our institutions to make policy and programs to enhance the pursuit of happiness We need ongoing, periodic measures to make sure we are progressing toward our goals.

Who is using this? UK, France, Scandinavian countries, OECD Brazil China Bhutan, Thailand United Nations UNDP Maryland and Utah (GPI)

What we can do Learn about alternative measures of Well Being and progress Develop positive and inspiring future visions—I have a dream… Become data literate and insist that media and academic institutions and all levels of government and business use comprehensive well-being indicators Family and Community discussions about our pursuit of happiness

Gross National Happiness USA envisions a sustainable future, based on Changing what we measure from Wealth to Well- Being. Help build a national movement.

Gross National Happiness