THE HAPPINESS QUOTIENT ( GLOBALLY BROADCASTED RADIO TALK : COPYRIGHT RESERVED )

THE  HAPPINESS  QUOTIENT
By S.K.Sengupta .

( GLOBALLY BROADCASTED RADIO TALK : COPYRIGHT RESERVED )

How happy are we as a nation ? People may be wealthy , but they are not necessarily more happy . In a bid to measure the happiness quotient of people , The World Values Survey Association carried out a survey of 97 nations . According to this survey , the people of Denmark are the happiest people in the world . Puerto Rico stood second and Colombia third . USA was sixteenth in the list .

Market research company Ipsos Social Research Institute also carried out a similar global survey . According to them , the people of Netherlands are the most satisfied and happy in the world , followed by Canada and Australia . Despite widespread poverty , Indians came out as very happy people and stood fourth in the list , followed by Germany and then USA . According to this study the South Koreans are the least happy people in the world .

The ranking of nations in such studies may vary depending upon the norms of measurement and the method of the survey . Yet the results provide a very good broad idea about the level of happiness of people in different countries .

Happiness is an individual pursuit . It depends on seven areas in the life of an individual . The seven areas are : 1. personal interests , 2. happiness of near and dear ones , 3. welfare of the groups of people in the person’s life , 4. well-being of human race in general , 5. development of animal and plant life for ecological balance , 6. development of infra-structure and environment , 7. inner growth of the individual .

 The first area is personal interest , but personal interest is not all in all to make a person happy . Criminals , anti-social elements and selfish people don’t understand that . When one concentrates only on selfish interest and ignores all other six areas in his life , one is bound to become unhappy .

 The second area of happiness is our near and dear ones including our immediate family . When these people are more happy , we become more happy . If we add to their happiness , we also add to our own happiness in the process .

In the third area of happiness , we have groups of people who are in our life like our friends circle , social circle , religious circle , circle of relatives and circle of colleagues in office . If these groups are vibrant and positive then we will be more happy . So to increase our own happiness we must do whatever we can to keep them happy .

The next area is humanity in general . We all know that at cosmic level we all are connected to each other . Pain anywhere is a threat to happiness everywhere . If we all work for humanity , we all taken together will become more happy .

The fifth area , which follows , is animal and plant life . There is a fine divine balace between different forms of life on planet earth . If we take care of all forms of life , only then we can survive well and only then we can live a rich and complete life .

The sixth area next is the inanimate world which supports life . Our well-being depends on clean rivers , clean air , healthy space , development of infrastructure and making this a beautiful world to live in .

The seventh and final area of happiness is our inner spiritual growth . If I can truly tell myself that I am a good human being , only then I can be truly happy .

Happiness therefore is a 360 degree concept . If I want to be happy I must maximize my happiness in all these seven areas .

The more I practice this 360 degree concept of happiness in my life , the more I will also work to make others happy around me . So in a group if every member practices this 360 degree concept , they will all try to make each other more happy , and the happiness of the group will race ahead . However , a criminal or a selfish person in this group will pull down the happiness level of the group in a significant manner .

With clear understanding of this reality the former king Jigme Singye Wangchuk of Bhutan set out to improve the happiness quotient of his people . He decided to put happiness at the very heart of government policy . He knew that happiness is an individual pursuit and therefore wanted to empower the individual . For this , when he handed over the throne to his son , he made him the constitutional monarch without executive powers , and converted the kingdom into a democracy .

Bhutan is a Budhist kingdom in Himalayan mountains with a population of only 700 thousand people . They have taken exemplary steps to augment their happiness . Tobacco and plastic bags are banned , traditional clothing and architecture are enforced by law , television was only recently introduced with several channels banned which they thought will have a negative impact on happiness , consumerism makes one unhappy and so advertisements are banned , there are no traffic-lights except one crossing manned by a traffic-officer as they believe that stop-lights add to frustration , and also spiritual development has been put at par with material improvement . Every activity of the government is assessed by the happiness that it produces and not by economic benefits .

The goal of government in Bhutan is creation of happiness and not creation of wealth . Therefore , they want to measure and maximize Gross National Happiness and not Gross National Product . To ensure that they don’t ignore any component of National Happiness , they have come out with an intricate model of 4 Pillars , 9 Domains , and 72 Indicators of happiness . The 4 Pillars are : Economy , Culture , Environment , and Good Governance . The 9 Domains are : 1. Psycological well-being ; 2. Ecology ; 3. Health ; 4. Education ; 5. Culture ; 6. Living-standards ; 7. Use of time ; 8. Community vitality ; and 9. Good governance . All these 9 Domains have their own weighted and unweighted index which are analyzed by using the 72 Indicators . For example , the Domain of Psychological well-being has Indicators like jealousy , calm , compassion , generosity , as well as frustration and suicidal thoughts . The Use of time has similarly been broken down to time spent on work , time spent with family and so on . Mathematical formulas have been devised to quantify and measure even the tiniest component part of happiness . Moreover , every two years these Indicators of happiness are reassessed by carrying out a nationwide survey .

Taking such measures to maximize happiness is perhaps easy for a small kingdom like Bhutan . But there is a lesson to learn for every nation which is plagued today by erosion of values , economic crisis and deteriorating mental health and happiness of its population . Maximising wealth is not an answer to these tragedies , neither at national level nor at personal level . Happiness is a 360 degree concept , and life is not commerce . It is well said that money can buy medicines but not health , money can buy workers but not friends , money can buy bed but not sleep . It is good to have wealth  , but please ensure that you are not losing in the process what money cannot buy !