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Original language
06.11.2025
Gross National Happiness and global crises
Submitted by: Dr Karma Ura, President, Centre for Bhutan Studies, Thimphu, Bhutan
(email: documents.k.ura@gmail.com)
Title: Gross National Happiness and global crises
Thematic vector: Human Capital
Topic of discussion: Happiness Index
Bases of Happiness
There is growing inequality, catastrophic climate change, and huge mental health crises in the world today. How should we respond? Technological advancement will be one path but a technocentric world view, that addresses only the material world, cannot on its own resolve all of them. We need collective actions aimed at changing the nature of technology itself and we need guiding national and subnational indexes that reflect the goal of societal happiness. We need technologies and social policies that will reverses inequality and climate changes and promotes social cohesion and mental health. Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a modest example for meeting some of the challenges we face. The bases or sources of happiness is first presented before introducing the distinctive features of GNH index.
Subjective time
New culture all over the world that is focused on ‘productivity’ and ‘always on’ screentime is leading to lack of social and environmental experiences, which are clearly important factors for individual happiness. We must regain control over our time, and our subjective experience of time, as opposed to objective time. The reality of human beings as ‘dreamy animals’ who spend a large part of our time in internal thought while waking, and dreamtime while sleeping, is important. Our subjective time and our dreams reflect our mental health. We must preserve the positivity of our internal worlds as reflected in our daydreams and dreams, and one way of preserving this first to have enough objective time for these activities and secondly to have better freedom of subjective time.
Natural Environment
The beauty of the world is a primary (and primal) source of human happiness. We value nature not only for the rich raw material it gives us, but nature is one of the main sources and causes of our aesthetic sensory and cognitive experience. This is enhanced the more we train in visualization of the beauty of the world, whether it is fractals of colourful plants or the geometry and colour of the natural terrains.
The positive experience of nature is enjoyed in subjective and sensory experiences of artists, and we enjoy pleasure and happiness through the works of artists. Human art is additive to nature and allows us to experience nature not simply as isolated individuals but also through other people (artists).
As we look for metrics of growth beyond GDP that measures primarily materiality, we should strive to design societies that maximises our capacities for and opportunities to experience and be moved by beauty of plants, nature and wildlife for happiness.
Living standard, market, ethics
The current model of GDP growth mistakenly equates road construction, military spending and pollution as increases in societal happiness. Relying on monetary value means displacement of all other values as the central organising principle of global society. Support and solidarity free of cash transactions is being displaced with cash due to the valorisation of profit and marketing. As conceptual mistake of relying on GDP as progress is deep seated, the wellbeing of future generations is being discounted. As far as climate change is concerned, that emission associated with economic growth is destroying the life bearing capacity of the planet. .
Community
Community – defined as the quality of relationships among human beings (parental, romantic, kinship, friendship) – is an essential or foundational condition for happiness. The language of community is care and concern for others which is the oxygen for survival and flourishing. Laughter is a measure of the strength of both community and care.
The commons of a community – whether land, public institutions of health and education, or shared moral values – are both the expression of community and the conditions for its continued existence. Such commons – and their absence- deeply impact our behaviours (and what is possible in the ways we interact) and vitally important for the socialisation of children as to what are the norms in human interaction.
Good governance
Governments can profoundly shape collective life and promote conditions of happiness more than individuals can. We are caught in a socially constructed web of social institutions – politics, economics, technology, gender, religion, education – into which we are socialised, and which together regulate our thoughts and behaviours, and our relationships with other human beings.
Freedom is an essential tool for empirically testing that which is presented to us as reality so that it may be critiqued and reimagined to fit better for humanity and enable human flourishing.
The different branches of the government are necessary for check and balance but by themselves they do not guarantee peace, harmony and happiness. Equally, there is need for virtues among the individuals who occupy the offices of the government, and new orientation towards happiness with new visions and indicators. Liberal political theory argues for the check and balance for different branches of the government but leaves the lack of virtue of the individuals within it unaddressed.
Emotions and psychological well-being
The capacity for compassion and generosity is central to an individual’s happiness, because they determine the individual’s ability to engage beneficially with others, from which all else flows.
Happiness is not simply an in-the-moment feeling (as is so often characterised) but the result of the cumulation of experiences, relationships, and achievements. Central to this is the overall judgement a person makes about whether their life has been meaningful, productive, enjoyable.
If we were to look for metrics for human flourishing beyond GDP growth, we must measure growth in an individual’s capacity for meaningful interaction with others, and growth in positive emotions like generosity, calmness and joy; and growth in the number of people who retrospectively view their life course as having been a meaningful expression of their unique self. With respect to meaningful interaction with others, no ethics and culture prioritise the happiness of the individual in isolation, but instead all ethics and culture promotes that true happiness both for individuals and the collective stems from striving to reduce suffering, increase joy and laughter, for all.
Gross National Happiness index
Nine domains as conditions for GNH consist of health, education and living standards, governance, ecological preservation, cultural diversity preservation, time-use balance, community vitality, and psychological well-being. Health, education and living standards are components also in the human development index, although GNH variables differ in degree and kind from the human development index. While the fields of good governance, culture and environmental preservations are respective objectives in every nation, the domains of time use, community vitality, and psychological well-being are more distinctive features of GNH. Because of GNH and other policy priorities of the nation towards environmental conservation, 60% of land is preserved as forests and wildlife sanctuaries. Bhutan became the first nation in the world to declare it would remain carbon neutral.
The basic assumption in GNH is that as the number of conditions increase in a person’s life, the possibilities for happiness will increase in her or his life. GNH is defined as attainment of sufficiency of conditions itemized in nine domains. The conditions, which in statistics is known as variables, includes both subjective and objective variables. GNH’s conceptual framework includes a far broader set of variables. The choice of variables is shaped by challenges of modernity such as collapse of environment, culture, communities and time. The GNH indicators enable policy makers to respond to their changes, with actions and programmes.
The main features of GNH index are:
(1) Size versus sufficiency. GDP does not auto-reflect on the question about how long a given size of the production and consumption can be perpetuated into the future. It is methodologically incapable of bringing the point of view of sustainability and intergenerational justice on its own. The calculation of GNH index has a certain concept of justice inbuilt into it. Key to the calculation of metrics of GNH is sufficiency level for each variable.
(2) Material versus non-material aspect of flourishing. Many indicators that have emerged incorporate health and education as key components of flourishing. GNH goes further by including many other non-material communal and social dimensions of life such as belongingness, social support, stress, generosity, animosity, anger, and so forth.
(3) Multidimensionality versus dashboard. GNH indicators are not a set of dash boards in the usual sense of the term. Although there are 33 indicators, unlike dashboards, the GNH Index is aggregated by first fixing sufficiency in 2/3 out of the 33 weighted indicators.
(4) Plurality and parity. The GNH Index recognizes well-being if any person enjoys sufficiency in two-thirds of the domains. The conception of parity among the current population is inbuilt in GNH index. Parity can be defined as the state of being equivalent in variables in total over the nine domains. Parity doesn't necessarily require every person to achieve equally the same number of variables in all domains. The total number of variables individuals must be the same but the composition of variables they attain can be different. In other words, happiness can be attained by individuals in different ways. It differs from the concept of egalitarianism, which is a stance that advocates for equality of same variables across all individuals. But the same outcome in terms of happiness can be achieved by different set of goods.
(5) Detailed picture versus rough image. Unlike GDP that cannot be easily traced to individual groups, the GNH Index can be decomposed or disaggregated to any lower level of demography or geography. Therefore, it is used by multiple levels of government -horizontally and geographically – to see how groups fare and inform high-impact cost-effective policies at multiple levels of government.
The concept and measure of gross national happiness (GNH) balances economic growth with the spiritual, cultural, and environmental well-being of citizens. GNH index is a measure with promising metrics and policy tools to go beyond GDP. As the founder of GNH, His Majesty the fourth King of Bhutan observed memorably “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product”.
(email: documents.k.ura@gmail.com)
Title: Gross National Happiness and global crises
Thematic vector: Human Capital
Topic of discussion: Happiness Index
Bases of Happiness
There is growing inequality, catastrophic climate change, and huge mental health crises in the world today. How should we respond? Technological advancement will be one path but a technocentric world view, that addresses only the material world, cannot on its own resolve all of them. We need collective actions aimed at changing the nature of technology itself and we need guiding national and subnational indexes that reflect the goal of societal happiness. We need technologies and social policies that will reverses inequality and climate changes and promotes social cohesion and mental health. Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a modest example for meeting some of the challenges we face. The bases or sources of happiness is first presented before introducing the distinctive features of GNH index.
Subjective time
New culture all over the world that is focused on ‘productivity’ and ‘always on’ screentime is leading to lack of social and environmental experiences, which are clearly important factors for individual happiness. We must regain control over our time, and our subjective experience of time, as opposed to objective time. The reality of human beings as ‘dreamy animals’ who spend a large part of our time in internal thought while waking, and dreamtime while sleeping, is important. Our subjective time and our dreams reflect our mental health. We must preserve the positivity of our internal worlds as reflected in our daydreams and dreams, and one way of preserving this first to have enough objective time for these activities and secondly to have better freedom of subjective time.
Natural Environment
The beauty of the world is a primary (and primal) source of human happiness. We value nature not only for the rich raw material it gives us, but nature is one of the main sources and causes of our aesthetic sensory and cognitive experience. This is enhanced the more we train in visualization of the beauty of the world, whether it is fractals of colourful plants or the geometry and colour of the natural terrains.
The positive experience of nature is enjoyed in subjective and sensory experiences of artists, and we enjoy pleasure and happiness through the works of artists. Human art is additive to nature and allows us to experience nature not simply as isolated individuals but also through other people (artists).
As we look for metrics of growth beyond GDP that measures primarily materiality, we should strive to design societies that maximises our capacities for and opportunities to experience and be moved by beauty of plants, nature and wildlife for happiness.
Living standard, market, ethics
The current model of GDP growth mistakenly equates road construction, military spending and pollution as increases in societal happiness. Relying on monetary value means displacement of all other values as the central organising principle of global society. Support and solidarity free of cash transactions is being displaced with cash due to the valorisation of profit and marketing. As conceptual mistake of relying on GDP as progress is deep seated, the wellbeing of future generations is being discounted. As far as climate change is concerned, that emission associated with economic growth is destroying the life bearing capacity of the planet. .
Community
Community – defined as the quality of relationships among human beings (parental, romantic, kinship, friendship) – is an essential or foundational condition for happiness. The language of community is care and concern for others which is the oxygen for survival and flourishing. Laughter is a measure of the strength of both community and care.
The commons of a community – whether land, public institutions of health and education, or shared moral values – are both the expression of community and the conditions for its continued existence. Such commons – and their absence- deeply impact our behaviours (and what is possible in the ways we interact) and vitally important for the socialisation of children as to what are the norms in human interaction.
Good governance
Governments can profoundly shape collective life and promote conditions of happiness more than individuals can. We are caught in a socially constructed web of social institutions – politics, economics, technology, gender, religion, education – into which we are socialised, and which together regulate our thoughts and behaviours, and our relationships with other human beings.
Freedom is an essential tool for empirically testing that which is presented to us as reality so that it may be critiqued and reimagined to fit better for humanity and enable human flourishing.
The different branches of the government are necessary for check and balance but by themselves they do not guarantee peace, harmony and happiness. Equally, there is need for virtues among the individuals who occupy the offices of the government, and new orientation towards happiness with new visions and indicators. Liberal political theory argues for the check and balance for different branches of the government but leaves the lack of virtue of the individuals within it unaddressed.
Emotions and psychological well-being
The capacity for compassion and generosity is central to an individual’s happiness, because they determine the individual’s ability to engage beneficially with others, from which all else flows.
Happiness is not simply an in-the-moment feeling (as is so often characterised) but the result of the cumulation of experiences, relationships, and achievements. Central to this is the overall judgement a person makes about whether their life has been meaningful, productive, enjoyable.
If we were to look for metrics for human flourishing beyond GDP growth, we must measure growth in an individual’s capacity for meaningful interaction with others, and growth in positive emotions like generosity, calmness and joy; and growth in the number of people who retrospectively view their life course as having been a meaningful expression of their unique self. With respect to meaningful interaction with others, no ethics and culture prioritise the happiness of the individual in isolation, but instead all ethics and culture promotes that true happiness both for individuals and the collective stems from striving to reduce suffering, increase joy and laughter, for all.
Gross National Happiness index
Nine domains as conditions for GNH consist of health, education and living standards, governance, ecological preservation, cultural diversity preservation, time-use balance, community vitality, and psychological well-being. Health, education and living standards are components also in the human development index, although GNH variables differ in degree and kind from the human development index. While the fields of good governance, culture and environmental preservations are respective objectives in every nation, the domains of time use, community vitality, and psychological well-being are more distinctive features of GNH. Because of GNH and other policy priorities of the nation towards environmental conservation, 60% of land is preserved as forests and wildlife sanctuaries. Bhutan became the first nation in the world to declare it would remain carbon neutral.
The basic assumption in GNH is that as the number of conditions increase in a person’s life, the possibilities for happiness will increase in her or his life. GNH is defined as attainment of sufficiency of conditions itemized in nine domains. The conditions, which in statistics is known as variables, includes both subjective and objective variables. GNH’s conceptual framework includes a far broader set of variables. The choice of variables is shaped by challenges of modernity such as collapse of environment, culture, communities and time. The GNH indicators enable policy makers to respond to their changes, with actions and programmes.
The main features of GNH index are:
(1) Size versus sufficiency. GDP does not auto-reflect on the question about how long a given size of the production and consumption can be perpetuated into the future. It is methodologically incapable of bringing the point of view of sustainability and intergenerational justice on its own. The calculation of GNH index has a certain concept of justice inbuilt into it. Key to the calculation of metrics of GNH is sufficiency level for each variable.
(2) Material versus non-material aspect of flourishing. Many indicators that have emerged incorporate health and education as key components of flourishing. GNH goes further by including many other non-material communal and social dimensions of life such as belongingness, social support, stress, generosity, animosity, anger, and so forth.
(3) Multidimensionality versus dashboard. GNH indicators are not a set of dash boards in the usual sense of the term. Although there are 33 indicators, unlike dashboards, the GNH Index is aggregated by first fixing sufficiency in 2/3 out of the 33 weighted indicators.
(4) Plurality and parity. The GNH Index recognizes well-being if any person enjoys sufficiency in two-thirds of the domains. The conception of parity among the current population is inbuilt in GNH index. Parity can be defined as the state of being equivalent in variables in total over the nine domains. Parity doesn't necessarily require every person to achieve equally the same number of variables in all domains. The total number of variables individuals must be the same but the composition of variables they attain can be different. In other words, happiness can be attained by individuals in different ways. It differs from the concept of egalitarianism, which is a stance that advocates for equality of same variables across all individuals. But the same outcome in terms of happiness can be achieved by different set of goods.
(5) Detailed picture versus rough image. Unlike GDP that cannot be easily traced to individual groups, the GNH Index can be decomposed or disaggregated to any lower level of demography or geography. Therefore, it is used by multiple levels of government -horizontally and geographically – to see how groups fare and inform high-impact cost-effective policies at multiple levels of government.
The concept and measure of gross national happiness (GNH) balances economic growth with the spiritual, cultural, and environmental well-being of citizens. GNH index is a measure with promising metrics and policy tools to go beyond GDP. As the founder of GNH, His Majesty the fourth King of Bhutan observed memorably “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product”.
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