We all know the saying money can't buy happiness, and I'd say for certain that happiness is more important than money. That's why I find the kingdom of Bhutan quite interesting.
Forget GNP/Gross National Product, there's something more important that the people of Bhutan measure, and that's GNH - Gross National Happiness.
Bhutan has measured GNH since 1972 to determine the quality of life of its people, and it's the only country in the world to do so. These are the factors they look at to work out their gross national happiness:
1. Economic wellness - things like consumer debt and average income
2. Environmental wellness such as pollution, noise and traffic
3. Physical wellness - from statistics of things like severe illnesses
4. Mental wellness such as the use of anti-depressants or how many people are being treated for mental issues
5. Workplace wellness - how many people are unemployed, and the amount of work complaints
6. Social wellness - things like divorce rates, safety, crime rates and lawsuits
7. Political wellness - local democracy and foreign conflicts
I'm not sure how much of an indicator this really is as to people's individual happiness, but I think the concept is a good one, because a leader of a country should want the people of the country to be happy, and if I ran a country that would be more important to me than having loads of money. But then I'm not the queen or prime minister, which is probably a good thing! I just think if a country is happy, then that country is very rich indeed.
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