I’ve been informed, via an online quiz, ,that my happiness level is at a solid- average. It is somewhat perplexing, because I like to think that I’m generally a happy-go-lucky, live-life-with-no-regrets kind of a gal. Maybe, I need to move to Bhutan.
The government must consider every policy for its impact not only on Gross Domestic Product, but also on GNH: “Gross National Happiness”… The politics of happiness has led Bhutan to make very different decisions from countries simply searching for wealth. In Bhutan the government puts inner spiritual development on a par with material improvement.. Development has been moderated and people are less well off financially than they could have been. [link]
Amazing. I started picturing an America that would put aside its economically efficient consumerist society and for once, considered the gross happiness of its people. In this ficticious world, Chevron’s profit would not have surged 49% and gas prices for us would be far less than $3.25/gal that is today. Wal-Mart would take some of the $11.2 billion of net profits and provide healthcare to the 775,000 Wal-Mart employees that live without it. I would no longer have college debt hanging over my head. Alas, I think to force government and corporations to think of the gross happiness here would be expecting a little too much.
The idea that politics should be about creating “the greatest happiness of the greatest number” goes back to the end of the 18th century and the philosopher Jeremy Bentham. However, no-one could work out how to measure happiness, or how to weigh one person’s happiness against how other people feel. So economics, which is built on objective measurement, took hold instead. [link]
Bhutan, on the other hand, was able to have a GNH because it is a far smaller nation than the U.S. is; a monarchy, in a remote region, they only started having televisions in 1999, and they only had one traffic light (that is until they took it down because it was making people unhappy). Bhutan has been developing their GNH in interesting ways…
The capital, Thimpu, is remarkable for its lack of advertising. In an attempt to hold back consumerism the city council recently banned hoardings promoting Coke and Pepsi…Recently they banned a number of channels including international wrestling and MTV, which they felt did little to promote happiness…Bhutan has even banned plastic bags and tobacco on the grounds that they make the country less happy…One of the pillars of Bhutan’s happiness philosophy is care for the environment. [link]
The research tells us if we want a happier society, we need to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. It suggests advertising is a major cause of unhappiness because people feel less well-off. Every 10 minutes of commuting cuts all forms of social involvement by 10%. And like there isn’t enough material out there for our parents pushing marriages, “…science of happiness suggests marriage is so good for your well-being that it adds an average seven years to the life of a man and something like four for a woman.”
Thinking about all this was starting to make me feel even more unhappy, and it reminded me of the laughing clubs in India. Laughing clubs are groups of people that get together and laugh as a form of exercise, and there are plenty of them in India.
I observed the laughing club in Ahamadabad, Gujarat. My uncle goes to laughing club frequently during the week at sunrise. The club takes place in the local city park. The instructor’s.. main points are.. first, laughing clubs gets many elderly out of their home and out into the garden. Second, he states that laughing is beneficial to lung volume especially for those elderly with COPD and asthma. Finally, the instructor stated that laughing is beneficial for the soul and health. There are 3 types of laughs. As you will see in the video clips, there is the loud HO HO HO laugh, the silent laugh, and the belly laugh. [link]
I highly encourage you to watch the video and if you are a DJ, I highly encourage you to mix the laughter into a beat. Laughing has many more benefits than the ones stated above.
- As a person laughs, carbon dioxide is driven out of the body to be replaced by oxygen-rich air, providing physical and mental freshness.
- Laughing can produce anti-inflammatory agents, which can aid back pain or arthritis.
- Laughing encourages muscles to relax, and exercises muscles all over the body, from the scalp to the legs.
- Laughing reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
- Laughing is also thought that laughter may possibly aid immune system responses, although the evidence for that is primarily anecdotal.
- Laughing exercises facial muscles to prevent sagging.
- Laughing boosts the production of ‘feel-good’ endorphin hormones. [link]
So in summary, happiness is used to measure Gross National Happiness in Bhutan and laughing as a form of therapy in India. What has this world come to? 
So, happiness is when rich gives to poor, is it?
hey taz: yeah, this was the bbc article i put up in the new section… isn’t it great? i just met up with 2 bloggers for lunch today.. they just got back from 8 months of traveling the world…and they went to bhutan…and had a fantastic time.. we discussed this issue of happiness.. and they found the country to be fascinating.. they spent 10 days there… did you know it costs outside tourists 200 bucks a day to visit… that is just the tax…sans any living,eating, etc… they try to keep tourists away..and that is a big hindrance to it..
ahh… bobby mcferrin is ringing in my ears right now…. ‘there’s a little song i know….let me sing it note for note….’ 🙂
Thanks for the tip Chick Pea!
did you know it costs outside tourists 200 bucks a day to visit. Chick pea,
About a year ago, NYT did an article on Bhutan toursim. It is pretty high end – rnn by comapnies like Abercrombie and Kent. Yes, I think average rate is US $500-600/ day but is supposed to be worth it. The visas are very limited.
KT: thanks for your input…. my friends who were nomads around the earth for the last 8 months got themselves shady indian drivers licenses to get in for free as they could not afford the price otherwise… 😉
🙂 @”Indian drivers license” – So, Indian nationals need not pay that hefty premium when visiting Bhutan?
So, there is some advantage of being born an Indian – Go BHUTAN, I’d say.
cheers -P
If gas prices were less than 3.25, wouldn’t people use more of it?
Okay, that Reuters article on Chevron’s profits says that it’s production and exploration sections are a part of the surge in profits: are they drilling more or something. Also, it’s says that the past few years have been ‘rosy’ due to market fears of disruption in supplies. Iraq/Iran anyone?
Oh, the whole Bhutan happiness thing. Eh. I want my MTV.
Oh, and besides political uncertainty of the middle east, there’s that whole increased demand, limited supply thing. Oh China and India, can’t you learn from Bhutan’s example?
Anyway, this consumerist society produces avonex which makes it possible for this MS patient to be happy. So, I want that included in any happiness index, please…….
Please stop whining about $3 a gallon gas. We in Europe have been paying more than that for a long long time.
EXACTLY!!!!
I am sorry Taz, but this smells of paternalistic censorship – like my ma not letting me watch MTV as a kid. International wrestling does not provide mirth? You gotta be kidding me.
some interesting comments about Bhutan at http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=199. in general, having gone to school with several Bhutanese, i agree with them when they say “let us decide what type of country we want.” if things are not perfect there, it’s up to them to protest censorship etc. unfortunately there are outside elements (political, religious,economical) that just can’t resist the urge to meddle in Bhutan’s affairs and promote their vision of what Bhutan should be. they’re the same types who think some of the tribes in places like the Andamans, who are virulently hostile to outsiders, should be dragged kicking and screaming into the “modern” 21st century. the idea of a shangri-la is very seductive and i can see why they don’t want too much outside influence and want to resist it, but it has its down side (as some Bhutanese have said) and ultimately, poor Bhutan is going to deal with the inexorable march of “progress.”
Whose God Is It Anyways?
The Bhutanese have every right to create the society they want. It’s their business. I just don’t consider it Shangri-La for myself, which was my point.
Come on, someone post the laughing yoga clip. That is perhaps the greatest thing I have ever got from Sepia Mutiny. Yes it is the greatest. Ever. Yes. Greatest.
Ah if you want something done…here you go for those that haven’t seen it. And if you have, you know you need to watch it again.
I did taz’s beeb quiz and I got “Slightly below average in life satisfaction”. Then I watched laughing yoga uncle and now I get “slightly satisfied”. Proof positive.
The man is a GENIUS.
MD,
actually i wasn’t really directing my comment at anyone. sorry if you thought so. i’m not saying it is a shangri-la (and clearly some Bhutanese don’t think so). having lived in tourist “havens,” i just understand their desire to limit the influence of the outside world and also see how hard and impractical a desire it is in today’s world.
Oh, I wasn’t upset – was just clarifying my point 🙂
Bong Breaker – hahahahahahah. Yoga uncle is hilarious.
Plus let’s not forget the other bit about how a country acquires happiness:
Forcefully evict immigrants on suspicion of being anti-national
Don’t we all wish we could do that?
Happiness depends partly on physical well-being. If you are starving, you are not going to be happy. If your belly is stuffed with thousand varities of pizza, you would not be happy. It is wrong to think that materialism makes people unhappy. In fact, United States is one of the happiest places on earth compared to TIME magazine issue some time ago. Latin America however was the happiest place on earth (especially Puerto Rico). Salsa does that to people.
Interesting. Cute post Taz. How can happiness be measured really? I experience different levels of it on different days. Almost all my distress stems from worrying about my parents and very little from worrying about myself.
But I’ve found a magic formula for instant happiness that makes me absolutely giddy with it. Giving. Not money but yourself, time, energy, effort and it doesn’t even have to be charity. Simply lending an ear to a moping friend or helping with your neighbor’s homework. When you make people happy it’s contagious.
Incidentaly I watched “The Laughing Club of India” a Mira Nair movie recently and found myself laughing along with the laughers on screen. The whole room was laughing. There is something contagious about laughter for sure. I sometimes have fits of giggles that last hours. Yes it’s quite ridiculous considering I’m not a 12 year old girl.
Well after the note telling me I CAN’T really say anything i will keep it short I know the true way to happiness He is called Shivam And he is great although he is small and doesnt play much sport I often view an online shrine to him here
Bhutan = an Orwellian Animal Farm not too far around the corner –
(previous SM discussion)
yikes…crazy yoga uncle made me smile but only elicited a slight giggle Does this mean I am cynical and jaded beyond redemption?!
I’m gonna vaporize some Granddaddy Purple and watch the march as it goes past my apartment on Wilshire. Si se puede!
…..Bhutan has even banned plastic bags and tobacco on the grounds that they make the country less happy
Reeeeeehully. That explains why I see them Druks squeezing the tobacco outa them cigarettes, and stuffing the tubes with something that makes them more happy.
If gas prices were less than 3.25, wouldn’t people use more of it?
The real formula for happiness would be to have no gas/vehicles at all. Walk! Get the full benefits of the endorphin rush exercise gives you. Commune with your sweaty fellow countrymen and your pristine natural environment. Afterall, it’s not like one really needs to reach anywhere, is it?
The irony of ‘happiness’ imposed on you by an absolute dictator’s fiat- something to gush over aint it?
Yes.
28: Shoot me now.
Yes, but we in the U.S. have a bigger country to drive around 🙂
…and bigger families (= bigger cars) …higher GNP …faster GNP growth …more manufacturing / heavy industry …more home ownership = greater % of population outside of city centers etc. etc. etc.
taz,
I think this is your first post with fewer than 100 comments. Slacking off eh?
I know this is a wee bit late, but welcome to Sepia.
I don’t know where you got your data on marriage, but I think that research shows that married men tend to be happier than single men and that married women tend to be unhappier than single women. This is counter-intuitive and surprising to me. I’m keeping that a secret from my wife. I think the idea of pursuing happiness is at the heart of the American dream- that’s the premise of the declaration of independence isn’t it. It’s just surprising that we’ve come to equate chasing money with chasing happiness.
The most effective online laughing therapy demonstration (courtesy of Badmash).
http://badmash.tv/laughing-yoga
You will be enlightened. Enjoy!
taz ..but do u really think that laughing club really can make any changes ..Happiness is something which is inner feeling u cant go to club to achieve such thing ..
Big ups to Bhutan!
If Bhutanese miss out on MTV they are missing out on nothing.
Alot of anxiety is created in the minds of young people regarding their looks and material possessions (or lack thereof) due to silly TV shows and commercials that contribute NOTHINGNESS to the intellectual development of the human being.
Material possessions and beauty do not a happy wo/man make.
What more does one need for happiness other than their basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, being met and satisfying relationships with family and friends?
If this simple foundation is there then a good platform is laid for inquiring into the nature of THE SELF. The discovery of that will bring true happiness. Not alcohol, cigerrettes, the latest American CDs and other pop-culture crap.
I hope Bhutan continues to give the middle finger to what is considered “progress” in the so-called “modern world”.
Bhutan is a brutally repressive Monarchy. Therefore people are happy.
Alexis de Tocqueville made this observation long ago. He predicted that the US would be the wealthiest and freest nation the world has ever seen, but their people will be unhappy. He attributed this to the classless society. You see, in a real class society people are content and do not aspire to rise, and are therefore happy. This is why the poor in India are generally peaceful (though with the current economic liberalization we can expect more violence) while there is much more crime and social unrest among the poor in the US.
You see the American classless society creates envy and status anxiety among poor individuals who see themselves as essentially equal to wealthier counterparts. On some level, every American believes they can be president or a millionaire, and when they fail it creates envy and resentment. such feelings are not prevalent in societies where people “know” their place.
So it is not really the gap between the rich and the poor that creates social unrest and violence, it is social mobility itself. the left argues that the rich poor gap leads to instability; but if they want stability, they should simply create a society where the poor cannot rise, like bhutan.
^^ wtferk?
This analysis of the poor seems lacking. First, to call America a classless society based on the myth of the American dream overlooks what class actually is, i.e., class is an economic relationship and not an ideological point of view. Second, to say that the poor in India are generally peaceful overlooks quite a proud history of insurrection of various forms which continues to this day. The myth of the docile poor is definitely a part of our own class/caste system but it seems fairly untrue to me.
The so-called “left” is quite fragmented and weak in the US; which left are you referring to?
And to say that the “unrest” of the poor in America is due to envy also really misses out some important factors. Your political ideology and basic sense of decency will influence how important you think these factors are, but there are various forms of violence that are visited upon the poor in America on a daily basis – or am I wrong?
So yes, envy is real, wanting what you don’t have does affect you, but there’s more to it.
Also, for those of you who miss my race-baiting: whitey whitey whitey whitey whitey.
Thank you.
oh, to have an “edit” button
Manju, this is a serious question – were you being ironic, or is that really what you believe? I ask because I would have thought it exactly the other way around i.e. class disparities usually engender a social climate of bitterness which eventually boils over into rage. Perhaps in India the nexus of class and caste makes the role of class a little more obscure than in other places, but there’s no shortage of examples in the case of caste. Then again, caste politics is an entirely different kettle of fish.
i was only being a tad ironic (in seemingly advocating a static class socetiy like that of old england or france.) it is a serious question. i don’t necesarily believe it yet, i’m open to other theories…but taz’s post got me thinking of de Tocqueville.
yes, it is counter-intuitive. Basicly, if you accept your lot in life you will never suffer from status anxiety and the unhappiness that follows. The poor in true class societies can be very happy. so it is not class disparities in and off itself that create a social climate of bitterness. there must be more.
My mistake. it’s not really an analysis of the poor. de Tocqueville said this about all americans, even middle class ones. they are not happy because, he interpreted, they always thought they should be doing better…which was a result of a “classless mentality” that ws not prevalent in old europe. everyone thinks they could be president (so to speak), but no one thinks they could be King.
understood. but there is a huge differnce between the american class system and the british one, or for that matter the indian caste system. it was these huge differnces that de toqueville was observing…and may help explain what Taz is seeing in Bhutan.
Ha. That’s funny. There’s a good chance that back in April I was actually reading Tocqueville and was spending quite some time theorizing about it. I was theorizing revolutions too that month…
carry on.
i am planning to go to bhutan and get a first hand experience in happiness this upcoming summer. a full report to follow..bobby mcferrin or not.