Gross National Happiness Index
The mountainous country of Bhutan is best known as a place where happiness truly has a greater currency than gold. Happiness is not just an emotion in Bhutan but is also a measurement index (Gross National Happiness) used by the government for policy making, rooted in their underlying Buddhism based cultural values.
Introduced by the 4th King (Jigme Singye Wangchuck) in the early 1970s, Gross National Happiness is seen as part of the Buddhist Middle Path (part of the Noble Eightfold Path), where happiness is gained from moderation, or balance, rather than from the extremes of indulgence.
Bhutan's Gross National Happiness index then, is a philosophy used for policy making, aligned with nine domains - each of which require balance, to accrue happiness.
1. Living Standards
After a long day, tea is enjoyed with Yak butter while conversing in this farmhouse, in Punakha. While many farmers own simple homes similar to this, much of the younger generation strive to live in one of the two larger cities in the country, gentrifying the areas and driving up housing costs.
The Living Standards domain:
• Assets
• Housing
• Household per Capita Income
2. Education
As a path to modernizing Bhutan, the government provides a minimum of nine years of free education for all citizens, with similar education standards and quality in both urban and rural areas of the country.
While not all students are able to regularly attend school due to the need to work on family farms, many are quite well educated, speak multiple languages and had dreams of careers in medicine and education.
This young girl walks thirty minutes to school each day. While a bit shy, her command of the English was impressive for her age. During our brief conversation, she described her affinity for her favorite subject, math, and dream of one day becoming a teacher.
The Education domain:
• Literacy
• Schooling
• Knowledge
• Value
3. Health
Over the past sixty years, there has been huge improvement in the healthcare system in Bhutan. According to WHO data from 2018, total life expectancy is 70.6 years, with Coronary Heart Disease the leading cause of all deaths, at 18.59%. Basic health public services are provided at no cost to citizens, for both modern and traditional medicines.
The Health domain:
• Mental Health
• Self-reported Health Status
• Health Days
• Disability
4. Environment
While Bhutan is said to be one of the happiest countries in the world, it’s also one of the greenest. Over 60% of the country is forest with both farms and rice paddies lining the roadside, throughout the country. Rivers can also be seen everywhere, with hydroelectric dams the main source of power for Bhutan. So much so, that the remaining renewable energy is sold to India, generating a large percentage of Bhutan’s overall revenue.
The Environment domain:
• Ecological Issues
• Responsibility Towards the Environment
• Wildlife Damage (Rural)
• Urbanization Issues
5. Community Vitality
A relationship with the community is important in Bhutan, with an emphasis on spending time with family, friends and helping others - all are essential to a balanced, happy, life.
Giving back over an increase in material well-being is believed to increase happiness. As such, these two young men happily lend a hand to their neighbor, assisting with his potato harvest. This is not easy work either, as most is manual, without modern machinery available.
The Community Vitality domain:
• Donations (Time & Money)
• Community Relationship
• Family
• Safety
6. Time Use
“Time is an important resource for everyone. It is also a limited resource in that we have only 24 hours in a day to put to competing uses. How we use this limited resource is important and has implications for our economic and social well-being.” (Center for Bhutan Studies & GNH)
At Choki Traditional Art School in Thimphu, this young man utilizes a photo on his cell phone to reproduce an image of Guru Rinpoche, one of the most important religious figures in Bhutan - known for introducing Buddhism to the country.
As Bhutan continues to modernize, it strives to maintain its traditional cultural identity.
The Time Use domain:
• Work
• Sleep
7. Psychological Well-Being
In Bhutan, it is believed that a society focused largely on productivity does so at the detriment of their other values. Therefore, a balanced mind and body are essential to one’s physiological well-being.
Buddhist spirituality is a large part of Bhutan’s identity and way of life, with most spending at least a portion of their day meditating, reading scripture, turning prayer wheels clockwise or walking around temples to increase merits, for good karma.
The Psychological Well-Being domain:
• Life Satisfaction
• Positive Emotions
• Negative Emotions
• Spirituality
8. Good Governance
The Bhutanese government strives to improve the well-being of its people and recently moved from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, with the goal of increasing political participation.
Tourism is limited within Bhutan, ensuring the preservation of cultural identity, strongly adhering to their high value, low impact philosophy. Tourists are required to pay US$250 per person, per day, during high season, covering accommodation, transport within Bhutan, food and a guide. As much as 30% goes towards the government’s Sustainable Development Fee, helping to support free health care, free education, poverty relief, and infrastructure for Bhutan’s people.
Here, Phurba, a local guide in traditional dress, stands within the prayer flags at Chele La Pass
The Good Governance domain:
• Government Performance
• Fundamental Rights
• Services
• Political Participation
9. Cultural Resilience & Promotion
The importance of cultural diversity and resilience is to instill values for people “to meet spiritual and emotional needs, to temper the pace of modernization and the negative impacts of globalization, to safeguard and strengthen the country’s sovereignty and security, to develop resilience, and to promote diversity for meaningful contribution.” (Center for Bhutan Studies & GNH)
Nothing can demonstrate this more than Tiger’s Nest Monastery (Taktsang Monastery). Tiger’s Nest is a Buddhist sacred temple located in the cliff-side of Paro valley, built in 1692 near the cave where Guru Rinpoche first meditated, the event that introduced Buddhism in Bhutan.
The Cultural Resilience & Promotion domain:
• Speak Native Language
• Cultural Participation
• Artistic Skills
• Driglam Namzha (official behavior and dress code of Bhutan)
