happiness

Gross National Happiness

- Adam Clare 4 Comments

Another cool thing about Bhutan is that they measure their well being using GNH opposed to GDP or GNP.

Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product.
The term was coined by Bhutan’s former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972 soon after the demise of his father King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk who has opened up Bhutan to the age of modernization. It signaled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan’s unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Like many moral goals, it is somewhat easier to state than to define. Nonetheless, it serves as a unifying vision for the Five Year planning process and all the derived planning documents that guide the economic and development plans of the country.
While conventional development models stress economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH claims to be based on the premise that true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other. The four pillars of GNH are the promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance.

Have to Work? Go for a jog!

- Adam Clare

A recent study found that people who exercise on work days suffer less stress, and are fitter, happier, more productive (Radiohead). The Daily Mail has more on the study.

People who exercise on work days are more productive, happier and suffer less stress than on non-gym days, scientists revealed today.

University of Bristol researchers found that employees who enjoyed a workout before going to work – or exercised during lunchbreaks – were better equipped to handle whatever the day threw at them.

It also found that people’s general mood improved on days of exercise but they became less calm on non-exercise days.

Happiness is Contagious

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

Happiness spreads like a virus: you can spread happiness to your friends and friends of friends. Get out there and spread some happiness!

Happiness is contagious, researchers reported on Thursday.

The same team that demonstrated obesity and smoking spread in networks has shown that the more happy people you know, the more likely you are yourself to be happy.

And getting connected to happy people improves a person’s own happiness, they reported in the British Medical Journa

TED Talks: What Makes us Happy?

- Adam Clare

TED gets a lot of neat people to talk about the neat things that they do. Lucky for us they post these talks online once the conference is done for the rest of us to enjoy. TED has compiled some themes, and one of them seems made for this site! Find out what makes us happy.

“The Pursuit of Happiness” was 2004’s conference theme, but TED speakers over many years have found themselves driven to understand the nature of happiness.

Daniel Gilbert’s astonishing talk shows how we humans are poor predictors of what will make us happy. Stefan Sagmeister shares how great design contributed to his happiest moments, suggesting that the secret may be attention to detail. And Malcolm Gladwell, tongue in cheek, explores what we might learn about the pursuit of happiness through one man’s quest to make the perfect pasta sauce.

But suppose we understand happiness. How, then, do we find it? Carl Honore says the key is, simply, to slow down. Pastor Rick Warren appeals for a life of spiritual purpose. And Barry Schwartz thinks a little less choice might do us all a lot of good.

Biological Determinism for Happiness

- Adam Clare

This is good news for some people and irrelevant news for others. There is new research coming out that hints that biology plays a significant role in how happy we are.

esearchers from the University of Edinburgh and the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane have found our personalities and happiness are largely hereditary and that genetically determined personality traits affect our happiness.

The research, published in the latest issue of the journal Psychological Science, rated the personalities of 973 pairs of twins. The twins were rated using the Five Factor Model of personality, which measures neuroticism, extroversion, conscientiousness, openness and agreeableness.

The study shows identical twins have a very similar personality and well-being. But fraternal twins are only around half as similar.

This suggests that genes are responsible for certain personality traits. Those who are conscientious, extroverted and not overly neurotic are more likely to be happy. People with these personality traits also tend to have a happiness buffer to help them through hard times.

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