Will Smith pursued it, Bobby Mcferrin sang about it and Dr. Timothy Sharp founded an institute on it. The concept of happiness has confounded the masses for centuries: what is it, how do we measure it, what are its components and how do we determine how much of it we have.
The January-February issue of Harvard Business Review interestingly examined the science, history and measurement of happiness. No longer is happiness an intangible yet desired state of mind, it’s fast becoming a concept with far-reaching economic, political and business implications.
The pursuit of happiness was not always a positive widespread notion either, and in the 18th century a solemn approach to life was encouraged. Many theories are provided to explain this shift in thinking and approach to happiness. My favourite insight came from an eighteenth century historian that saw great improvements in dentistry, which he believed led to an increased willingness for people to open their mouths and smile. In line with this theory, he argued that the famously ambivalent smile of a Mona Lisa most likely reflected embarrassment at tooth decay. Prettier teeth equals happier world. Something tells me it’s a tad more complex, with factors such a religion and the emergence of behavioural economics, which takes psychological research seriously, causing an explosion of research into happiness and wellbeing.
Money can’t buy you happiness
While we’re all familiar with the saying, the money-based metrics of GNP (gross national product) and its replacement GDP (gross domestic product) have been the key measures of national ‘success’. Only now are governments and key economic influencers rethinking this methodology on the basis of three main flaws: it doesn’t take into account all economic activity (such as unpaid housework); it fails to factor in economic and environmental sustainability, and other factors may reflect ‘national wellbeing’ far more effectively than economic output, such as educational achievement and life-expectancy.
A movement to measure national wellbeing on factors other than GDP would be a huge step. This trend in thinking was fuelled by the example of Bhutan, when previous king Jigme Singye Wangchuck measured not GNP or GDP, but GNH: ‘Gross National Happiness’. Now governments all over the world are rushing to find out how they measure subjective feeling and increase the happiness of their citizens. British Prime Minister David Cameron recently released the first findings from the Happiness Index that sought to measure the happiness of Great Britain.
We’re Happy Little Vegemites
All this got me wondering, if Gross National Happiness were our national indicator, how would Aussies compare to other nations on the happiness scale? After a bit of digging I’ve concluded we’re a country high on smiles. From the ABC’s Making Australia Happy campaign, to the multiple research papers seeking to measure and increase our levels of cheer, it is clear that ensuring happiness is on the agenda.
You’ll be pleased to know that in the World Values Survey only one other country has levels of both happiness and life satisfaction that are higher than Australia by a statistically significant margin.
Exercise Your Happiness Muscle
Harvard Psychology Professor, Daniel Gilbert, argues that achieving happiness is like trying to lose weight: there is no magic pill for instant results. Eat a little less and exercise a little more consistently, and over time it will add up. Similarly, the things you can do to increase your happiness are small and take time, but if you do them every day you will reap the results. Gilbert encourages people to commit to simple behaviours like meditating, exercising, nurturing social connections and practicing altruism. Just like weight lost, happiness is something one must constantly fight for and strive to maintain:
Further reading: http://hbr.org/2012/01/the-science-behind-the-smile/ar/1
. Enjoy and let us know what you think!
