Happiness and Well-Being
Can Happiness Be Measured??
I am working on a group project dealing with Gross National Happiness (GNH) and the Happy Planet Index (HPI). This group will serve to link individuals and organizations with resources relating to global happiness measures.
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Created: Oct 17, 2007
Updated: Nov 16, 2009
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Topic: What is Happiness??
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Hi Nasher,
For me: Hapiness = Satisfaction :) Toby |
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Happiness, for me, is the amount of time spent in service - of the earth, of others. The more self-focused you are (buying "stuff," seeking one's own pleasure), the less happy you are, I think. When you lose yourself in a cause for something or someone else, you're happier.
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Happiness is a lightness of being, enjoying and taking in one's surroundings without wanting, feeling energized.
Next: Yes, something like a happiness index is perhaps a better way to measure progress (this must be defined as well) than GDP. Isn't there already a similar index, relating to quality of life (HDI)? But then I guess that begs the question, is one's quality of life directly connected to one's level of happiness. I think so.... |
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Thanks for all of your responses!
I relate Happiness more to the Buddhist ideal of satisfaction, versus suffering. I posted a video called 'Development Economics' of a Chilean economist named Manfred Max-Neef. He describes 10 fundamental Human Needs, which need to be satisfied for people to be their best. In response to your question, Zoey, HDI is used to measure well-being, but it is heavily weighted by GDP per capita (combined with life expectancy and an education index) so it still has the same focus on economic wealth. The Happy Planet Index uses data from the World Values Survey to quantify Life Satisfaction. Do you think that Happiness can really be captured in a survey?? What kinds of questions would you ask?? |
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Hi everyone.
I'd agree with Nasher that the Buddhist's have much of value to say on Happiness: I'd hightly recommend the book 'Happiness- A guide to developing life's most important skill" by Matthieu Ricard. Whilst agreeing that our human measures of success would be better focussed on happiness that on financial measures, I wonder if trying to quantify happiness is to miss the whole point as to what happiness really is! Having said that, the above book mentions the country of Bhutan (I think it is) where they DO rate their progress on a Happiness scale. In peace and joy Keith www.pintados.co.uk |
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Greetings all. Happy to be here! Thank YOU for being here and engaging in this dialogue.
As happens often in winter, I awoke (here in Northern CA) at 2am and decided to do some writing. I'd gone to sleep at 8pm. Being a deep, all-night-sleeper is something that brings me happiness! Some say 'bed is dead' (Tuesdays with Morrie, great movie) -- usually for me, bed is heaven. On this deliciously complex planet, with webs of relationships woven like unendingly intervening spider webs, Happiness can be viewed so many ways... - horseback riding - being in Love - living on an island - children's laughter - grandpa's hands - live music And yet, is Happiness simply the experience of feeling in union with Love, with each other, unseparate from all that is, connected to source? It seems to me this sense of oneness is the best definition, AND there are countless ways it gets expressed. Nasher, you asked what questions we would pose on a Happiness survey...hmm! - What is your relationship to your body? - What is one of your truest mentor's core teachings? - How would someone who is in Love with you, describe you? - Tell about one way you HAVE already live your life's dreams. Not sure how to quantify all this...I'm curious to hear others' voices! All for now dear ones, Jessica |
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I always feel happy when making my travel plans.
Having a destination might be a condition for happiness. Or is it the opportunity to escape that makes me happy? Hmm. ~;) Yet I remember clearly the day when the whole Universe came into focus. It was a good day. Days actually, there were quite a few of them, I don't even remember all of them. I have to tell you, there is a magor problem with all these universal alignment days. They are just like cats. They come and go, they always come back, but never tell you when. It is very confusing, and amusing, and entertaining :-) m- |
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