Living in the country that coined the term Gross National Happiness (GNH), it was natural that this article “Worldwide, Residents of Richer Nations More Satisfied” would pique my interest. Recent Gallup World Poll data seem to indicate that Life Satisfaction, or Happiness to you can I, increases with average income levels. Does that mean that, contrary to common belief, money does indeed buy you happiness?
Apparently not. Richard Easterlin postulated that “happiness at a national level does not increase with wealth once basic needs are fulfilled”. So how does that tie to the trends reflected in the Gallup data? The gains in life satisfaction is greatest in the lower GDP region of the graph, giving credence Easterlin’s theory. What is surprising though, is the consistent, though less dramatic, gains in life satisfaction with an increase in income for the richer countries.
The article explains this apparent contradiction by suggesting that when asked about their state of happiness, “people use a global standard.” Through globalisation and improved telecommunications, people understand how good/bad their lives are in relation to other low/high-income countries.
What does this mean for Bhutan? Technologies like the Internet and television are already bringing the world into Bhutanese homes. More Bhutanese than ever before are travelling overseas. Happiness is a moving target influenced by our exposure to global standards. As living standards improve in the world, what makes the citizens of this little land-locked nation happy today, is unlikely to bring them the same level of satisfaction in the years to come.
Much as I would like Bhutan to remain the oft-romanticised vision of Shangri-la, the pragmatic side of me (thanks to my Motherland, the land of the GDP-focused pragmatics) know it is difficult. Bhutan has already recognised the importance of the economy as it tries to find its own place in the global stage.
The global tides of change are here. And they are here to stay.
No comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link: http://www.li-ping.com/bhutan/archives/2008/03/14/money-happiness/trackback/