Happiness and Well-being:A global movement, A local solution

happycounts.org

What makes you happy?guided exercise

World Happiness Report Key Findings:

External:

Money

Work

Community

Democratic Process

Internal:

Values & Religion

Health

Family experience

Education

Age

Gross Domestic Product - the sum of all good and services produced in a year

What GDP counts:+ goods and services sold + oil spills+ illness and death+ divorce….

What GDP does not count:- volunteering- time with friends and family- community gardens- walking for exercise..

Photostock freedigitalphotos.net

Does money make us happy? • GDP in the US has more than tripled since 1950s.

• Adjusted per capita GDP since 1960 has doubled since 2010

• Happiness has remained stagnant and even fallen

Easterlin Paradox

40 year study of nations across the globe

Up to a salary of $75K for family of four, long and short term happiness increases a lot with more money

After a salary of $75K, long term happiness increases are marginal or non-existent, short term increases in happiness do occur.

Unbalanced and Unfair

The United States has the widest gap between rich and poor of any wealthy country. The Nation, Unjust Spoils, Robert Reich

Share of annual national income earned by the top 1 % of Americans: 1980 8 percent

2010 24 percent Share earned by the bottom 50% 2010 20 percent

What about our planet?

If everyone on Earth consumed at the level of the U.S, we would need

Five to Seven Planets.

Our lives areunsustainable.

What is your ecological footprint?

When money does the talking.. The US is the only wealthy nation without :

– Paid Sick Days– Paid holidays (none are required of employers)– Paid Maternity Leave (with Swaziland, Liberia and Papua

New Guinea). Most also offer paid leave for fathers.– Paid Vacations (with Burma, Nepal, Suriname and Guyana)

The US spends nearly twice per capita on healthcare than any other nation yet, according the CIA fact book, the US ranks (out of 150 countries)

– 50th in the world in life expectancy– 46th in the world in infant mortality– 2nd in the world in obesity

Happiness is an American Value George Washington: “The aggregate happiness of the society, which is best promoted by

the practice of a virtuous policy, is, or ought to be, the end of all government ….”

John Adams: “Happiness of society is the end of government.”

Thomas Jefferson

“ The only orthodox object of the institution of government is to secure the greatest degree of happiness possible to the general mass of those associated under it.”

…and, of course, our Declaration of Independence.

What is Happiness? The 10 Domains of Happiness & SWL and affect

• Purpose• government • life

• Granularity • defines issues

• Capture the unobservable

Why do we need a subjective measure?

• hurting or thriving• “guide societies toward desirable futures” • experimenting society

• Inclusivity• people tune out objective data• people are the data – personal assessment

Where does it all come from?

“Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product.”

--Jigme Singye Wangchuk,

Fourth King of Bhutan, 1972

UN Resolution Towards a Holistic Approach to Sustainable Development

The spread of happiness United Kingdom Canada Brazil Australia China…and here

• A Grass Roots Organization• Subjective Measure of Wellbeing –

scalable, available• Tools, Resources and Knowledge

Happiness Initiatives

Objective IndicatorsObjective Indicators Happy ActionsHappy Actions

Happiness City Report:Feedback, and Recommendations

from the Community

Happiness City Report:Feedback, and Recommendations

from the Community

Town MeetingsTown Meetings

Tools and resources for a grassroots movement Your Happiness Initiative Team Your Happiness Initiative Team

Happiness Report Card: Survey and Objective Indicators

Happiness Report Card: Survey and Objective Indicators

Survey Survey

Your Happiness Index

The Happiness Report Card

The Gross National Happiness Index Scores represent results from 18,600 people who took the GNH Index between March 2011 and April 2013

Time Balance

In a typical week, how much of your time are you able to spend doing the kinds of things that you enjoy?

None of my timeNot much of my time

Some of my timeMost of my time

All of my time

Social Support SystemsDanish Unemployment Policies and Practices, Hours

Adjustment Act Netherland’s Hours Adjustment Act Workers have right to reduce hours to part-time,while maintaining hourly salary, health care, promotion opportunities and pro-rated benefits.

Environment

How satisfied with you are the efforts being made to preserve the natural environment in your neighborhood.

Very dissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Satisfied

Very Satisfied

Natural Environment ExampleBhutan’s Preservation Policy

60% natural habitat 40% development Big Hydro Decision

Pop-up “parks” – NYC, Sydney, SFGames in parks– Beijing

Natural Environment Example

Thank youDownload the toolkit to conduct your own happiness

happycounts.org/toolkits

Take the survey and get your own personal assessment of your well-being

Listen to an online-talk – monthly info available happycounts.org/talks/

Join twice a week networking calls to support each other in our work for global happiness and wellbeing

contact us at info@happycounts.org