Happiness in general is defined as the degree to which a person enjoys his or her life-as-a-whole. Accordingly ‘Gross National Happiness’ (GNH) is defined as the degree to which citizens in a country enjoy the life they live. GNH is a holistic and sustainable approach to development which balances between material and non-material values with the conviction that humans want to search for happiness. The objective of GNH is to achieve a balanced development in all facets of life which is essential to our happiness; the goal of GNH is happiness. One of several means to achieve this goal is sustainable economic growth. GNH is a unique approach to national and global development.
The concept of Gross National Happiness consists of four pillars: Fair socio-economic development (better education and health), conservation and promotion of a vibrant culture, environmental protection and good governance.
The four pillars are further elaborated in nine domains: psychological well-being, living standard, health, culture, education, community vitality, good governance, balanced time use and ecological integration. In accordance with these nine domains, Bhutan has developed 38 sub-indexes, 72 indicators and 151 variables that are used to define and analyze the happiness of the Bhutanese people.
The concept of ‘Gross National Happiness’ (GNH) was introduced in the political discourse in the 1960s by the third king of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. In 1971 the idea was articulated by the fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck in his famous statement that “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product” (Priesner 1999: 28). In 1991 the idea was mentioned in the Five Year Plan and in 1998 the then Prime Minister elaborated the idea in an international address. These statements did not aim at scientific precision in the first place, but served to indicate a political direction. The motto worked well to that end and appeals also outside Bhutan.
The fourth king coined this concept to strengthen his commitment to build an Economy that would serve Bhutan’s unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. It is rooted in the Buddhist notion that the ultimate purpose of life is inner happiness. Bhutan being a Buddhist country, the King felt the responsibility to define development in terms of happiness of its people, rather than in terms of an abstract economic measurement such as Gross National Product (GNP).
GNH defines Bhutan`s development objective as improvement in the happiness and satisfaction of the people rather than growth of Gross National Product (GNP). GNH has been the overarching development philosophy of Bhutan as the concept has guided the country`s development policies and programs. It suggests that happiness is the ultimate objective of development. It recognizes that there are many more dimensions to development than those associated with Gross National Product (GNP), and that development should be understood as a total process that seeks to maximize happiness rather than purely economic growth.
The country believes that for a holistic development of the individual and society, it is essential that development achieves a sustainable balance between the economic, social, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs of the people. This has led to the declared objective of viewing development as a continuous process towards maintaining balance between the material and the intangible needs of individuals and society. GNH directs the country that the means must always be considered in terms of the end and, therefore, every step in material development and change must be measured and evaluated to ensure that it will lead to happiness, not just more development.
Having accepted that the maximum of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as philosophy and objective of the country`s development, it was felt necessary to more clearly identify the main areas and create the condition to enable the people to attain greater happiness. Recognizing that a wide range of factors contribute to human well-being and happiness and that it may not be possible to exhaustively define or list everything for the purpose of its development planning, Bhutan has identified four major areas as the main pillars of GNH. These are economic growth and development, preservation and promotion of cultural heritage, preservation and sustainable use of the environment, and good governance. Guided by GNH, Bhutan has been making steady progress in every sector toward the goal of modernization.
On 19 July 2011, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, at the request of the Prime Minister of Bhutan, unanimously adopted Happiness as an independent goal for all countries. The UN is thus engaged in a process towards encouraging the countries of the world to seek a more holistic approach to development. The Prime Minister of Bhutan concluded after the meeting in the UN General Assembly “Happiness is now accepted by the international community as a timeless, shared vision that binds all humanity together, rich and poor.”
In follow up to this Resolution titled “Happiness: Towards a Holistic Approach to Development”, the Royal Government of Bhutan held a High Level Meeting on “Happiness and Well Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm” on 2nd April 2012 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This Summit was attended by a select but representative group of top government representatives, by all United Nations missions, and by leading economists, scholars and spiritual and civil society leaders, representing both developed and developing nations. The heads of several states now have their eyes on Bhutan to learn how GNH can inspire them on their development path. Canada, Brazil and France are among countries that have begun to integrate GNH into national politics as a more viable alternative to the focus on growth and GDP.