VAC The Art of Being

Happy

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Unit 4: Local & Global Perspective of Happiness
♦ Measuring happiness: Key indicators
♦ Happiness Index
♦ India in Global Happiness Indices

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Measuring Happiness
♦ A number of researchers and global organizations have
developed a variety of surveys, questionnaires and
indices to measure happiness.
♦ Each method contains a list of specific indicators against
which responses are evaluated to gauge levels of
happiness and well-being.

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Gross National Happiness Index (GNHI)
♦ Concept promulgated by His Majesty Jigme Singye
Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan in the early
1970s.
♦ Bhutan’s ancient legal code of 1629 stressed that
Bhutanese laws must promote happiness for all sentient
beings; the focus was not just the economic progress of
Bhutan, but of a flourishing human society living in
harmony with nature.
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9 Domains of Gross National Happiness
1. Living standards: Assets, Housing, Household per capita income
2. Ecological Diversity and Resilience: Responsibility towards environment, wildlife
damage (rural), urbanization issues, ecological issues
3. Health: Mental health, self reported health status, healthy days, disability
4. Education: Literacy, schooling, knowledge, value
5. Community Vitality: Donations (time & money), family, safety, community relationships
6. Time-use: Work, sleep
7. Psychological well-being: Life satisfaction, positive & negative emotions, spirituality
8. Good Governance: Government performance, fundamental rights, services, political
participation
9. Cultural Resilience and Promotion: Speak native language, cultural participation,
artistic skills, Driglam Namzha (official dress code)
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4 Pillars of Gross National Happiness

Sustainable
Preservation
Good Socio- Environmental
and Promotion
Governance Economic Conservation
of Culture
Development

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 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
♦ Also known as Global Goals.
♦ Adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
♦ Universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and
ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
♦ The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one
area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must
balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.

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List of 17 SDGs Good
Quality
Education Gender
health & equality
well- Clean
being water &
No Zero sanitation
poverty hunger

Industry, Reduced
innovation inequalities Sustainable
& cities &
Productive communities Responsible
Affordable infrastruct consumption
employment ure
& clean & economic
& production
energy growth

Life on Peace,
Life land justice &
Climate below Partnership
strong for global
action water institutions development

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Compiled for personal use by Ms. Soumya Sharma, Prof. Sarita Nanda, Daulat Ram College 1/27/2023 9
SDGs & Happiness
♦ Happiness is connected to Sustainability.
♦ When the planet’s natural, social, economic and personal
system flourish, humans flourish.
♦ The Happiness Index helps measure movement towards
sustainability & the SDGs.

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The Happiness Index
♦ Developed by the Happiness Alliance, deriving inspiration from the Gross National
Happiness Index (GNHI) developed by Bhutan.
♦ Comprehensive survey instrument that assesses happiness, wellbeing, and aspects of
sustainability and resilience.
♦ Measures life satisfaction, the feeling of happiness, and other happiness domains:
psychological well-being, health, time balance, community, social support, education,
arts and culture, environment, governance, material well-being, and work.
♦ Used to measure the satisfaction with life and the condition of life.
♦ Used to define income inequality, trust in government, and sense of community and
other aspects of wellbeing within specific demographics of a population.

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Uses/Importance of the Happiness Index
♦ Tool to assess, understand, and enhance individual’s
happiness, community well-being, social justice,
economic equality, and environmental sustainability.
♦ Helps to promote social change
♦ Provides necessary data to the researchers and policy
makers to plan for the well-being and happiness of the
citizens.

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The Cantril Ladder
The 2018 World Happiness
Report defines the Happiness
Index (or “Life ladder”) as follows:
“Please imagine a ladder, with steps
numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at
the top. The top of the ladder represents
the best possible life for you and the
bottom of the ladder represents the
worst possible life for you. On which step
of the ladder would you say you
personally feel you stand at this time?”

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The Cantril Ladder
♦ Also known as Cantril’s Self-Anchoring Ladder of Life Satisfaction.
♦ Measures life satisfaction by asking participants to imagine their ideal
life and hopes for the future as well as the worst future scenario of their
lives and fears associated with that future.

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Domains of Happiness
1. Psychological Well-being: optimism, senses of purpose and
of accomplishment;
2. Health: energy level and ability to perform everyday activities;
3. Time Balance: enjoyment, feeling rushed, and sense of leisure;
4. Community: sense of belonging, volunteerism, and sense of
safety;
5. Social Support: satisfaction with friends and family, feeling
loved, and feeling lonely;
6. Education, Arts, and Culture: access to cultural and
educational events and diversity;
7. Environment: access to nature, pollution, and conservation;
8. Governance: trust in government, sense of corruption, and
competency;
9. Material Well-Being: financial security and meeting basic
needs; and
10. Work: compensation, autonomy, and productivity.

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World Happiness Report (WHR) 2022
♦ Compiled by UN Rankings of Top 10 countries:
Sustainable Development 1. Finland (For 5 consecutive years)
Solutions Network and 2. Denmark
3. Switzerland
data collected chiefly from 4. Iceland
Gallup World Poll. 5. The Netherlands
6. Norway
♦ World Happiness Report 7. Sweden
8. Luxemburg
2021 reported the same 9. New Zealand
top 10 rankings. 10. Austria
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World Happiness Report 2021
♦ Compiled by UN Rankings of Top 10 countries:
1. Finland (For 4 consecutive years)
Sustainable Development 2. Denmark
Solutions Network and 3. Switzerland
4. Iceland
data collected chiefly from 5. The Netherlands
Gallup World Poll. 6. Norway
7. Sweden
♦ Theme: 8. Luxemburg
9. New Zealand
Life under COVID-19 10. Austria

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India in World Happiness Report
♦ India ranked 136 in
World Happiness
Report 2022, an
improvement from
its rank of 139 in
World Happiness
Report 2021.

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 Thank You…

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