Former Prime Minister Of Thailand Talks National Happiness

When measuring the success of a country, many look to measure its GDP. What economics don't reveal, though, is where the country stands on a happiness scale.

Former Prime Minister of Thailand Anand Panyarachun talked to the BBC about a perceptible sea change to move beyond developing just economic success.

The next generation of leaders, he says, will focus on a happiness index to measure quality of life rather than products produced.

"People care much more than material comforts because they are tired of it."

WATCH:

Comments

[HappierWithLess]

09:02 AM on 07/11/2011

I moved to Costa Rica, ranked very high on the happiness index, and can't imagine moving back to the states. Although there are obstacles here just as in the states, there is a different attitude. People are friendlier, kinder, and it's just a really nice place to live. I took a risk moving here, but glad that I tried something different, which in turn, creates its own happiness.
www.happierthanabillionaire.com

[Gregg Hake]

10:00 AM on 07/03/2011

Thank you for sharing this brief, but inspiring interview. Happiness and prosperity are not mutually exclusive, in fact, they are synergistic. Happiness makes prosperity sustainable, obviating the need for both the carrot and the stick. I wrote a series of blog posts this week on the topic. Please stop by and share your thoughts! http://tinyurl.com/42yg2yn

[FreeSwingingSoul]

03:21 PM on 07/01/2011

A Gross National Happiness statistic would not work for the US. It would show that money and possessions don't lead to happiness, and our run-away consumerism would suffer. As a result, businesses would not be able to sell as many frivolous items that we don't need, the economy would plummet, and the stock market and dividends would drastically decline. The US economy needs unhappy people to buy things they don't need in the pursuit of happiness.

[Zaw Tun]

01:34 AM on 07/01/2011

The man in the picture is not Anand Panyarachun. Not sure about the video cause it says "Blocked". Human Development Index (HDI) is a better indicator than GDP and GNP. Combination of HDI and Happiness Index would definitely be a better indication. People can live a happy and healthy life without much money.

[Ernest Crunkleton]

11:43 AM on 06/30/2011

As long as we use the GDP rubric to determine the success of our nation, it reflects our values as a nation. We think money is important and we think if you have more of it you must be successful. If we change what we desire out of life (long healthy lives filled with leisure) the way we measure success will change.

[Michael Roue]

11:01 AM on 06/30/2011

I can see it now.. "The reports are in from the first nationwide happiness poll conducted by the US government...and I can say, just looking at the poll makes the results drop by another point...ladies and gentlemen, we are not happy..."

[rayinprague]

08:15 AM on 06/30/2011

This isn't such a crazy idea. There is a prosperity index issued by Dubai-based Legatum Group that links life satisfaction to economic prosperity in the long term. It measures several factors including how safe people feel, how willing they are to help strangers and how much people trust others.

[TruelyFedUp]

09:32 PM on 06/29/2011

Wow! What a concept! Politicians should be judged on the percent of their happy constituents!

Let's DO IT.

[LMPE]

06:37 PM on 06/29/2011

Bhutan has measured gross national happiness for years.

[TruelyFedUp]

09:34 PM on 06/29/2011

% of happy population as a government statistic. Wouldn't that change the face of the news forever?!

[raker]

10:45 AM on 06/30/2011

I visited Bhutan. The people I encountered were lovely, but seemed deeply unhappy. I'd never noticed such a thing anywhere else. The sadness was palpable. Gross national happiness strikes me as a way to promote the image of a nation's leaders by pretending the people are happy with nothing, despite things like intermittent electricity, powerlessness, and poverty.