Gross National Happiness

“How can economic modernization be combined with cultural robustness and social well-being?” Columbia Economics professor Jeffrey Sachs looks at Bhutan for clues to the answer. “Part of Bhutan’s GNH revolves, of course, around meeting basic needs—improved health care, reduced maternal and child mortality, greater educational attainment, and better infrastructure, especially electricity, water, and sanitation. This focus on material improvement aimed at meeting basic needs makes sense for a country at Bhutan’s relatively low income level. … We are each finite and fragile physical beings. How much ‘stuff’—fast foods, TV commercials, large cars, new gadgets, and latest fashions—can we stuff into ourselves without deranging our own psychological well-being?”