Planning For Happiness Now Is Not A Need, It's A Necessity!

By Vishwa Prakash
http://www.thehappyway.com/

Since World War II, the GDP per capita in the U.S.A. has tripled, but life satisfaction as measured by numerous research findings, has barely budged. On the contrary, the last fifty years has vastly multiplied the levels of depression, alcohol abuse and crime in Western Society (1)(2)(3).

With the recent advances in positive psychology, social and Government leaders have taken steps to plan cities to offer "happier lifestyles" and even to introduce happiness-inducing measures in schools and other organisations. Two positive psychology greats - Diener and Seligman (2004) recommend that we recognise the limitations of measuring well-being through economic indicators and encourage us to use SWB as an indicator.

Indeed we have been camouflaging our progress with the trappings of economic indicators (which do not reflect full-cost accounting) whereas it is possible to achieve sustainable happiness as an attainable, finite goal.

Some healthy steps in this direction are:

1. As Mayor of Bogota, Colombia - Enrique Penalosa chose to "plan for happiness" and created urban infrastructure and public space to facilitate happiness.

2. The Himalyan Foothills Country of Bhutan has introduced the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) as more imporant than GNP, and has taken steps to incorporate social and spiritual well-being into policy and planning."We have to think of human well-being in broader terms - material well-being is only one component" - says Lyonpo Jigmi Thinley, Bhutan's home minister and ex-prime minister.

3. UNESCO has spearheaded efforts to create more child-friendly cities, whereas in the U.K. Prof. Martin Seligman - one of the most influential positive psychologists of our time - has been drafted by the Department of Education to train British teachers so they they can deliver happiness classes to thousands of secondary school pupils in Manchester, U.K.. Trials have shown that these "happiness lessons" boost self-esteem, challenge negative ways of thinking. Authorities are worried that at least 10% of school-going children in the country experience symptoms of severe depression, including suicidal thoughts coupled with despair and daily crying.

4. Universities and colleges are now offering "happiness courses" and apparently ,the most popular Harvard course bursting with 800 students is the one on how to shed pathologies and includes group meditation.
5. The Government in Great Britain recently commissioned and published an exhaustive study and report on the reasons why their government should develop policies designed to raise the SWB levels of its citizens - more on
http://www.number-10.gov.uk/su/ls/paper.pdf

(1) Silbereisen et al (1995)
(2) Smith (1995)
(3) Fombonne (1995)

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