National Index of Happiness:
If all the happiness values determined by the citizens of a country could be cumulated, for every day, week, month, or year, a value could be determined as to how the nation as a whole has been doing, happiness-wise. We could then determine a National Index of Happiness, or NIH, every year. This index is the algebraic sum of all the positive values (showing happiness) and negative values (showing misery) of H, determined by every citizen of the country every day, summed up to determine the annual value, then divided by the total number of people reporting their happiness values. This National Index of Happiness could then be plotted for various years to determine the happiest times of a nation.

I strongly believe that governments should make every effort to utilize the National Index of Happiness, or NIH. This approach is quite different from present economic planning methods, which are aimed at increasing individual income and maximizing the so-called gross national product, or GNP. If such action is taken by governments, we will see priorities shift, with more emphasis placed on the eradication of hunger, malnutrition, homelessness, the indignities of joblessness, and suffering due to AIDS, cancer and other diseases. After all, the presence of these problems in society contributes to the negative values of H, as reported by all the people who suffer from them. Besides, government will surely place a great deal more emphasis on education- not simply to teach a vocation, as is done currently, but, more important, to teach human values such as integrity, courage, hope, truth, righteousness, enthusiasm, love, peace, respect for all beings, non- violence, and the desire to serve others unconditionally. Such education is absolutely necessary in order to increase the positive values in the Happinemty equation and to reduce all the negative emotional elements of happiness.

The steps which may be taken by the society as a whole or by the government are discussed more fully in Chapters 10 and 11. Again, these activities are quite different from current strategies for increasing the GNP, or the standard of living of the society.

I believe that the quality of life of a nation in truth depends on its National Index of Happiness, or NIH. I also believe that this is a more realistic way of comparing the quality of life of different nations than by comparing their CNP`s, or how much energy or material resources they use per person per year.

As you know, it is now common to consider a nation’s GNP as the measure of its progress, standard of living, and prosperity. This is hugely flawed. For example, if in one country the crime rate is higher than another, all the expenditures in manufacturing and handling of guns, protection against crimes, capturing and convicting of criminals, and paying for their incarcerations add up and increase the GNP in that nation. For another county, whose crime rates are lower, with every other economic activity being equal to those of the first country, this country shows lower GNP, and is considered less developed. The same thing is true about food and nutrition. If the people of one society are used to consuming more processed food, this consumption contributes to a higher GNP when compared to another society that consumes more natural foods (assuming, of course, that everything else is the same). The presence of many chemicals used during the food processing, and the absence of fiber and many other elements found in natural foods, contribute to many illnesses. All the costs of food processing and health care also contribute to a higher value of GNP.

With recognition of the elements that contribute to happiness, it now becomes easier to see whether, for example, an Indian fellow with a very low income and standard of living may be happier than an American, Canadian, German, or Swiss who enjoys a very high standard of living. If we adopt this evaluation of happiness, and determine the NIH values for all nations, we would have a quite different ranking of countries, a ranking not by GNP, but by NIH.

Exercise: With what you know about different countries, list which ones you think are the top ten happiest nations of the world.