Bhutan is one of the poorest countries in the world and it has one of the smallest GDP too. On the other hand, USA has the largest GDP in the world. So, there can be no comparison between Bhutan and USA. I guess that many Americans even do not know about the existence of a country called Bhutan. Well, it did not matter until now but it should matter now as Bhutan has been singled out as one of the success stories in terms of happiness, in the 'The Happy Planet Index' published by New Economics Foundation (NEF). In fact, Bhutan has the 13th position while USA lies in the unenviable position of 150 in the index. So, money surely does not bring happiness for American people but Bhutanese people have learnt to be happy with a very small level of consumption.
Here, I am trying to give some reasons regarding the happiness of Bhutan and the misery of USA.
1. For the US government, there is no such thing called Gross National Happiness (GNH). For the Bhutanese government, GNH is the first priority. So, it does not matter at all to the US government whether the people are happy or not.
2. Living standard varies too much from person to person in USA. Inequality is in its extreme in this society. The scenario is much better in Bhutan. There are not many people in Bhutan who are either too rich or too poor.
3. Americans may be proud of their sophisticated health care system but if you are not rich then you have to worry for medical bills. Bhutan lacks modern health care system but Bhutanese people worry less for the medical bills.
4. Americans hardly care for the environment and the eco-system and instead many American scientists and politicians are busy to prove that global warming theory is unscientific. On the other hand, Bhutan is one of the few countries in the world that maintain high environmental standards.
5. Life in USA is too much materialistic. Everything is counted in terms of money and success. Americans are too much obsessed with statistics and records. Spiritualism still forms the most important aspect of life in Bhutan.
6. Preserving cultural heritage is a very important matter for Bhutanese people but for Americans, culture is changing all the time.
7. 'Consumption' is the buzz word in USA. People are here too busy to consume more food, more energy and more luxurious items. So, they have no time to think of happiness. Bhutanese people consume less and contemplate on the blessings of life more.
8. Great advertisements, marketing and promotions are all around of people in America. Advertisements are almost banned in Bhutan.
9. Many people in America are obsessed with the idea to become 'cool'. If you are fat then you are not cool. Thus, Americans are too worried about many insignificant things. Bhutanese people do not have to worry for many of them.
10. Drug addiction is a major problem in USA. In Bhutan, it is not a big problem.
11. In a hot pursuit of becoming 'cool', millions of Americans run into debt and stress caused from debt take away all the happiness. Bhutanese people consume less and they have less debt.
12. Because of modern lifestyle, family is becoming an unimportant thing in America and high divorce rate is contributing to the unhappiness of the children of the broken families. Family is the most important thing in the life of ordinary Bhutanese people.
13. Individualism is causing loneliness and sense of emptiness among many people in USA. For Bhutanese people, community feeling is still very strong.
14. Values are shifting towards materialism in USA in a very fast pace. US children get exposed to violence through television, movies and even video games. People in Bhutan still value spiritualism.
15. Unhealthy lifestyle is increasing diseases like heart attack and cancer in USA. Bhutanese people still maintain a very healthy diet and lifestyle.
If you have any more reason in your mind let me know in the comment section.
Here, I am not proposing that Americans should change their lifestyle and follow Bhutan. I just stated some facts and you may agree with them or disagree. However, the main thing is that many Americans are extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with their life. Many people think that having enough money can solve all the problems and make you happy. May be it is time that Americans should take a second look at their lifestyle and learn some formulas from Bhutanese people to be more happy.
Razib, the NEF report looks completely bogus. At a minimum, it's tightly aligned with their particular environmental agenda. And, in any event, it doesn't match what real people are doing. Whether it's Bhutan or Central America, the places they list as happiest are not the places that are attracting large numbers of immigrants. Maybe that means people don't seek happiness, but I doubt it. The better explanation is their report is bunk.
Posted by: Brough Turner | July 22, 2006 4:24 PM | Permalink to Comment