How happy are you?
I ask because of the news that the new Coalition Government in the UK is considering measuring general wellbeing as well as gross domestic product on the grounds that economic factors alone do not determine the happiness of individuals or a nation. Other countries – such as France and Canada – are thinking of similar initiatives.
I think that this is a sensible idea, although obviously there are practical difficulties in determining and measuring appropriate variables. Some time ago, I read a very interesting book called simply “Happiness” and written by Richard Layard [my review here].
If I ever wondered about the importance of this subject – which I didn’t – any doubts would be dispelled by my experience that one of the most visited sections of my web site is my advice on “How To Be Happy”.
Have a happy day, my friend!
November 16th, 2010 at 8:19 am
No doubt one of the reasons the government wants to measure happiness is that they want to tax it.
November 16th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Nick, At least that would be an incentive to increase it.
November 17th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Good point, Roger! Also, we could deduct divorces, pet deaths, and auto accidents from our happiness tax…