The Politics of Happiness

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research book series (BRIEFSWELLBEING)

Abstract

In agreement with Greek philosophers, happiness can be understood as what society and individuals ought to strive toward. Bhutan was the first country to take the idea seriously, by adopting a policy striving to maximise gross national happiness rather than gross national product. Recently other countries, including France and England, seem to be following suit. It is difficult to find happiness with money, while social connections are a key factor.

Keywords

Contextualism Individualism Life quality indexes Happy planet index Gross national happiness Bhutan Wealth 
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Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Division of Mental HealthNorwegian Institute of Public HealthOsloNorway

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