There is no doubt that the concept of Gross National Happiness is coming alive all over the world.  It may be called by many different names — Genuine Progress Indicator and the Happy Planet Index, for example — but economists, social scientists, and politicians worldwide are discussing and even endorsing a GNH paradigm.

On Labor Day, National Public Radio aired a wonderful example of the international happiness wave: “Chinese Experiment Seeks Secrets to Happiness.” Reporter Louisa Lim found that one survey “placed China at 128 out of 150 countries in terms of happiness.”  She interviewed Kai-Ping Peng from UC Berkeley who worked on the survey.  According to Mr. Peng, “Sixty % of people are not very happy about life.”  As causes, he cited mistrust of government, inequality, and environmental issues, among others.

One of China’s answers to the unhappiness dilemma comes from the city of Jiangyin.  Says Lim: “Happy Jiangyin is the name of the project. Instead of just aiming for economic growth, for the past four years, this wealthy city in Jiangsu province has come up with a list of magic ingredients it believes add up to happiness. Besides healthcare and employment, it has such diverse targets as how much people should donate to charity and how many sports facilities there should be per head, per square meter.”

Sounds a lot like a Gross National Happiness project, doesn’t it?  Here’s the link to the full story:

http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=129186046

The main story was followed by “advice” from former NPR reporter Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World. Weiner specifically recommended a Gross National Happiness policy.  Very cool — a quick and fun listen at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129579848

I wonder what country — or state or even city — will be next!