A news note from the Too Much Newsletter: March 8, 2010  http://toomuchonline.org/  A project of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies.  Lots of interesting stats and information here.

The Welch want to be happier – and they’ve taken a first concrete step toward tracking their happiness progress. The government of Wales is planning to start collecting the statistics necessary to compute an index of “Gross National Happiness.” Gross Domestic Product stats and other traditional economic indicators, many researchers believe, don’t get at the factors that truly enhance “subjective well-being.” Global studies, notes Helen Mary Jones of the Welsh National Assembly, have shown that “the best societies to live in aren’t always the wealthiest.” The best societies, she adds, appear to be nations “where wealth is shared more equally.” Agrees Cardiff University psychologist Adam Corner: “If the Assembly wants to create a happier Wales, it should pursue policies that promote a more equal society – and not just focus on generating a higher GDP.”