Give a Happiness Talk

How To

for your happiness initiative happycounts.org

Introductions

1. Who you are (name, organization, position, where you are from)

2. What you want to get out of the training

3. Why happiness?

The more we get together, together, togetherThe more we get together, together, togetherThe more we get together, the happier we’ll beThe more we get together, the happier we’ll be ‘cause your friends are my friends and my ‘cause your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends, friends are your friends, The more we get together, the happier we’ll be The more we get together, the happier we’ll be

My path to…My path to…

cottage

cottage

industry

industry

mommom

mbamba

lawyerlawyer

director of

director of

sustainability

sustainability

sustainable

sustainable

seattle

seattle

happiness

happiness initiative

initiative

UNUN

What is Your Path to Happiness?What is Your Path to Happiness?

What makes you happy?What makes you happy?guided exerciseguided exercise

thingsthingsactivitiesactivitiespeoplepeople

Material Well-Being Material Well-Being

Meaningful WorkMeaningful Work

Social SupportSocial Support

Democratic ProcessDemocratic Process

GenerosityGenerosity

ValuesValues

FamilyFamily

Three things you can do for Three things you can do for your happiness:your happiness:

GratitudeGratitude

GivingGiving

CompassionCompassion

Gross Domestic ProductGross Domestic Product

What GDP counts:+ goods and services sold + oil spills, natural and manmade

disasters+ illness and death+ divorce+ accidents

What GDP does not count:- time with friends & family- volunteering, participating

in democratic process - gardening, educating

yourself - walking for exercise

the sum of all good and services produced in a year

Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.to sell toys to our children.

Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our countrynor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that ; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans. why we are proud that we are Americans.

- Robert Kennedy- Robert Kennedy

Does GDP make us happy?

GDP in the US has

more than tripled

since 1950s.

Adjusted per capita

GDP since 1960 has

doubled since 2010

Happiness has remained stagnant and even fallen

Easterlin Paradox40 year study of nations across the globe

Up to a salary of $75K for family of four, long and short term happiness increases a lot with more money

After a salary of $75K, long term happiness increases are marginal or non-existent, short term increases in happiness do occur.

...and what about the wealth of ...and what about the wealth of our nation?our nation?

nothingnothing

The United States has the widest gap between rich and poor of any wealthy country. The Nation, Unjust Spoils, Robert Reich

A New Economic Paradigm

Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product

Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product

Jigme Singye Wangchuk King of Bhutan 1972

UN Resolution Towards a Holistic Approach to Sustainable Development

The spread of happiness

United KingdomUnited Kingdom FranceFrance CanadaCanada Brazil Brazil AustraliaAustralia China…and China…and herehere

Happiness Initiatives

Gross National

Happiness

- Material Wellbeing/Standard of Living

- Work

- Time Balance

- Arts & Culture

- Education

- Environment - Governance

- Health

- Community

- Social Support

- Affect (feelings)

- Satisfaction with Life - Psychological Wellbeing

Domain icons by Joumana Medlej at majnouna.com

Your GNH Index Scores

Purpose of government & life

Why measure happiness?

Granularity and defining issues

Capture the unobservable

Perception of hurting or thriving

A “guide societies toward desirable futures” in an experimenting society

Inclusivity – you are the data

Time Balance

In a typical week, how much of your time are you able to spend doing the kinds of things that you enjoy?

None of my timeNot much of my time

Some of my timeMost of my time

All of my time

The US is the only wealthy nation withoutPaid Sick LeavePaid Vacation and HolidaysPaid Maternity or Paternity Leave

Sick Leave Ordinances

City of San Francisco- Ch. 12W of SF Administrative Code in Paid Sick Leave Ordinance includes part time and temp workers

City of Seattle ordinance 123698 – municipal code for paid sick leave and paid safe time

Environment

How satisfied with you are the efforts being made to preserve the natural environment in your neighborhood.

Very dissatisfied

Dissatisfied

Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied

Satisfied

Very Satisfied

Wanted: Five to Seven Planets

If everyone on Earth consumed at the same level of the U.S

.

Bhutan’s Constitution: Preservation of the Natural Environment

60% natural habitat40% development

Bhutan’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy of 2010 - encourages the development of an environmentally friendly, sustainable economy

Parking Days

Pop-Up Parks

Satisfaction with Life

Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to ten at the top.

Suppose we say that the top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the

bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible. If the top step is 10 and the bottom step is 0,on which step of the ladder do you feel you

personally stand at the present time?

Overall Satisfaction with Life

Easterlin Paradox40 year study of nations across the globe

Up to a salary of $75K for family of four, long and short term happiness increases a lot with more money

After a salary of $75K, long term happiness increases are marginal or non-existent, short term increases in happiness do occur.

Mindfulness training

Mindfulness programs at Apple, McKinstry Co. Proctor & Gamble, General Mills, Aetna & Google (“Search Inside Yourself”)

Seahawks Super bowl 2014

What you can doTake the GHN Index How Happy Are YOU?

Find out Use the GNH Index for your project, city,

community, campus or company happycounts.org

Questions, comments, requests: info@happycounts.org

Exercise: What is Your Path to Happiness?Exercise: What is Your Path to Happiness?

5 min reflection, share stories for no more than 5 min5 min reflection, share stories for no more than 5 min

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