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What makes Bhutan the happiest country?

29/11/2019 1.390 4.5/5 trong 5 rates

Have you ever visited a country which gauges its progress with Gross National Happiness? Let’s travel to Bhutan, also known as the “Switzerland of Asia”, to discover its secrets to happiness. This tiny Himalayan country, which only opened its doors for outsiders in the 1970s, is popular worldwide for its long history of splendid isolation and reputation for being the happiest country in the world.

Happiness is what everyone wants in their life. We all always strive for happiness, and one of the main goals of our lives is to be happy. So what does it usually depend on? And is it possible to measure it? Let us check out some of the things the Bhutanese do differently that make them so happy.

1. They manage Spiritual and Material Happiness equally
In our world, we put way too much stock into the things we own. We’re happier when we have the latest iPhone or the latest fashion items. That’s not a very good way to think and it can cause us unneeded stress and unhappiness when we can’t afford those things. In Bhutan, they only let globalization affect them over the last ten years but they have done so in a manner that allows their citizens to balance their material possessions and their spirituality and that just makes them happier. They don’t care if they don’t have the latest iPhone. They’re just happy to be alive.

Bhutan is the only country in the world that has a ‘GNH.’ You may think GNH is just another statistically based term with no real life application, but it refers to “Gross National Happiness.” The process of measuring GNH began when Bhutan opened up to globalization. It measures people’s quality of life, and makes sure that “material and spiritual development happen together.” Bhutan has continually been ranked as the happiest country in all of Asia, and the eighth Happiest Country in the world according to Business Week.
2. They have the Second Fastest Growing GDP in the world
When people are making money, everyone’s happy. Bhutan’s GDP (gross domestic product) has been growing steadily over the last several years. By allowing India to invest heavily in hydro-power in their country, Bhutan is quickly becoming rich and they don’t have to do that much work. In 2007, Bhutan had the second fastest growing GDP in the world, at the same time as maintaining their environment and cultural identity.
3. They don’t care about TV, Radio, or the Internet
Let’s face it, those things make us feel terrible about ourselves. On TV, we see beautiful people making trucks full of money and that makes us jealous and angry. On the internet there are trolls, a constant influx of bad news, and all sorts of other bad things. We get obsessed with social media and get upset when we don’t get re-tweets or likes on Facebook. When you don’t have to deal with that nonsense, life is generally better.

In recent years, internet, cable television, cell phones, as well as many other modern technologies and ideas have become a part of Bhutan, but their desire to preserve of cultural values, as well as the desire to protect the environment has remained high. Bhutan’s economy and culture are growing and changing. Bhutan’s unique strategy has presented a solution to globalization. They are able to adapt to globalization, to strengthen their economy, while still preserving thousand-year-old traditions and culture.
4. They’re mostly Buddhist
Buddhism is one of the calmest and happiest religions on Earth. They believe in karma. The Buddhist version of karma (the original definition) is that people who live good lives are closer to enlightenment and are reincarnated as better creatures when they’re reborn. This prompts them to live good lives, do good deeds to one another, and be good people. When people aren’t at each other’s throats, it makes those around them generally happier.
5. The Gap between Normal People and Royalty isn’t that far
Thanks to their isolationist tendencies, the people of Bhutan are very close to one another. In one journalist’s visit, he spied a young man playing basketball with a bunch of kids on a public court. Later on he was introduced to that man and also played basketball with him. Much later it was revealed that the man was actually a Prince of Bhutan. That kind of closeness between the high and low classes probably helps everyone like everyone more.
6. They’re Well Rested
According to national surveys, around 2/3 of all Bhutanese people get at least eight hours of sleep per night. That’s a lot better than most countries and that’s especially true of industrialized countries. The benefits of sleep on happiness, productivity, and overall health is extremely well documented. Having most of the country get a bunch of sleep definitely contributes and having a culture that inspires people to get the appropriate amount of sleep every night is something they do differently.
7. They have Less Pollution
One of the side effects of being so environmentally conscious is that the Bhutanese people live in less pollution than pretty much everyone else. They do have some things around that cause pollution such as automobiles. However, they lack the miles upon miles of factories and waste-producing businesses. This makes the air, water, and ground much cleaner. There is a reason why pictures of untouched wildernesses are so beautiful and desirable. It’s because they aren’t polluted with potentially harmful chemical fumes.

The environment is an important thing to the Bhutan people. So much so that half of their country is a national park. The forest, animals, and environment are strictly protected and the country announced not long ago that 60% of their country would be safe from things like deforestation permanently. Caring that much for the planet makes people feel happy.