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Page 1: Frequently Asked Questions about The Happiness Initiative and The Gross National Happiness Index - projects of The Happiness Initiative

Happiness Alliance Happiness Alliance home of The Happiness Initiative & the Gross National Happiness Index survey

Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions   .

Happiness Alliance – home of The Happiness Initiative & Gross National Happiness Index Survey happycounts.org

Page 2: Frequently Asked Questions about The Happiness Initiative and The Gross National Happiness Index - projects of The Happiness Initiative

What is Happiness?  Most people think of emotions as defining happiness. This is one part of happiness. Scientists call it “positive affect” and “negative affect” meaning feeling happy, joy, sad, angry, stress, or other emotions. Another important way of defining happiness is “satisfaction with life,” meaning whether you are living the best life for you and feel your life is worthwhile.  These are usually the only two things used to define happiness. However, the conditions in which we live  influence on our affect and satisfaction with life.  By including the conditions of happiness in a definition of happiness, we acknowledge the internal and external are integrated.  We use the domain approach created by Bhutan, and adds one domain: work experience. This way, when you look at your own happiness, you can see where you have balance or imbalance in your life that fosters or undermines your affect and satisfaction with life.  The conditions or domains of happiness we use to define happiness (along with affect and satisfaction with life!) are: material wellbeing/standard of living; governance; environment; community; social support; education, arts & culture; health; psychological wellbeing; time balance and work experience.  .

Happiness Alliance – home of The Happiness Initiative & Gross National Happiness Index Survey happycounts.org

Page 3: Frequently Asked Questions about The Happiness Initiative and The Gross National Happiness Index - projects of The Happiness Initiative

What are the domains of happiness? Material wellbeing/standard of living: Financial Security, Meeting Basic NeedsGovernance: Confidence in Government, Involvement, Influence Environment: Access to Nature, Pollution, Conservation and Preservation EffortsCommunity: Volunteer time, Safety, TrustSocial Support: Family and Friends, Feeling Lonely, Cared For or LovedEducation, Arts & Culture: Access, Participation and Spectatorship of Sports and Cultural ActivitiesHealth: Energy Level, Performance of Everyday Activities, ExercisePsychological Wellbeing: Optimism, Positivity, Purpose, Sense of AccomplishmentTime Balance: Sufficiency of Time to Complete Tasks, Leisure Time, Enjoyment of ActivitiesWork Experience: Productivity, Achievement, Autonomy, Sense of Fair Payment for Services  .

Happiness Alliance – home of The Happiness Initiative & Gross National Happiness Index Survey happycounts.org

Page 4: Frequently Asked Questions about The Happiness Initiative and The Gross National Happiness Index - projects of The Happiness Initiative

Can you measure happiness?  The field of measuring happiness is a relatively new development, and this science is becoming more reliable. The OECD Guidelines on Measuring Wellbeing sets forth the perimeters of subjective wellbeing (happiness) measures. The World Values Survey, the Gallup-Healthways survey, The OECD Better Life Index and many other organizations have been measuring national happiness and wellbeing for many years using questionnaires developed by scientists. Questions have been developed which scientists believe offer reliable information about life satisfaction across cultural divides.  Our Gross National Happiness Index survey is a carefully vetted compendium of many of the most reliable questions from international surveys..

Happiness Alliance – home of The Happiness Initiative & Gross National Happiness Index Survey happycounts.org

Page 5: Frequently Asked Questions about The Happiness Initiative and The Gross National Happiness Index - projects of The Happiness Initiative

What do I get from taking the Gross National Happiness Index? When you complete the Gross National Happiness Index survey, you will receive an instantaneous well-being score for each of the 10 domains and you will be able to compare your score with the median results for others who have taken the survey. You will find that the questions in this survey encourage you to think about your life in new ways and about what you can do to be happier.The Gross National Happiness Index survey takes  about 15 minutes to complete and you cannot stop and start over, so do the survey when you have a period of free time. It is comprehensive survey that allows it to give you a comprehensive picture of your well-being in comparison to others.

Happiness Alliance – home of The Happiness Initiative & Gross National Happiness Index Survey happycounts.org

Page 6: Frequently Asked Questions about The Happiness Initiative and The Gross National Happiness Index - projects of The Happiness Initiative

Where does our Gross National Happiness Index survey come from? A team of researchers from San Francisco State University's Personality and Wellbeing Lab  developed the Happiness Initiative Gross National Happiness Index survey.  It is a set of internally and externally scientifically validated questions designed to accurately predict conditions of wellbeing.  The researchers kept the nine domains measured by Bhutan and added a tenth, workplace experience, identified as an essential condition of wellbeing by Gallup and others.

Happiness Alliance – home of The Happiness Initiative & Gross National Happiness Index Survey happycounts.org


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