Overall Satisfaction with Life – satisfaction with life and prevalence of positive and negative emotions.
Material Well-being - income, financial security, the level of debt, employment security, and the quality of housing
Environmental Quality - quality of their water, air, soil, forest cover, biodiversity, access to green areas and transportation.
Governance – involvement, responsibility and, honesty in government
Community Vitality – relationships, sense of belonging, safety, volunteerism
Cultural Vitality - spectatorship and participation in cultural and sports events
Education and Learning – participation in formal and informal education
Physical Health - health policies and self-rated health
Time Balance – balance of time between leisure and work, enjoyment of life activities
Psychological Well-being – optimism, self-esteem, sense of competence
Workplace Experience - employment satisfaction, job conditions, productivity and compensation
Take a little time to check out the information on this site and see how you can use The Happiness Initiative to create a new vision and better outcomes. Happy surfing!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have questions not answered in our frequently asked questions, please let us know at info@happycounts.orgWhy “happiness?”
The word “happiness” often provokes some skepticism in the academic world. What does it mean? Is it too shallow? Our meaning is a wider sense of well-being based on a holistic understanding of human needs—health, social connection, community involvement, education, access to arts and culture, a sustainable environment, good and transparent government. The word happiness resonates with people in a way that well-being sometimes does not. However, for the purposes of some projects and with some people, the terms well-being, quality of life or holistic sustainability may be better received.
Can you really measure happiness?
The possibility of scientific assessments of personal happiness is a relatively new development, but this science has now become quite reliable and its findings have become very consistent over time. Both brain wave studies and reports from friends and acquaintances basically confirm self-assessments of happiness for individuals. The World Values Survey and the Gallup-Healthways survey have been measuring national happiness scores for many years using questionnaires developed by leading happiness scientists. Their survey sizes have been robust and their scores have shown remarkable consistency. Questions have been developed which scientists believe offer reliable information about life satisfaction across cultural divides. Our survey is a carefully vetted compendium of many of the most reliable questions from international surveys.
When you complete the 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 75 questions in this survey will encourage you to think about your life in new ways and about what you can do to be happier.
How long does the survey take?
The survey takes 10-15 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.
What are the results used for?
Overall data from this survey will be analyzed and provided to media but your individual data will not be revealed to others. We ask for demographic data so we can analyze overall results, but we do not ask for your name, address, etc. Your privacy will be protected.
We follow the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC (European Union): Personal data collected for this survey is used only for the purposes of the project and as a part of an aggregate. All data is kept secure and individual responses are not shared.
How happy are you?
The Gross National Happiness Index survey helps you or your organization assess whether your life is getting better or worse today and in the future. It helps all of us assess our sustainability along the ten domains of happiness, and to inspire us to take action. We want to hear what actions you take after you take the survey: email happy@happycounts.org.
How healthy is your organization, group or team?
The survey helps an organization asses its well-being now and in the long term. A code can be provided for organizations and aggregate results on request. We do not supply lists of individual results for an organization so as to protect individuals personal data. Contact info@happycounts.org for a referrer code.
What you can do to be happier!
- Find out
How Happy You are Take theHappiness Index
at happycounts.org. It isabout 10-15 minutes of your time. Get your
friends to do it too! The more the better.
-
Conduct a Happiness Initiative in yourneighborhood
, with your book group, at workor with your friends or family. We can provide
you a unique code. Go to
HappyCounts.org/toolkit for more information.
- Be Happy. Science shows practicing
gratitude, altruism and compassion
increases happiness. Thank people more, give
more and spend 5 minutes a day in silence are
three simple things to you do to increase your
sense of wellbeing.
Check out other ideas for how you can be
happier and information about the
“Paths to Happiness” at
happycounts.org/individualhappiness
Contact us at
happy@happycounts.org or visit ourwebsite at HappyCounts.org
The Happiness Initiative is a
501(c)3 not-for-profit offering
tools and resources for GNH.
What is your Happiness Budget?
Use this fun and simple tool to ponder
happiness and balance in your life
“
Happinessis the meaning and the purpose of life,
the whole aim and end of human existence.”
AristotleTake some time to ponder your own happiness along the 10
domains of happiness. How happy are you in these domains?
Domain of Happiness Your thoughts
Material Wellbeing – the ability
to meet basic needs and your
feelings about financial
security.
Governance – your trust in
government, your opportunity
to participate and be heard,
your feelings about being
represented.
Environment – your feelings
about the safety or toxicity of
your environment, is enough
being done to preserve and
restore nature, your access to
nature.
Health – can you do what you
want each day, your energy
levels and feelings about your
physical health.
Education and Learning- do
you have enough access to
learn in your life, throughout
your life?
What do you want to keep doing or do differently? What needs to
change in your city, nation or community?
Psychological Well-being – is
your life worth living, how do
you feel?
Community – do you feel
loved, your feelings about your
level of support and
engagement with family,
friends and community, your
trust in others.
Culture – your levels of
participation and spectatorship
in the arts and in sports.
Time Balance – do you have
enough time to do what you
need to do, do you enjoy it?
Work – your satisfaction and
sense of security in your job
and work, are you being
Three Fun and Easy Things Science Says Will Make You Happier
Research tells us about 1/3 of your happiness is predetermined (your “set point”). De Neve, 2012. The rest – your thinking and the circumstances around you – you can change. Here are some things you can do to increase your happiness. Conducting a happiness initiative is a way to change your circumstances to better support your happiness.
1) Sit Silently for 5 minutes a day. Turn off the laptop, cellphone and television. Make yourself comfortable and just sit for 5 min, observing and not judging your thoughts. Close your eyes if you can, or keep focused on any object about 2-3 feet in front of you. If you find yourself deep in thought, simply observe this and then come back to the moment.2) Practice gratitude: every morning and every night, list five things for
which you are thankful on paper or in your thoughts. These might be as simple as how good the pillow feels under your head or the really yummy lunch you had, or something much grander. It is the act of gratitude that counts. 3) Give every day with a small act of kindness to someone in their
presence or so they know it is you who gave. This may be as simple as smiling at the cashier or saying thank you to a co-worker or boss. Once a year, or if you are inclined, once a month or week, volunteer with a community organization or do something on your own or with neighbors to increase the well-being of others in your community.Improve your happiness!
There are many ways to improve your happiness. When we talk about personal happiness, we usually mean our emotions, technically called “affect.” We include the “Domains of Happiness.” Use the Happiness Budget Card to ponder your own happiness and balance in your life (print double sided & fold). Below, you will find ideas along each domain of happiness that reach beyond the expected to help you for a healthier and happier life:
Material Wellbeing
Physical Health
Time Balance
Psychological Wellbeing
Education and Learning
Cultural Vitality
Environmental Quality
Governance
Community Vitality
Workplace Experience
What is Your Path to Happiness?
Psychologists and philosophers have identified many roads to happiness. Happiness creates a life-enhancing joyful feedback loop. Happiness contributes to better friendships and partnerships, higher income, better physical health and a longer life. Each of us use different ones or a combination at different stages of life. Which are paths are you taking?
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