In this terrific TED talk statistician Nic Marks says that our most common measures of progress, the Dow Jones Index, Gross Domestic Product, etc. are very poor indicators of what really matters. He introduces the Happy Planet Index. It is a measure of how happy people in a country are and also how many resources did they consume to get there. His premise is that countries like the US are pretty happy but they use way too many of the planet's resources to attain that happiness. He uses Costa Rica as an example of a country who are very happy but achieving it in a sustainable manner.
He also gives us 5 key concepts that are necessary for happiness: Connect with Others, Be Active, Take Notice of What is Around You, Keep Learning, and Give to Others. These are certainly important concepts to me and a central part of how I live my life. I guess I am pretty happy!
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