19 Jan Happiness – a “hot button” issue!
Once upon a time, the hot-button issue for politicians in rich countries was “the economy, stupid.”
But after decades in which Western nations have gotten richer but not necessarily happier, a new performance indicator – harder to measure and more elusive to deliver – is beginning to emerge.
Some simply call it happiness. The more scientific term is subjective well-being (SWB), a composite of factors including income, health, environment, relationships with friends and family, education, recreation, and faith.
What ever it’s called there’s no doubt that happiness is increasingly recognised as a vital factor in the health and wellbeing of individuals, as well as the health and overall functioning of organisations and communities.