Gross National Happiness — or GNH for short — looks at things that money cannot easily buy: whether people have enough time with their families, whether they feel healthy, whether they enjoy their culture and traditions, whether they feel safe, and whether the natural environment around them is cared for. Every few years Bhutan carries out a huge survey asking thousands of people questions about their lives.
The idea came from Bhutan's king, who believed that a country's success should be measured by the smiles on people's faces as much as by the coins in their pockets. Schools in Bhutan teach children about GNH, which means that even young children grow up thinking about what makes a good life rather than just what makes a lot of money. Classes, community events and government decisions are all shaped by asking: 'Does this make people happier and healthier?'
Lots of countries and organisations around the world now study Bhutan's GNH idea and try to copy parts of it. The United Nations has even created a World Happiness Report inspired partly by Bhutan's approach. Bhutan shows that a small country can have a big idea — one that makes people everywhere think differently about what really matters.