Do Angry Birds make youth happier in Bhutan?

In 2012, I posted about the Angry Birds phenomena in Bhutan and how popular the computer game was among the youth. Also I wrote about the International Day of Happiness which is celebrated every year on March 20th and was inspired by Bhutan's Gross National Happiness. 

Now, for this year's Happiness Day, Angry Birds and Happiness meet! Watch the special videos to decide if Angry Birds - in other words: modernity - increases happiness in Bhutan or not.

In this video UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon also becomes an Angry Bird:

16 Surprising Facts About Happiness

Bhutan is mentioned in this video. 

What is Happiness?

What is Happiness?

"Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions."
- Dalai Lama

"So don't wait another moment. Open an ice cold Coca-Cola and choose happiness!" - Coca-Cola marketing slogan


I'm confused. 

Can happiness be measured? - two different views

When considering new ways of measuring progress of a nation such as Gross National Happiness, Happy Planet Index, EU Beyond GDP, OECD Better Life Index, etc, there are experts who argue for and against. This short interview on the Guardian with Julian Baggini and Lord Richard Layard is a recent snapshot of this exciting debate.


A unique workshop with speakers from Bhutan, Hungary, US and Europe to be held in Brussels, Belgium in November also aims to contribute to this discussion through looking at the application of Buddhist Values in Business.


To learn more about this event and register, click HERE. 

Happiness is a skill we can learn

Western neuroscience has now confirmed what Eastern wisdom has known for a long time: happiness is a skill we can learn. 

Research shows that happiness, compassion and kindness are the products of skills that can be learned and enhanced through training, thanks to the neuroplasticity of our brains. 

Happiness is not set in stone

Although our genes influence about 50% of the variation in our personal happiness, our circumstances (like income and environment) affect only about 10%. As much as 40% is accounted for by our daily activities and the conscious choices we make. So the good news is that our actions really can make a difference.

Happiness is contagious

Our happiness influences the people we know and the people they know.

Research shows that the happiness of a close contact increases the chance of being happy by 15%. The happiness of a 2nd-degree contact (e.g. friend's spouse) increases it by 10% and the happiness of a 3rd-degree contact (e.g. friend of a friend of a friend) by 6%.

Mindfulness changes your brain

Recent research has shown that an 8 week mindfulness meditation class can lead to structural brain changes including increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection.

(extracted from www.actionforhappiness.org)

How economic inequality harms societies

What makes us happy? Based on hard evidence, Richard Wilkinson from the University of Nottingham argues that it is equality. The narrower the gap between the poor and the rich is and, as a result, the more equal a society is, the happier  citizens are. All of them, including the rich. 


Comparing data on life expectancy, mental health, crime, trust, obesity, and other symptoms, he also highlights social mobility in more unequal societies such as the US or the UK being surprisingly low. In other words, in such more unequal societies poor fathers tend to have poor sons, and rich fathers tend to have rich sons - without significant number of people getting higher on the social ladder between generations. As he funnily puts it: "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark."


One source of unhappiness is constant comparison of one's social and economic status with those of other people who are richer and having higher social status than oneself. This attitude can lead dissatisfaction, unrealistic expectations and unfulfilled dreams that can cause frustration, depression and unhappiness in the long run. Yes, a few in every country may succeed to get richer and more important through had work and luck, but the majority likely fail to follow.


During my time in Bhutan, I saw young teens in Thimphu trying to adopt a Western lifestyle represented by pricey "stuff" like electronic gadgets and branded clothes. I can only hope they won't wait for too long to realize that their own society and country have equally, if not more, valuable propositions and they can blend their strong traditions with modernity in a more balanced and satisfying way.


Here you can listen to the short, but fascinating talk of Richard Wilkinson on equality: