Gross National Happiness

How do you measure the happiness of a country? A little known nation called Bhutan has an index to measure “gross national happiness.” Hotelier Chip Conley, founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality (based in San Francisco), illustrates the happiness equation as wanting what you have over having what you want.

In his TED talk, “Measuring what makes life worthwhile,” Conley argues that many of us are walking or running the modern treadmill, pursuing happiness with our sweat, blood, and tears. Getting what we want is the constant chase.

Mainstream economists measure success in tangible units of production and consumption. Conley says that it’s time to count the intangibles. Community and business leaders need to focus on creating happiness for customers, which is directly converted into tangible success. Today, Joie de Vivre Hospitality operates more than 40 hotels throughout California, including the famous Phoenix Hotel.