Archive for year 2010

A news note from the Too Much Newsletter: March 8, 2010  http://toomuchonline.org/  A project of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies.  Lots of interesting stats and information here.

The Welch want to be happier – and they’ve taken a first concrete step toward tracking their happiness progress. The government of Wales is planning to start collecting the statistics necessary to compute an index of “Gross National Happiness.” Gross Domestic Product stats and other traditional economic indicators, many researchers believe, don’t get at the factors that truly enhance “subjective well-being.” Global studies, notes Helen Mary Jones of the Welsh National Assembly, have shown that “the best societies to live in aren’t always the wealthiest.” The best societies, she adds, appear to be nations “where wealth is shared more equally.” Agrees Cardiff University psychologist Adam Corner: “If the Assembly wants to create a happier Wales, it should pursue policies that promote a more equal society – and not just focus on generating a higher GDP.”

An early draft of the Declaration of Independence had an unalienable right to the ‘Pursuit of property”, but Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin supported the phrase “pursuit of happiness” which was ratified by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. For more of this story  Read Wikipedia  

Watch video of Nobel Prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz speaking on Problems with GDP. Watch Video.

A talk by David Orr on what we need to do. Six myths about the foundations of modern education and  six new principles to replace them. We are accustomed to thinking of eduction as good in and of itself. But as environmental educator David Orr reminds us, our education up till now has in some ways created a monster. Read article (PDF).

Read why an Austrian Millionaire is giving away all of his money.  Read Article.

Shorter working week soon inevitable, forecasts nef

13 February 2010

A shorter working week is set to become the new norm, according to a report out this week from nef (the new economics foundation), the UK’s leading independent think tank.

The study, 21 hours, forecasts a major shift in the length of the formal working week as a consequence of dealing with key economic, social and environmental problems. And this can be seen as a positive opportunity, say the researchers, rather than a threat.

According to nef, there are several forces pushing us towards a shorter working week: lasting damage to the economy caused by the banking crisis, an increasingly divided society with too much over-work alongside too much unemployment, and an urgent need for deep cuts in environmentally damaging over-consumption. These combine with a growing interest in people spending more time producing and delivering a share of their own goods and services – from co-produced care and neighbourhood-based activities, to food, clothing and other necessities.

“So many of us live to work, work to earn, and earn to consume. And our consumption habits are squandering the earth’s natural resources”, says Anna Coote, co-author of the report and Head of Social Policy at nef. “Spending less time in paid work could help us to break this pattern. We’d have more time to be better parents, better citizens, better carers and better neighbours. And we could even become better employees: less stressed, more in control, happier in our jobs and more productive. It is time to break the power of the old industrial clock, take back our lives and work for a sustainable future.”

If we are to seize these opportunities, says nef, the inevitable consequence is a much shorter standard working week, with 21 hours as the goal.

Read full article.

Download the full report 21 Hours.

Don’t Worry. Be Happy.

Published: February 3, 2010 Times Argus Newspaper, Letter to the Editor

One way our legislators can evaluate proposed budget cuts is by using “Gross National Happiness” (GNH) measurements. The urgency of using GNH concepts is gaining strength locally and internationally, with the support of governments and Nobel Prize winning economists.

From this perspective, our legislators should weigh what policies truly enhance Vermonters’ well being.

Using this test, the governor’s proposed cuts to services for our senior citizens fail miserably.

GNH researchers in England say there are five keys to well-being: 1) staying connected with family, friends, and community; 2) staying active; 3) remaining engaged in the world around you; 4) being a lifelong learner; and 5) giving to others.

The devastating budget cuts to a wide array of senior services runs absolutely counter to these measures. Drastic cuts to the Senior Companion program, Neighbor-to-Neighbor, and the Foster Grandparents program would mean: lonelier, less connected, less active, and less engaged seniors. That is, these cuts would seriously undermine our seniors well-being. And what Vermonter wants that?

This is a tough, tough time for the Vermont budget — but using a GNH filter may make some of the decisions easier to reach.

Ginny Sassaman

Calais

Maryland Steps Up!

Here in Vermont, we’ve been focusing on organizing a conference in June. That will be kick-off our statewide movement in support of using Gross National Happiness measurements when making decisions at all levels of government, as well as on the job and even in our homes.

Because Vermont is a small and progressive state (and because it’s where most of us live!), this seemed like a good starting point for building national momentum.

So imagine our surprise – and pleasure! – to learn that the state of Maryland has already stepped up to the plate. They are not using the GNH terminology; rather, they have developed a “Genuine Progress Indicator” – but it’s a very similar approach.

Here in Vermont, we’re a movement of citizens. The Maryland actions are actually part of the state government. Very exciting – and hopeful!

We might have some different ideas of how to go about it, but there’s a lot of interesting material to digest at their site: http://www.green.maryland.gov/mdgpi/

And how cool is it that the home page includes this message from the Maryland Governor:

“Just as the elements of our natural world must be balanced to ensure a healthy ecosystem, so too must be the elements of how we judge our success as a State. A strong economy, a clean environment and a healthy citizenry go hand in hand; none can be a true measure of success without supporting the other two. We developed Maryland’s new Genuine Progress Indicator to help us ensure that our economic growth will not come at the cost of our natural resources, and that they both support our progress toward a sustainable future and a better qualify of life for all Maryland families.”

So, GNH-type activity in Vermont and in Maryland. How ‘bout the remaining 48 states and the District of Columbia? Who’s next?

Ginny Sassaman

Happiness and Food

I heard part of a radio broadcast this week that made me think about how important food is to our well-being. Well, duh, obviously we all have to eat – but most of us could eat better. A LOT better! And, surprise surprise, government policies don’t necessarily support eating well.

The radio program was On Point, and host Tom Ashbrook was interviewing Michael Pollan about his new book, Food Rules. (Learn more at http://www.onpointradio.org/2010/01/michael-pollans-food-rules.)

Well into the program, a caller raised the issue of agriculture policy, and what impact the federal government has on our ability to eat what’s best for our health – and, indeed, the health of the planet. Pollan said that farmers in the Midwest who currently get subsidies to grow corn and soy would actually have to pay a fine if they wanted to grow some tomatoes, or broccoli, or other healthy plant.

Many of you reading this blog probably know a lot more about what’s wrong with our current agricultural policy. But putting the question through the prism of GNH sure clarifies the issue for me.

Thinking about agricultural policy also clarifies how far we have to go to get policymakers to use a GNH filter – so there’s no time to waste. Please, spread the word. Climb on board. Let’s get going!

Ginny Sassaman

What About Personal Happiness?

Like most of us, I’m not an economist. And I’m just beginning to understand what Gross National Happiness is really all about. So perhaps I’m sometimes bumbling in my enthusiastic attempts to explain the urgency I feel about adopting a GNH framework. Maybe that’s why the people I talk with are sometimes confused, and wonder, what does GNH have to do with individual happiness?

Fortunately, the New Economics Foundation in England, creators of the Happy Planet Index, have provided some answers. They offer the keys of individual happiness, and suggestions on how government policies can help. Excerpts from their site — http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/five-ways-well-being – follow.

The five steps that individuals can take to improve their daily lives:

1. Connect. “Social relationships are critical to our well-being. … Governments can shape policies in ways that encourage citizens to spend more time with families and friends and less time in the workplace. For example, employment policy that actively promotes flexible working and reduces the burdens of commuting, alongside policies aimed at strengthening local involvement, would enable people to spend more time at home and in their communities to build supportive and lasting relationships.”

2. Be active. “Exercise has been shown to increase mood and has been used successfully to lower rates of depression and anxiety. Being active also develops the motor skills of children and protects against cognitive decline in the elderly. … To improve our well-being, policies could support more green space to encourage exercise and play and prioritise cycling and walking over car use.”

3. Take notice. “Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you. …Policy that incorporates emotional awareness training and media education into universal education provision may better equip individuals to navigate their way through the information super-highway with their well-being intact; regulation to create advertising-free spaces could further improve well-being outcomes.”

4. Keep learning. “Learning encourages social interaction and increases self-esteem and feelings of competency. … While there is often a much greater policy emphasis on learning in the early years of life, psychological research suggests it is a critical aspect of day-to-day living for all age groups. Therefore, policies that encourage learning, even in the elderly, will enable individuals to develop new skills, strengthen social networks and feel more able to deal with life’s challenges.”

5. Give. Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. … Studies in neuroscience have shown that cooperative behaviour activates reward areas of the brain, suggesting we are hard wired to enjoy helping one another. … But it is not simply about a one-way transaction of giving. Research by NEF shows that building reciprocity and mutual exchange – through giving and receiving – is the simplest and most fundamental way of building trust between people and creating positive social relationships and resilient communities. Governments can choose to invest more in ‘the core economy’: the family, neighbourhood and community which, together, act as the operating system of society. Policies that provide accessible, enjoyable and rewarding ways of participation and exchange will enable more individuals to take part in social and political life.”

Here in the states, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof picked up on this last point in a column entitled, “Our Basic Human Pleasures: Food, Sex and Giving.” (See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/opinion/17kristof.html)

He refers to UVA psychology professor Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Happiness Hypothesis. Kristof writes, “ ‘Human beings are in some ways like bees,’ Professor Haidt said. ‘We evolved to live in intensely social groups, and we don’t do as well when freed from hives.’ … Professor Haidt notes that one thing that can make a lasting difference to your contentment is to work with others on a cause larger than yourself.”

Like the NEF website, Kristof refererences neuroscience: “Brain scans by neuroscientists confirm that altruism carries its own rewards. A team including Dr. Jorge Moll of the National Institutes of Health found that when a research subject was encouraged to think of giving money to a charity, parts of the brain lit up that are normally associated with selfish pleasures like eating or sex.”

The implication is that we are hard-wired to be altruistic. To put it another way, it’s difficult for humans to be truly selfless, for generosity feels so good. …

So at a time of vast needs, from Haiti to our own cities, here’s a nice opportunity for symbiosis: so many afflicted people, and so much benefit to us if we try to help them. Let’s remember that while charity has a mixed record helping others, it has an almost perfect record of helping ourselves. Helping others may be as primal a human pleasure as food or sex.”

Just imagine the policy implications!

Ginny Sassaman