TED Talk Tuesday: The Happy Planet Index
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 3:01AM by
Jason Markow TED Talk Tuesday is back! This talk was too good to pass up. The talk takes root and expands on one of Kennedy's best quotes, "The GNP measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile".
Though my knee jerk reaction is to think that quantifying "happiness" is like attempting to measure the direct ROI of a cashier smiling (or not smiling) at the point of sale (read: impossible), the outcome is quite simple and awe inspiring.
Need another reason to watch? Here is what TED had to say about this talk:
Statistician Nic Marks asks why we measure a nation's success by its productivity -- instead of by the happiness and well-being of its people. He introduces the Happy Planet Index, which tracks national well-being against resource use (because a happy life doesn't have to cost the earth). Which countries rank highest in the HPI? You might be surprised.



