Happy people, healthy economy?

Citizens’ well-being leads to ‘brain gain’, boosting GDP growth, some say
Lin Yanqin, Today Online 25 Jun 08;

WHETHER happy people — living in prosperous, liveable cities — make for healthier economic growth was the premise for debate yesterday at the World Cities Summit.

At a luncheon talk on “Well-being Creates Vibrant Cities”, University of Illinois Distinguished Professor of Psychology Ed Diener and Gallup Organisation chairman and chief executive Jim Clifton presented a development model based on keeping people happy.

This would lead to a “brain gain” by a more productive and creative population, who would then further :boost a city’s economy or a nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Referring to the Gallup World Poll, which showed a correlation between happiness and wealth, Prof Diener said that nations that rated themselves as happy tended to be nations that were prosperous, low in corruption and with relative low levels of conflict.

Also, beyond basic needs such as food, shelter and jobs, what made people happy were “post-material” things including low pollution, green space, easy commuting, an intellectual climate — all aspects of a liveable, well-planned city.

Hence, it was a leader’s job to think more about the well-being of a citizen as an important goal, said Prof Diener.

But not all members of the audience were convinced. Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh asked about other poll results that contradicted the correlation between higher wealth and greater happiness, as well as the difference between Prof Diener’s indicators and Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) index.

Another audience member pointed out the high suicide rates in well-to-do Nordic countries, suggesting that Prof Diener’s analysis could be “capitalistic”.

In response, the professor said the model also looked beyond GDP at other predictors of happiness, such as whether an individual learnt something new and felt “in control” of their day:.

He added that it was hard to tell how good an indicator Bhutan’s GNH was and that a country’s economy still had to be considered given that basic needs “first and foremost” had to be met for a satisfied population.

:As for other polls, the sample size had to be considered, said Prof Diener, adding that when one had good data and a sizable pool of people, the correlation between wealth and happiness was “huge”.

Summing up the session, moderator Liu Thai Ker, director of RSP Architects, said that Singapore has done well in the physical aspects that contributed to well-being, such as green spaces, good housing, flowing traffic.

“We still have a journey ahead, but we are in a good position to push forward to create a better environment and boost our ‘brain gain’,” he said.

Happiness comes from oneself and the society: psychologist
Fostering happiness stems brain drain: happiness guru
Chuang Peck Ming, Business Times 25 Jun 08;

IS IT the government's job to make the people happy?

Those who demur would argue that happiness is within you, said happiness guru Ed Diener at a luncheon talk yesterday at the World Cities Summit.

But the professor of psychology at the University of Illinois said that the argument that happiness is within oneself has been 'over-emphasised'.

'It is also within a society and city,' said Prof Diener who is also linked to the Gallup Organisation. And so 'leaders should foster happiness'.

The government's job is not just to provide clean water, but also happiness, along with well-being, according to him. 'It's a good thing and should be fostered. It helps both individuals and organisations.'

He said that happiness is good for creativity and entrepreneurship. 'If people are in distress and worry only about their problems, they don't have time to be creative.'

Promoting happiness creates good citizens, stems brain drain and leads to brain gain, according to him. And happy citizens make happy and productive workers.

But what is happiness? 'You don't need to act like an American to be happy,' said Prof Diener, who is also the author of several books on happiness. That means happiness is not about smiling and laughing, being ecstatic and proclaiming 'great' or 'super'.

He said that happiness has got a lot to do with satisfaction and contentment, minimal negative emotions and being engaged with the community and at work.

In post-materialistic countries such as Singapore, he said that happiness is not about money but a society that is engaged.

It comes with good health and a longer lifespan, which means a more productive workforce and lower health costs.

Prof Diener said that in a happy society, the people are very cooperative and trust each other, there is more voluntarism and the people love peace.

Another speaker, Jim Clifton, chairman and chief executive of Gallup, made the point that well-being, including happiness and life satisfaction, is influenced by the society and city in which one lives, among other factors. And well-being counts when it comes to brain drain or brain gain, he said.

Prof Diener said that his PhD students are drawn to Singapore because of the 'intellectual opportunities' it offers; the country's multi-culturalism; and good food.

'So make sure you have some good restaurants if you want to attract brain gains,' he quipped.

Singapore is also attractive to foreign talent because of its low pollution, low noise level, safety, green space, the ease of commuting and 'social capital' - meaning a helpful and caring society, he said.

People in richer countries feel better
Lydia Lim, Straits Times 25 Jun 08;

FORGET the idea that people in poorer countries might enjoy a greater sense of well-being.

A recent global survey by Gallup has shown that development and prosperity pays, both economically and socially. People in richer countries generally felt better, it found.

Polling in more than 130 countries by Gallup, which specialises in research into human behaviour, found a strong correlation between a country's per capita income and its citizens' sense of well-being.

At a luncheon session yesterday, Gallup Organisation chairman and chief executive Jim Clifton and psychology professor and Gallup senior scientist Ed Diener presented findings from a survey built around a new Well-Being Index.

The findings were based on face-to-face and telephone interviews carried out with population samples around the world.

Those polled were asked to evaluate their overall lives based on a scale of zero for worst possible life, to 10 for best possible life.

They were also asked to comment on their experiences, including whether they were treated with respect, did something interesting or smiled and laughed a lot the day before the interview.

Mr Clifton said there is an important link between how well a country ranks on the Well-Being Index and migration flows - which in turn determines 'brain gain', possibly the single most important factor of wealth creation in the current age.

Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh later asked the two presenters about the correlation between wealth and well-being as he had read other surveys in which people in poor countries were ranked higher on a happiness index than people here in Singapore.

Prof Diener replied that the correlation between wealth and well-being is a strong one.

The Gallup survey, he said, showed that with good samples and good data, cases of higher well-being in poorer countries did not show up.

In his presentation, Prof Diener described happy nations as those that are prosperous, have low levels of corruption, experience relatively low conflict and where people enjoy good health.

According to the Gallup website, the survey found that people in Denmark, New Zealand and Canada report the highest well-being in the world.

The countries with the highest scores were almost exclusively high per-capita-income countries in Europe, North and South America and Oceania. No country in Asia or Africa made it to the top-10 list.