There is no doubt that the level of happiness can be listed among the most important factors that are taken into consideration to estimate the prosperity in a certain country.
As it is clear from the article written by Kelly (2012), the authorities in Bhutan take this principle into account and this is why they have managed to develop new principles allowing to define prosperity level. As it is stated by the author, more than forty years ago the authorities of the country refused to use growing GDP as the only determinant of social advance. Instead, they decided to implement the new way to encourage social progress in Bhutan; the use of the latter involves giving pride of place to both spiritual and material needs of the population.
Even though Bhutan attracts a lot of attention from the global community due to that decision, it is necessary to state that it is not the only country that adheres to this principle. The idea that well-being can be considered as the element of prosperity that is more important than financial performance is not new – other countries have already implemented this approach. As is clear from the practices common in Bhutan, different institutions within the country act by the “gross national happiness model” that has received a lot of positive feedback not only from the citizens themselves but also from representatives of other countries that are members of the United Nations (Kelly, 2012, para.7).
In the end, implementation of the practices that can increase the level of happiness in the society is extremely important as it often happens that material wealth cannot guarantee psychological wellbeing. Due to that, the significance of the experience of Bhutan is difficult to overestimate.
References
Kelly, A. (2012). Gross national happiness in Bhutan: The big idea from a tiny state that could change the world. The Guardian. Web.