What does gross national happiness really measure? An immersive observation in Lamshey, Bhutan

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the Gross National Happiness indicator and the actual lifestyle of the people of Bhutan. Gross National Happiness is a macroeconomic indicator calculated in Bhutan. It was constructed in contrast to the Gross Domestic Product. Gross National Happiness is designed to guide the country's public policies. Using visual methods in anthropology, this study proposes an immersion in Lamshey, a village in Bhutan. The daily life of the inhabitants is then observed and analyzed with the way gross national happiness is measured. The sociology of quantification provides a framework for analysis that reveals important and new implications. Indeed, to bring together the experience of happiness as it is lived by the Bhutanese, it will be appropriate to distinguish three complementary "Gross National Happiness", according to whether it is measured, lived, or in its ethical dimension.