A ridiculous statement obviously - there's no happy pill ....yet

But given some of the reaction toward the government's commitment to societal Wellbeing and Happiness you’d think the state had lost the plot.

David Cameron’s announcement last week shouldn’t have come as a surprise; it's not recent thinking. He was upfront about his views on the role of government in societal wellbeing in 2006 when he argued for a move from GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to GWB (General Well Being) as a measure of our prosperity:

"Well-being can't be measured by money or traded in markets. It's about the beauty of our surroundings, the quality of our culture and, above all, the strength of our relationships." via BBC

I think the confusion lies in what we mean by ‘happy’. Most of us think of happiness in hedonistic terms. In other words, what makes us *feel* happy.

Or that's how it’s coming across. Certainly some of the comments from the Telegraph, Guardian and Daily Mail readers suggest people are more interested in lampooning (actually just hanging from the nearest lamppost) politicians who have the audacity to tell us to cheer up whilst slapping us with the toughest austerity measures we’ve ever seen. The word cloud attached captures the main emerging sentiments from people’s comments; we're clearly not impressed (www.wordle.net).

Tony Blair responded along the same lines in 2007: "It's a lot easier to say happiness is more important than money if money is not a problem.” That’s before the worst of the credit crunch plunged us into recession.

I have to agree, I don’t think the state has any place to tell us how we should feel. But wellbeing is more than that and we need to understand and develop new societal thinking if we're to address a growing global crisis:

"Depression is already a top 5 contributor the global burden of disease, expected to rise to 2nd place by 2020. Lack of wellbeing is not only affecting our health but our economic prosperity." World Health Organisation.

Wellbeing and happiness measures are critical to our health and societal functioning. We can’t afford not to take it seriously!
Wellbeing isn’t about hedonistic happiness (pleasure) but Aristotelian 'eudemonia', or the good life; the quality of our personal, interpersonal and societal contentment.

Indeed, rather than it being a luxury for the fast accelerating super-rich, wellbeing should be central to our social agenda for the majority if we’re to achieve parity in the quality of our lives. Any political agenda that gives social welfare handouts but fails to embed routes for improved wellbeing for the disenfranchised, does the equivalent of simply 'giving a man a fish for a day’. What we should be doing is ‘enabling him to fish’ so he has a path out of his misery.

The old model simply reinforces social, economic and emotional dependency. Current thinking recognises how crucial wellbeing is for reversing the tide of inequality:

‘GDP based measures and economic growth in the rich world is not improving life satisfaction. Instead it is increasing inequality and pushing our planetary life-support systems to their breaking point’. New Economics Foundation.

Despite Tony Blair’s previous comments, Labour also know that this is important. Which is why they commissioned DEFRA to include wellbeing as part of their sustainable development indicators in 2007:

‘A positive physical, social and mental state; it is not just the absence of pain, discomfort and incapacity. It requires that basic needs are met, that individuals have a sense of purpose, that they feel able to achieve important personal goals and participate in society. It is enhanced by conditions that include supportive personal relationships, strong and inclusive communities, good health, financial and personal security, rewarding employment, and a healthy and attractive environment.’ DEFRA

So what does wellbeing cover in socio-political terms? The image above is how the New Economics Foundation (NEF) illustrated it in their recent report about David Cameron's policy:

So how we doing on well being right now? Not great; about 14th out of 22 in Europe according to NEF.

Can we do anything about it on an individual level? Yes, that's the most positive aspects of the research findings, if you watch the video up to 50% of our happiness is within our control and it has very little to do with money, beyond a basic level of security.

I'm sure there'll be more on wellbeing to come, I for one am glad. We need to get off the Capitalistic runaway train and take a closer look at the quality of our own lives, our relationships and planet if we're to have meaningful fulfilling lives. On that I agree with Dave!

For videos and further insight about Wellbeing, happiness and the relationship connection, come visit me at Lovephool. Comments, and suggestions always much appreciated.

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