New goal and paradigm shift

Research studies have shown that amongst students from various fields, those graduating in economics have the sharpest decline in altruistic value compared with when they first started as freshmen. Economics professors in the US were also found to give the least to charities relative to those in other faculties. In another survey economics students were found to be least likely to return money picked up on the way, and this especially so for students studying the Game Theory. Economics students who had taken at least 3 economic courses were also more likely to rate greed as generally good, correct and moral.

A broad explanation is that the principles of economics including  maximisation of benefits from scarce resources,  trade offs and self interest around utility shape the minds towards an exchange/trade and opportunity cost mentality vis-a-vis a giving mentality. Likewise countries focusing solely on GDP growth as a measure of its citizens' well being have neglected other indicators of happiness. Reports have shown strong correlation between inequality and unhappiness.

Della Duncan, economist and GNH (Gross National Happiness) trainer in a talk explored how our current economic system can be radically transformed. She enumerated the big leverage for any change in a system are in changing the goal and a paradigm shift in thinking. She went on to discuss a diversion from a sole focus on GDP and to include parameters on GNH. The GNH index includes domains like psychological well being, health, education, how time is used, cultural diversity, good governance, community, ecological diversity & resilience and living standards.

What amazes me is some of the measurements used to assess the above parameters among the citizens in Bhutan. They include hours of sleep, time usage including time for meditation, the number of people who will care for a citizen when they are ill or who will celebrate a life event with them and the amount of respect citizens have for "trees".

I am quite intrigued by these measurements  and probably will read up a bit more; maybe to adopt as yardsticks for myself. It may call for new goals and a paradigm shift from the conventional notions of the prerequisites for happiness but I am quite sure it will point towards a more holistic well being.