Are people in Kazakhstan really happier than in Japan?

Happiness metrics are the wrong way to promote well-being

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20220121 youth Thimphu Bhutan.JPG

Youths sit around the central square in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, in December 2017: the answer lies in hedonic adaptation. © Reuters

Jairaj Devadiga is an India-based economist specializing in public policy and economic history.

In 1972, the then King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, declared that "Gross national happiness is more important than gross domestic product."

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