There’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that the bulk of the Bhutanese population is relatively happy. The bad news is that the poor are miserable.
Although there are no accurate indicators in place to measure and gauge the psychological wellbeing, a recent research conducted by the Centre for Bhutan Studies (CBS) shows that 5% of the population, comprising of farmers and housewives, are reportedly the most stressed out group.
The term psychological wellbeing generally refers to how people evaluate their lives and, according to the CBS findings, psychological wellbeing has been defined in terms of the internal experience of the respondent and the perception of their own lives, focusing on momentary moods and long-term states of their mental wellbeing.
Psychological wellbeing by gender
Surveys conducted in many countries have consistently revealed that men and women have similar levels of happiness and ‘overall life satisfaction’ contrary to the study on life quality and happiness, which showed that women in the country have a lower ‘life quality’ and a lower level of happiness.
Analyses of almost all the satisfaction levels regarding specific domains reveal that men are more satisfied than women.
The general health questionnaire which was used to measure psychological distress was also observed to be higher in females.
The time pressure and stress probably increased for women due to the dual responsibilities of looking after the hearth and at the workplace, the report says.
The overall findings indicate that females in Bhutan have a lower wellbeing than males.
Psychological wellbeing by employment status
When happiness level was analyzed with employment status, the unemployed were the ‘least happy’ followed by housewives. The same category fared poorly in terms of life quality. The results also indicate that the unemployed were prone to high levels of stress.
Unemployment is a major issue of concern in Bhutan. This has simply occurred because the working age population has grown faster than the number of jobs.
The study reveals that happiness peaks around the age group of 16 to 30.
Psychological wellbeing indicators: Sources of Happiness
The psychological wellbeing interview started with an open-ended question, asking respondents the sources of their wellbeing and happiness. The main objective of the question was to gather information on the perception of happiness and to obtain conditions that would favor happiness. The respondents were given an option of listing at least seven factors that were important for them to lead a happy and contented life.
Financial security
A majority of 51% reported financial security to be the number one factor in leading a happy and content life. Within this category, respondents were mainly concerned with the presence of an adequate income to provide for a decent standard of living. Some respondents also mentioned the need of money for future security.
Access to roads
32% of the respondents identified access to roads as a key source of happiness. The majority of the respondents who listed this were people from rural areas, mainly from the eastern region.
Education & good health
Education received a high priority with 26% of respondents equating education with happiness along with good health, such as possession of a healthy body and absence of disability.
Family relationships
26% of the respondents stated good family relationships to be a potential source of happiness, mentioning the importance of understanding amongst family members, having ample family time and a successful marriage.
The research also shows that 90% of the respondents were satisfied in relationships with their immediate family members. In order to capture some of these aspects of social support, the respondents were asked whether assistance was available during sickness and at times of financial or emotional needs – the findings were that 53% of the respondents reported that help was forthcoming during sickness. Only 2% reported receiving no help.
Agricultural productivity
Agricultural productivity was also regarded to be vital with 21.5% saying that increase in crop productivity would certainly increase their happiness level. The respondents referred to the availability of agricultural equipment and proper irrigation channels. Respondents also pointed out that possessing more agriculture land would enable them to grow more crops and thereby increase their wellbeing.
Faith and spiritual practices
About 9% of the respondents said that practicing dharma, receiving blessings from renowned lamas and being able to visit various religious sites would enhance their happiness.
Stress level in Bhutanese society
Analyses show that 12% of the respondents are highly stressed. They are mostly farmers and housewives. Virtually all of the farmers who were interviewed said that stress was a major problem in their lives.
Farmers traditionally work long hours, often in bad weather. Moreover, due to the steep terrain, most of the farmers have to put in extra labor. The study confirmed that of all the occupational groups, farmers are prone to and suffer considerable stress.
About 35% reported financial insecurity. This was followed by death and illness. Next were social relationships, with factors such as misunderstandings, divorces, enmity in the community and the like.
Labor pressure is another determinant of stress. Respondents mostly referred to labor shortage and woola. Farm labor shortage is one of the pressing concerns faced by Bhutanese farmers, resulting in low agriculture productivity. 11% reported agricultural constraints with problems of wildlife and lack of proper irrigation channels. Educational concerns cited were academic competencies and problems affecting students in boarding schools, such as the lack of proper hostel facilities.
The survey shows that a strong relationship exists between subjective health satisfaction measures and happiness. Current data reveals that 58% of the respondents were satisfied with their health conditions whereas only 8% reported dissatisfaction.
Correlation analysis reveals that job satisfaction is positively related to life quality and happiness. 63% were satisfied in their major occupations while 31% were fairly satisfied. Not surprisingly, respondents were dissatisfied with their finances. Only 29% reported financial satisfaction.
Happiness level among the dzongkhags
The study reveals Thimphu as the happiest valley in the kingdom, followed by Haa. The saddest dzongkhag was Pemagatshel. The capital’s residents also enjoyed the highest ‘life quality’ with Pemagatshel scoring the ‘lowest life quality’. But it’s not all sunshine in the capital. Thimphu has the highest occurrence of negative emotions. Gasa was the most positive. And again, Thimphu scored the lowest in terms of spirituality. Besides, Thimphu ranked at the bottom of the spiritual path. Honoring the gods is a passé façade in the capital but then again, Thimphu took the most ‘urban town’ with the highest number of infrastructure.
The study shows that urbanization does not necessarily gel with happiness and wellbeing. The establishment of infrastructure such as hospitals or schools is important but also as comparable are the non-material aspects of life such as social and communal harmony.
