Pharell Williams' 2013 hit from the soundtrack of Despicable Me 2 was a mass sensation not just because of its undeniably catchy tune and unique video but also because it spoke the most universal experience and need for humanity – happiness.
The emotion is ubiquitous, yet elusive, and in recent years, countries across the world have recognised the need to take the happiness of their populace into consideration while looking at how successful they are as nations.
Bhutan was the first country to do this, when it introduced Gross National Happiness as an indicator of development.
Several countries including Venezuela, the US, Canada, the UAE and closer home, Madhya Pradesh have tried to take a leaf out of their book by setting up bodies or ministries that look into citizens' happiness.
But how do you measure something that is so subjective and so difficult to quantify?
In this episode of The Intersection, researchers talk about the challenges of measuring happiness and its correlation with economic growth.
This is the latest episode of The Intersection, a fortnightly podcast on Audiomatic. For more such podcasts, visit audiomatic.in.
