INTHEBLACK April/May 2024 - Magazine - Page 38
F E AT U R E
HOW HAPPINESS
LINKS TO THE
ECONOMY
READ
an INTHEBLACK
article on five
ways to be happier
at work
READ
an INTHEBLACK
article on toxic
positivity
38 INTHEBLACK April/May 2024
A happy population is good for
the economy, research suggests.
Researchers analysing data
from the World Happiness Report
and The World Bank’s
Global Innovation Index found
a strong correlation between happiness
and innovation – the latter is considered
a predictor of economic growth.
There is a growing movement
among governments and agencies to
incorporate happiness and wellbeing
indicators into economic growth and
performance analyses, particularly since
the Report by the Commission on the
Measurement of Economic Performance
and Social Progress made the case
for alternatives to GDP to measure
a nation’s economic wellbeing in 2009.
The question is, how can
governments increase happiness?
Happiness is known to increase
with income – to a point. In 2021,
an Australian study found that
A$74,000 was the point at which
income no longer determines
happiness, up from A$43,000 in 2001.
The proportion of people earning below
this level increased from 60 per cent
to 74 per cent, representing an overall
decline in national happiness.
Governments are increasingly
investing in social programs to boost
economic performance.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern introduced her country’s
first Wellbeing Budget in 2019, which
identified five key areas of investment –
mental health, child wellbeing, support
of Māori and Pasifika communities,
productivity and the transformation
to a low-emissions economy.
In July 2023, Treasurer Jim Chalmers
announced Australia’s first national
wellbeing framework, which uses
50 indicators to monitor and track
progress. Titled Measuring What Matters,
the initiative aims to improve wellbeing
across five pillars – health, security,
sustainability, cohesion and prosperity.
“I know of one organisation that
insisted its people were happy every
day. It was one of the corporate values
– as you walked in, you needed to
exude happiness. Happiness is great
– you should aspire to it, but if we
expect to be happy all the time, we’re
going to make things worse.”
DAVID BURROUGHS,
AUSTRALIAN PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
To emphasise the point, Litynski
calls on a prop in her TEDx Talk –
a steering wheel – to illustrate that
the individual is the “driver” of their own
happiness. “You’re behind the wheel.
You decide in which direction you want
to go,” she says.
The path to happiness begins with
self-reflection, Litynski adds. “You need
to ask yourself, ‘What do I need to feel
good in the workplace? What do I need
to be happy? What drives me at work?’”
How this definition of happiness,
different for each person, aligns or
differs with an individual’s current
situation will highlight what changes
need to be made.
Humans naturally focus on negative
events and emotions, an evolutionary trait
that helped our ancestors avoid harm.
Litynski offers a simple hack to override
this instinct, known as negativity bias,
and boost positive emotion – reflect on
the day’s highlights at the end of each
day. “Think about what went well.
What did I enjoy? What made me laugh?
What was the best moment of my day?”
When performed regularly, the activity
can reduce negativity and increase
happiness in the long term, she says.
Another tip from Litynski is to get
the ball rolling at the start of a meeting
by asking team members to share
a highlight from the week.
“When you start a meeting with positivity,
your meeting will be much more productive,
and people will be more creative.”
