The Concept of Happiness:
The Bridge between Western and
Eastern Thought, and
Empirical Evidence of Bangkokian's
Happiness Determinants
By Kanokporn Nitnitiphrut
Public Policy Development Office (PPDO)
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”
-Aristotle
"Happiness is not having what you want, but
wanting what you have”
– Anon
“Happiness is not in our circumstance but in
ourselves. It is not something we see, like a
rainbow, or feel, like the heat of a fire.
Happiness is something we are.”
- John B. Sheerin
(Cited in “Happiness Quotes and Proverbs”)
HAPPINESS CONCEPT
Psychological Mechanisms
Producing Happiness
• Aspiration, or
satisfaction treadmill
• Adaptation, or
hedonic treadmill
• Social Comparison, or
relative theory
Conceptual Framework of Happiness
• Happiness Definition
• Theoretical Framework for
Happiness Study
– There are two constraints.
• To Answer “How to Measure happiness?”
• and “What is suitable happiness pattern for
Thai people?”
• To test this framework by pilot study.
Happiness Definition
“Happiness is cognition of life satisfaction”
Implication
• Happiness is considered as different cognition and
experience for individuals.
• It means that given everything equal, differences in
an individual’s cognition and experience can lead to
difference in self-reported life satisfaction.
Theoretical Framework
• There are two main theories
in this study
– Experienced Utility by
Daniel Kahneman (1997)
– Buddhist Economics by
Apichai Puntasen (2001)
To answer “How to measure?”
Source:
The experienced utility
concept from
“Back to Bentham?
Explorations of
Experienced Utility”
by Kahneman, Wakker
and Sarin (1997)
Why Experienced Utility can be used
in condition of Thai Society?
Why both theories can use together?
• The 1st question:
– “Instant utility” definition is the hedonic
value of a moment of experience which is
immediately reported or recorded under
respondents’ transformation function.
– As those respondents are Thai people;
therefore, their transformation function is
built from the eastern culture.
• The 2nd question:
– Both theories is shown their aspect on
happiness as cognition alike.
Source: Prayukvong (2005), p.1175.
Happiness Analysis for This study framework
• There are two interpretative process: Micro & Macro levels.
• Micro interpretation uses “Psychological Mechanisms” under
concept of Experienced Utility.
• Macro analysis uses “Three Balance Concepts” or ecosystem
relationships in Buddhist Economics,
– human-nature
– human-human
– body-mind
• Then there are three dimensions:
– Man Dimension
– Mind Dimension
– Environmental Dimension
(consisting of social and natural environment)
Source: This framework is based on Puntasen (2006)
Methodology for Happiness Analysis
• Man Dimension is called “Happiness Model” or “Global Satisfaction”
 Ordered Logit & Ordered Probit Model
– Global Satisfaction = f (age, gender, Bangkok settlement, marital status,
education, health status, religion, political criticism, unemployment, personal
income, moderation, reasonableness, self-immunity)
• Mind Dimension
 Chi-Square test
–
(1) “Good deeds beget good results, while bad deeds beget bad results.” is a
proxy of right understanding (sammā-dihi) . It implies that belief in results of
doing good is right understand.
– (2) “You may step over a fallen tree; don’t step over a fallen man.” is a proxy of
right thought (sammā-saṅkappa) in only good will concept or thought free from
cruelty (avihimsaa-sankappa).
– (3) “To apply gold leaf to the back of a Buddha image.” is proxy of right effort
(sammā-vāyāma) . It refers to the process of attempting to root out such an ill wish
and replace it with a good wish, or sincerity of good actions is right belief.
– (4) “Better to die than to lie” is a proxy of right speech (sammā-vācā). It implies
belief in trustworthy is right.
• Environmental Dimension (only natural environment)
Living Planet report (2006) for explaining the present natural status in Thailand.
A Pilot study to test the happiness
framework
• “Random Sampling”
• Bangkok population is
5,645,125 persons, only
over 15 years old from
Migration Survey 2005
(Round 4: Oct - Dec),
National Statistical Office
• Sampling after cutting error
observations is 348
observations
age
Yamane’s
formula
Sampling
without
gray zone
15-24
70.68
112
25-59
286
209
Over
60
43.32
26
Total
400
348
Results & Implications
• Man Dimension (Happiness Model)
– It is statistically significant at 90% confidence interval.
– Age, education, earner and self-immunity are significant
factors influencing happiness.
• Age’s result implies non-linearity function at 33-34 years old.
 Before the age of 33-34 years old, age increase has positive
probability to happiness increase, whereas after that period, age
increase does attribute to probability in an opposite direction.
• People with over 12 years of education tend to be happier in their life.
• earner status implies both employment status and family responsibility.
 The implication is that importance of family burdens
outweighs feeling self-esteem in employment.
• People with self-immunity tend to have a high rate of happiness at
highest, 99% statistically confident interval.
 The priority given to life security in the economy, or, in other
words, the concern toward financial status is on a relative term
rather than absolute term.
Results & Implications
• Mind Dimension
– Only age change at 90% statistically confident interval affects
difference of people’s belief in demerit and merit, and karma
rule.
– People who differ in age, marriage status or job, given
everything equal, do differ in the truth belief.
– Dissimilarity in age, marriage status, education and job, given
everything equal, leads to difference in sincerity of making
merit.
– If individuals differ in age and marriage status, this belief in
kindness and mercy, and gives a chance to others can be
different
• In summary, chi-square test can exam only whether two
factors are related, but can not explain how they are
related.
Results & Implications
• Natural Environment
(data from Living Planet Report (2006))
– Thailand’s footprint index defines that per capita
ecological footprint (gha/persons) is lower than
biocapacity (gha/person), and may imply ecological
deficit in Thailand.
– In a period of 1975-2003, footprint change per person in
Thailand is more than biocapability change per person.
• It means that nature is used more than their restoration.
– Moreover, water withdrawal as an ecological index
explains that freshwater decrease is in moderate stress.
Discussion in Three Balance concept
• Human-Nature
– Natural environment is an important element to support and enrich human’s
physicality and mentality.
– It means that humans destruct natural resources such as soil, water, air and
forest at a rate faster than the rate of natural restoration. This leads to
impacts such as waste water, air pollution, toxic soil, among others. These
problems humans affect in terms of poor health in both physicality and
mentality.
• Human-Human
– Humans as a social animal concern themselves with social environments
such as family, community and society.
– In terms of family, frequencies of family participation in this study have an
influence and affect report of family satisfaction to a high level.
– Besides, pertaining to married status in happiness model, its sign on
satisfaction level is positive. It means that married people have probability
to be happier than the other statuses because they have partner in their life.
Discussion in Three Balance concept
• Body-Mind
– Mind and body relationship, according to Buddhist
Economics, has its base in consumption moderation.
Balance in mind and body is so important to consumption
decisions.
– Conceptually, if he/she can balance his/her life under the
right understanding, he/she can have good well-being and
does not incur externality in society and environment.
– On mentality side, the belief on moral and merit can have
an influence in many happiness factors such as age, marital
status, educational level and job type.
– Besides, from happiness model, frequencies of illness,
which functions as a factor on the physical side, can have
negative effect on human happiness.
Limitations & Suggestions
• A limitation of this study is the sample size of observations,
and cross-section data which can not test the vary of significant
determinants in the long-run.
– Therefore, further studies should test this framework with larger
sampling, and use panel data as possible.
• An essential aspect for researches, academics and people being
interested in this topic is for them to keep in mind that
happiness is not the answer for alleviating poverty problem and
enhancing social welfare.
• With careful attention in applying GNH, we should be cautious
because social, cultural and economic structures of Thailand
and Bhutan are significantly different.
• For NESDB’s Green and Happiness Index (2007), this pattern
should adjust in every period on suitability of social, cultural
and economic conditions because social and cultural conditions
are likely to change.
The End
Thanks you so much
 BE HAPPY 