The World's Happiness Hub: Bhutan's Unique Journey

If you ask Anat Penti, known as a 'happiness policy researcher', which is the happiest country in the world, she'll probably answer with one short word: Bhutan.

Not many people are familiar with this small country nestled in the Himalayas, home to about 800,000 people.

"Bhutan introduced a new concept to the world. It's a country that, in some ways, came out of nowhere," Penti explains. "Located between Tibet and India, at the end of the world, it's one of the few countries in the world that has never been conquered. There are less than 800,000 residents there."

In Bhutan, there's a king who decided to make his country happy, in what Penti calls "Gross National Happiness."

In 1987, a journalist was sent to cover the country and among other things asked the king how he plans to develop, given the nation’s low GDP. The king's response was surprising: "We don't care about gross domestic product but about the gross national happiness of our residents."

According to Penti, the king of Bhutan knew exactly what he was aiming for: the philosophy behind his approach encourages a connection of humans with nature and all living things, and advocates for the 'middle way.' If there are trials in life, that's excellent. Their outlook is that not everything in life needs to be the best. And if they don't have as much material wealth as their friends do, it's also good, because their philosophy champions contentment with what one has.