Alternative Measurements of Happiness

Presenting an alternative method for evaluating the well-being and happiness of the world's populations today, this Nic Marks speech challenges mainstream ideas about the environment and the future. Instead of measuring the world's productivity, statistician Nic Marks believes that we should be focusing on the things that make life worthwhile such as happiness, love and health. As he sees it, fixating solely on the things society produces paints a grim picture for the future, generating fear and anxiety within societies.

Marks created the Happy Planet Index to measure the happiness of countries in relation to the amount of resources each one uses. His research concluded that the countries with less productivity and resources are actually much happier. Out of all the countries, Costa Rica ranked the highest on Marks' index, indicating that happiness and well-being don't have to come at the price of planet and its preservation.