John Helliwell is the co-author of the World Happiness Report, an annual survey of how happy people are in countries around the world, published by the Earth Institute at the University of British Columbia. He was a keynote speaker at the Quality of Life Conference in Ajman last month.
q How important is happiness to the economic performance of a country?
a It's important as a country wants it to be. It's apparent over the past decade that there has been dissatisfaction with purely economic indicators. We have a variety of social indicators but what we lack is combining them to get some sort of overall measure. What's really different in the Happiness Report from other measures is that citizens themselves are asked to assess the quality of their own lives. We aggregate the results like votes in an election. It means happiness can be measured at a local level.
What can the government do to improve the quality of life for people?
I think the power of one is important, so everybody has the capacity to make life better for themselves. Governments are learning from the actions of individuals and we have examples of where improvements in the lives of some communities are copied in another. People are coming to realise that happiness is based on doing something for others and that's not something that generally makes its way in to conventional government decision-making and policy.
How closely linked to national income is happiness and quality of life?
Quite closely. If you look at what determines the happiness of the four most happy countries and the four most unhappy countries, income explains less than a quarter of the difference in happiness. Other important factors include a healthy life expectancy and the most important factor is social connections, so having someone to count on in times of trouble. Trust is very important and sharing is also important.
The events of the Arab Spring have suggested some people in the region are not happy. What do you make of that?
The UAE has been a very peaceful part of the region and lives have been happier here than in other parts of the region. One of the reasons for that probably is that there are higher levels of social connections, trust in government and each other, the police and generosity.
As the global economy emerges from recession, do you expect this year's survey to show people are more happy?
We have looked across countries post-2007, and the countries worst hit do lose happiness relative to others, especially the ones that have designed policies around improving happiness, like South Korea, which has shown substantial increases in happiness.
* Tom Arnold
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.