Testing Happiness Framework based on Western and Eastern Thoughts: A Case Study of Bangkok

Kanokporn Nitnitiphrut

n_kanokporn@yahoo.com

Forthcoming Chulalongkorn Journal of Economics

Abstract

Human happiness cannot be explained by only their material achievements, since happiness is complex and individually different. The environment is one factor that can create differences in a human’s happiness, leading to differences in their cognition. There are several theories that explain the happiness of humans beyond material prosperity, most notably Buddhist Economics and experienced utility.

The study adapts Buddhist Economics as one of its main frameworks, since it focuses on the idea that balance can be achieved in three aspects – man, mind and environment, also known as the Balance Concept. For this study, the aspect of man, or physical state, is explored in form of the happiness model that is constructed from the survey and employed a self-reported method as the main methodology. This study also considers the aspect of mind as the defining factor in explaining the relationship between ideas and attitudes of individuals toward the question of happiness in order to understand whether different attitudes and perceptions have any effect on happiness. Finally, the environmental aspect can be separated into two divergent perspectives - firstly, the environment defined in social terms such as society, community and family; and, secondly, the environment that is defined in terms of natural resources, which are considered in accordance with information from Living Planet Index in order to provide a general picture of environmental aspect in physical term.