Taking a step back to look and measure happiness of communities could be the step in becoming a more prosperous country, said the director of a movement that for years has worked to change the way Americans view productivity.
John de Graaf, media and outreach director of The Happiness Initiative talked to a group of Ball State students and faculty members about a new book he is co-author of, "What's the Economy for, Anyway?: Why it's Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness," Tuesday night at Teachers College, Room 101.
In his book, de Graaf offers a different perspective on quality of life health, security, leisure and social justice, emphasizing ideals like equality, sustainability and the pursuit of happiness.
The focus on the country's GDP has caused a shift from the importance placed on other aspects of daily life to the economic growth.
"Something has changed in the last 30 years in this country, which I would argue is very dangerous," he said. "And I would say that that has to do with the policies we have pursued as a country during that period of time."
Melinda Messineo, associate professor of sociology and director of Freshman Connections, said de Graaf was invited to speak as part of a larger project at Ball State that involves having students read the book "Caught in the Middle," by Richard Longworth and having discussions about the effect of globalism in the Midwest and how towns have grown. Longworth will be speaking on campus Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Pruis Hall.
"I think one of the interesting things about de Graaf's work specifically is that we have been measuring success in the U.S. with very narrow indicators, primarily the GDP, so one of the things that we can do better is to think what are the other contributors to success of a nation," Messineo said.
De Graaf talked about the U.S.'s health care system, confidence in the government and education, comparing these to systems in other developed countries.
"In every other country, health care is a right that every individual has, it's not paid for by your job, it's paid for by the tax system," he said. "But instead of thinking about that and saying 'what can we do to actually reduce the cost health care and make it available to everybody and take that burden away from those companies?', we go nuts even at the suggestion that we have some kind of government role in our health care system."
Students and faculty took the information presented and agreed with some of the points made by de Graaf.
David Young, instructor at the Fisher Institute of Wellness and Gerontology, said he agreed with de Graaf's arguments based on some research done around the topic.
"Once you've lived a level of satisfaction in your life, then other things start to kick in," Young said. "Everybody, they say, is born with a range of happiness or sense of well-being, and there is a great deal we can play with but we do noting to nurture that."
Senior biology and psychology major Moses Williams said he heard about the presentation through email and enjoyed hearing de Graaf speak about his movement.
"I think it was lovely, I have a real interest in global economics, and the pursuit of happiness and the quality of life," he said. "I like that he is focusing on some of the non-material aspects of economics that GDP doesn't get."
Williams said he had already given thought on some of the points presented by de Graaf and that current or future generations can start to get involved in movements to change the way people see productivity in this country.
"I think we are poised to do it," he said. "It might be hard or a challenge just because corporations don't want to give up the power that they have."
De Graaf said students can start working to change the way Americans see productivity by taking small steps at a time. He said it is important for students at a college level give thought to some of the issues he brought up because of their leadership roles in the near future.
"Get involved with more serious organizations that are doing things about social justice and the environment, college students ought to be talking about these things because their future is depending on it."
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