> This (the measuring, at least) is mostly a solved problem.

I disagree. I’m familiar with the world happiness report. I don’t think that would be an adequate measurement to replace GDP with.

"adequate measurement to replace GDP with"

There seems to be annunderlying assimption that GDP is a good meaurement?

In UK we had reduction of life expectancy, wages, trade and production of physical goods while GDP grew. The only sources of GDP growth seem to be never-ending rise of house prices and inequality.

I’m not arguing that there aren’t problems with benchmarking society against GDP, there are. What I’m asking is, what is a better measurement? If it is something like happiness, then how do we quantify that in a meaningful way?

Trying to reduce society to one number is pure folly, but if you had to pick one, it would have to be quality of life-based metrics, surely? We already use them in medicine.

Sure, but the original comment that spawned this thread was comparing happiness and GDP.

Happiness is a direct co-relation to GDP. The growth of a civilization is directly as a result of GDP.

For example being in nature brings you happiness. BUT this is only in well developed countries and among people with enough wealth to live comfortably.

Money does not make you happy but it gives you much more opportunity to be happy.

> Happiness is a direct co-relation to GDP. The growth of a civilization is directly as a result of GDP.

That’s actually not correct. By that argument the happiest country should be the United States as it has the largest GDP. However the United States ranks #19 on the World Happiness Report: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-...

I should have been more specific: GDP per capita is one of the most important part of a person's happiness.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-vs-happiness

Chart above clearly shows that mostly increase in GDP results in higher life satisfaction.

> Chart above clearly shows that mostly increase in GDP results in higher life satisfaction.

That chart clearly shows a handful of countries happier than the US with less GDP per capita…