Last year, I had the opportunity to visit Bhutan, a remote and isolated country in the eastern region of the Himalayas.

There are few places left in the world where the cultural heritage is still as intact as here, although this is changing fast due to rapid modernization and development.

The government, a monarchy, is keenly aware of the potential problems this poses to the nation and its people. For a number of years now, it has been making sincere efforts to strike a workable balance between greater openness toward the modern age and the protection of the kingdom’s unique identity.

For this purpose, a national program has been established to allow only socioeconomic developments that serve Bhutan’s particular social and cultural needs. It’s named “Gross National Happiness” (GNH), a term obviously chosen in contrast to the Gross National Product (GDP), which is a purely economic indicator.

The GNH considers four major factors as essential for a well-functioning society: Sustainable development, the preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the environment and natural resources and the maintenance of good governance. All of these policies are applicable at the communal as well as at the individual level.

Personal happiness and well-being is to be measured in terms of physical-, mental- and spiritual health. This includes issues of health care, education, standard of living, practice of religion and community vitality.

The idea of measuring a highly subjective concept like personal happiness on a national scale is not as unique as one might think. In Great Britain, a similar happiness survey is in the works and the French government is also looking into the emotional state of its average citizen.

Canada has already undertaken a number of Bhutan-style GNH surveys in the past. The latest attempt to take the public’s pulse in terms of happiness has just been completed in the U.S., albeit only in one town, Somerville, Mass.

For the first time in its history, the city hall issued a local census form that included a somewhat blunt question: “How happy do you feel right now?”

This new addition to the traditional surveys about income, education, race, etc. was aimed at people’s satisfaction with life in general. Reportedly, like the question itself, many of the responses were a bit surprising, ranging from overly vague to excessively detailed.

Unlike the Bhutanese, the folks of Somerville may need a little more time to get used to this level of inquisitiveness by their government. Still, the operation helped to shed some extra light on the subject of happiness. Most respondents addressed matters important to their individual well-being, but ideas to improve the quality of public life were also placed high on the list.

Which brings me to one of the most influential experts on the subject of happiness and a favorite author of mine, the psychologist Abraham H. Maslow. In his signature work, Maslow developed a theory he called “Hierarchy of Needs,” which he depicted in the form of a pyramid.

The most basic requirements for well-being are placed at the bottom, while the lesser essential ones go to the top. The lowest levels include physiological needs, like air, water, food, shelter, etc.

After that come personal safety and financial security. Further up are relationships with family and friends. Only when these basic needs are fulfilled, more complex needs like self-esteem, status, creativity and a sense of purpose come into play.

The highest achievable level is called “self-actualization,” an almost mystical state of harmony and understanding.

Of course, not everyone has the same needs or requires their fulfillment in the same order. Still, there are some universal patterns. Good health, loving companionship, basic material security and so forth are essential ingredients in everybody’s life. If these are amiss, we can’t function well.

Fear and stress may overcome us. We may suffer from boredom or lack of inspiration. Or we find ourselves left out and isolated with no one to turn to for help. We may not be able to clearly define what constitutes happiness, but we know for certain that persistent unhappiness will eventually become a health issue.

While it is impossible to make plans or build structures that promote happiness on a personal level for everyone, there are things we can put in place to improve the quality of life for all our citizens.

Access to health care, affordable education, reasonable job security, environmental protection – these are issues we all are constantly dealing with.

Of course, there is considerable disagreement how to go about each and every one of these, but there is no dispute that certain basic needs must be met for us to function as a society. Surely you don’t have to go to Bhutan to understand that.

Kirkland resident Timi Gustafson R.D. is a clinical dietitian and author of the book “The Healthy Diner – How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun,” available in bookstores, at http://timigustafson.com and at Amazon.com. You can also follow Timi on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TimiGustafsonRD