Chapter 16So what would be the equivalent cut- off for a policy
aimed at maximizing “Happiness- Years” rather than Quality-
Adjusted Years? We discussed this in Chapter 15. Clearly
in the end the cut- off has to be established by a process of
trial and error. But if in doubt an advanced country might
choose to start with a similar cut- off to that which has been
used in Britain’s National Health Service. Since happiness-
years are measured on a scale 0– 10 and QALYs on a scale
0– 1, the maximum allowable cost for one extra happiness-
year might be set at $3,500.
In any country there are dozens of initiatives that would
pass this test, as well as dozens of existing policies currently
in operation that do not. That is not the subject of this
book, but to compile such an inventory should be a central
aim of happiness research.
There is one other issue on evaluation. As Jeremy Ben-
tham recommended, we have so far simply added up
changes in happiness, regardless of who experienced them.
But most of us think it is more important to prevent mis-
ery than to increase existing happiness. So we would want
to give extra weight to changes in happiness among peo-
ple who were currently miserable. And we would give less
weight than average to changes for the happiest people.
Those weights are an ethical issue, and policy makers need
to choose their weights.
The Way Forward
So we are on the verge of a revolution, not only in human
thought but in practical policy making. As Francis Bacon
observed, knowledge is power. He was thinking about the