King Jigme Singye Wanghuck wanted the citizens of Bhutan to always feel as though they had just received wonderful lottery results. In 1972 he coined the term “gross national happiness” to signal his commitment to building a modern economy that would also serve Bhutan’s Buddhist spiritual values. The Centre for Bhutan Studies, led by Karma Ura, developed a comprehensive survey instrument to measure Bhutanese levels of happiness. Gross National Happiness serves as a unifying vision for Bhutan’s 5 year economy planning process. All planning documents must first pass a Gross National Happiness review to ensure that it will not impact the well being of the population. The entire concept of GNH is grounded in Buddhist ideals which posit that the beneficial development of society can only occur when spiritual and material development take place side by side in a complementary relationship. The four columns of GNH are the establishment of good governance, conservation of the natural environment, sustainable development, and the promotion of cultural values.