“It is a choice to be happy or to be sad in any given situation,” Dr. Chetri, who is director of Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Centre, told an audience in Sydney this week (as reported via The Age).

“People often ask me ‘if my friend is dying in the hospital bed, how can I be happy?’” he says. “And I tell them happiness is not to giggle, not to laugh, not to crack jokes. Happiness is to remain with yourself, connecting your mind, your body and your thoughts together, calming down.

“When you are calm you are able to send prayers to your friend who is dying in the hospital bed and you're still living with that happy state of mind. If you live in the present moment, whatever situation comes to you you learn to live very calmly and connected to yourself.”

A prescription for happiness from Bhutan’s happiness guru