Little Bhutan's 'Gross National Happiness Index' in an interesting
concept. In the US we put our happiness on the back burner and put
money first for the most part.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_national_happiness

But happiness is an illusive state of being in life because; "it is
usually dependent upon our outer circumstances of our life being in
accord with the fulfillment of our desires" as written by a famous
Buddhist practitioner who failed to heed his own writings and was
found dead from drugs. It all boils down to a famous 12 step saying;
If you talk the talk, you have to walk the walk to benefit from it.

Buddhists say that most things we perceive as happiness comes under
the real category of pain diminishes and is not true happiness at all
since these areas such as food, spending, sex, etc., be can readily
turned into pain if we go too far with them or when the inevitable
change comes about with impermanence. They say that the spiritual way
is the only never ending way to enjoy unlimited happiness.