(Reuters) - The mayor of Vilnius plans to install a huge screen on the town hall to broadcast a real-time "happiness barometer" that will monitor the mood of the Lithuanian capital.
The giant display will monitor the level of happiness among the city's 520,000 residents by showing a number on the scale of one to 10 that reflects tabulated votes sent in by locals from their mobile phones and computers.
The system is already set up and on televisions in the lobby of the municipal office.
"This barometer is a great tool for politicians. If we take a decision and see a sharp fall in the mood of the city, then we know we have done something horribly wrong," mayor Arturas Zuokas said.
The results are displayed hourly. Residents and visitors can rate their mood throughout the day in Vilnius on the Happiness Barometer.
With a QR reader app and a smartphone anyone can scan their mood based on a 1-10 rating by stopping for a few seconds at special billboards that have been placed throughout Vilnius.
A 2011 poll of global happiness by WIN Association, a network of pollsters, found Lithuania, hit hard by the 2008-2009 financial crisis, among the unhappiest countries of 58 surveyed. Only Serbia, Palestine, Egypt and Romania fared worse.
Currently, the average level of happiness in Vilnius is 6.1 out of a possible 10.
Artūras Jonkus of IQ Polls, who initiated the project, hopes that Vilnius’ business centres, cafes, shopping centres and other companies will join the project.
“The Happiness Barometer is not a scientific experiment, but a socially oriented project. Its goal is to encourage people to smile more often and to share their good mood and good will with others,” said Artūras Jonkus.
From Reuters
