This Stanford professor went to Bhutan to learn about happiness. Here's his No.1 takeaway

What is the key to human happiness? That's one of life's biggest questions and Ron Gutman has dedicated a big part of his career to learning more about the topic.

Gutman is a Stanford adjunct professor, serial entrepreneur, author, speaker and an award-winning inventor. He is known for his 2011 TED Talk "The hidden power of smiling," which has been watched more than 6.5 million times.

In his quest to learn more about human happiness, he decided to conduct some real-world research.

In October 2024, Gutman went on a three-week journey through the South Asian country of Bhutan, officially known as the Kingdom of Bhutan, located on the eastern ridges of the Himalayas. Gutman trekked through the mountains alongside academics, clergy and locals.

The Kingdom of Bhutan, sandwiched between two of the world's most populous countries, India and China, is known for its governing principle of prioritizing human happiness and well-being over economic development.

The idea of "Gross National Happiness" was coined in the 1970s by Bhutan's fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who said that "Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product," according to a 2024 publication by the OECD.

"Going deep into understanding happiness led me to researching Bhutan, because they put an emphasis on this," Gutman told CNBC Make It.

"It made me want to understand it from their vantage point, right? So, [I wanted] to go and listen to them, to the people that have been getting this knowledge, from generation to generation for many [years]," he said.

Because Bhutan is located in the Himalayas, most of the trip was spent climbing. Gutman traveled primarily by foot or by local transportation from about 1,000 feet in elevation to almost 14,000