Hey. New week, new post. And in light of the new book I’m reading, I decided to write about happiness insights from one of the world’s consistently happy countries—Denmark.
The book I’m reading right now is titled Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way. The book written by Dan Buettner, is about his research and insights on the National Geographic expedition to interview and learn about the happiest places throughout the world. He travels to four different places and interviews people of a variety of backgrounds: psychologists, politicians, research professionals, lawyers, businessmen, housewives, priests, and other ordinary citizens. His findings are incredibly interesting and while I found the country of Denmark to be remarkably fascinating, I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned.
About Denmark:
To begin, Denmark is a cute little country in northern Europe. It’s a peninsula north of Germany bordered by the Baltic and North Sea, populated by 5.5 million people. And despite the long, dark winters and self-reliant, independent culture, time and time again this country ranks amongst the highest on the list of happiest countries. Why exactly is that and what wisdom does Denmark have to offer on how to optimize happiness? With the U.S. ranking around number 20 each year in happiness polls, there’s bound to be some insight we can take from the way Denmark does things. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be happier?
What Makes People in Denmark So Happy?
So, after some reading and research here are what I found to be the main contributors to happiness for people living in Denmark: Living out values of trust, modesty, and equality, working jobs of personal interest, positive work culture, economic equality, a love for the arts, a cozy environment, involvement, environments optimized for activity, and the government’s wise use of tax dollars.
What I’ve come to learn is that Denmark is different from America in many ways. Danish culture has high expectations for education, healthcare, socialization, and exposure to the arts. They value modesty and place a lot of importance on economic equality. They’re humble and reserved yet acquire a voice from an early age to be rather vocal with their opinions.
Living out the value of trust:
I mentioned earlier that the Danes lived value of trust is a significant contribution to their reported high levels of happiness. I read that in the city of Århus, you can leave your baby carriage parked outside a cafe while going in to meet your friends for coffee. This is a level of community safety unheard of in most other places, yet people in Denmark trust one another enough to do this. Citizens see themselves in one another and therefore are seen as trustworthy. Another extreme difference in Denmark is their trust in the government— a trust that of course goes both ways. Danes don’t like too much authority yet they trust their police and government officials because of their efficient and upstanding legal system. In this country, the citizens expect the government to care for them and hear them out and the government expects citizens to adhere to rules in return. For example, corruption amongst government officials is not a common occurrence in Denmark and because they have earned the trust of citizens, Danes strictly obey laws, thus keeping cities safe. Lastly, in terms of trust, business works best when people can trust one another. This value of trust and the consequential business outcomes are partly why Denmark is one of the wealthiest nations per capita, which is another contributor to their happiness.
Values of modesty and equality:
Next, let’s talk about the Danes’ values of modesty and equality that lead to increased levels of happiness. In my research, I found that in Denmark, there is very little pressure to compete with others to own bigger houses and nicer cars due to economic equality. A very rare way of being here in the U.S. where we’re actively trying to measure up and prove our dollar worth to those we are “friends” with either IRL or on Facebook. In Denmark however, the lack of pretense contributes to happiness. Their values differ in that instead of a new car or wardrobe they book a trip to Greece or spend money to take the family camping in the forest. There’s no aspiring to accumulate so much wealth they don’t know what to do with it or achieve power or world domination. Simply put, they don’t “gravitate towards the superficial pleasures of life.”
Economic equality:
Next, let’s dabble with a foreign term to us in America- economic equality. Denmark has one of the lowest disparities between the rich and poor compared to any other country. In fact, the country uses roughly half of its annual income to counteract social inequalities. I learned that Denmark is a very modest culture with very few people living above their means, but more importantly, almost no one living below their means. Poverty is a rare occurrence in Denmark and the government works hard to make it that way. They actually have one of the lowest unemployment rates: 4% because they pay people to look for jobs. These safety nets and the economic stability that comes with living in Denmark decrease financial stress and promote a culture of well-being. Also without the stress of trying to make the most money possible, people pursue jobs that interest them and their unique passions rather than pursuing a job that will pay enough for them to make a living regardless if it makes them unhappy.
Working a job that interests you:
So moving on, working jobs of personal interest is another important aspect of happiness in Denmark. In the U.S., many people work jobs they are not happy with because they have a responsibility to care for their families. You cannot make a living and raise a family in just any job in the U.S. That’s just the cold hard truth. It’s known, however, that taking a job you have a personal interest in leads to satisfaction and flow in your career. Working a job that “flows” means it’s an engaging activity that interests and challenges you, thus creating a happy state of mind. In Denmark, people pursue work that addresses their values, because they can afford to, but also have enough time to pursue hobbies and health. There was a quote from the book describing the thought process about work in Denmark that I want to share: “A doctor may know more than a peasant but a doctor and peasant know more together.” To me, this means that, yes, some careers are more “prestigious” than others, but ultimately that doesn’t matter. Society cannot be upheld if every single person decides to be a doctor. Who would teach children, cook, build, collect the trash each week, deliver mail, run businesses, and so on? A society needs both doctors and “peasants” so to speak. And because both are necessary to society both are paid enough to be a part of that said society. As they should be.
Work culture:
Now, let’s talk about work culture. In Denmark, it is believed that working too hard and too long is a waste of time. So they get the job done and then pursue other things they enjoy. They go home and don’t let work burden their leisure and family time. It’s the opposite of America’s workaholic culture with 37-hour work weeks and 6 weeks of vacation. Yet somehow all the work still gets done and people can go home to their families. Life exists on the other side of the desk and the Danes know this to be true.
Danish Folk Schools:
Ok, the next contributor to happiness in Denmark is uniquely Danish. Danish Folk Schools have developed a culture that loves and appreciates the arts, which significantly increases levels of happiness. At these folk schools classes prepare students for society and participation in the arts. There are no rules or exams and the spirit of freedom runs deep. Creativity is learned through courses covering topics such as pottery, poetry, and politics (oh my!). Classes are held in the morning with afternoons free for independent study, socializing, or exercise in the countryside. Students come together for dinner and then at night, the folk school offers workshops and theater. The idea of folk schools is to “give people an idea of the richness of life”. It is different from a traditional high school in that it teaches gratitude for “nature, good people, the capacity to enjoy a good book, and an understanding of philosophy”. The book states the following quote: “The more things for which you develop a fondness, the richer you are.” The folk school is responsible for allowing students the opportunity to find fondness. Lastly, the approach to education that emphasizes who you are rather than what you can do is a great contributor to life satisfaction.
Hygge (cozy environments):
Switching gears a bit, cozy environments were listed as a reason for Denmark’s off-the-charts happiness scores. It’s known that in the winter Denmark can be brutal. Seventeen hours of darkness and bitter weather doesn’t sound like an environment where people would be happy. I know I’d be fuckin pissed. Danes however, make the most of this weather by creating cozy candlelit environments and inviting over company each evening. They have a word for this—hygge which essentially means a warm homey ambiance. Danes also make use of cozy environments in the summer by drinking wine in outdoor cafes on late summer nights. Ok, now I might be sold on moving to Denmark. Also, in summer, after dinner families will often make a fire and talk about their days rather than watching television or playing video games as we often do here in the U.S. Again not to shit on America or anything, but we can have a murky culture at times.
Involvement and cities optimized for activity:
Next Danish happiness contributor— involvement and cities optimized for activity. Many Danes belong to associations, labor unions, and clubs that provide them with a sense of community and camaraderie. Danish cities are also walkable and it’s easy to bike from one place to another. Biking is actually the most popular method of transportation in most Danish cities. Lastly, recreation is accessible to everyone. For example, Copenhagen is only a thirty-minute walk from the ocean, forest, or Queen’s Castle Park.
Government use of taxes:
Lastly, the way the government uses taxes is a reason many Danes find themselves rather happy. For example, the government uses tax dollars to pay for renewable energy which supplies nearly 30% of Denmark’s electricity. While the Danes pay incredibly high taxes—(60-70% of paychecks go to taxes) they don’t mind given the services they get. Look, 60-70% would no doubt piss me the fuck off, however, they do get healthcare as a birthright, the state pays for doctor visits, surgery, fertility treatment, and X-rays, they get free education, students are actually paid to attend university rather than racking up thousands of dollars in student loan debt, and the state pays for 14 weeks of full salary paternity leave for public sector workers. Obviously, maternity leave is for upwards of a year. But you get the picture. The government does a lot for the citizens and these benefits make them happier and healthier. So while they don’t love the high taxes, they tolerate them.
Closing:
With Denmark’s values in education, social institutions, and national pride, the social harmony created by the development of artistic abilities, and an advanced democracy with strong social interaction, people seem to be rather content.
The U.S. could take note of some of the unique contributions to Danish happiness for sure. The likelihood isn’t promising though. On a more positive note, however, happiness is about 40% up to you with the rest being attributable to genetics and environmental factors. So while we’ll never be paid to attend university, have every city built around activity, or achieve economic equality, we still have our beliefs, attitudes, and values. We all know the quote: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”. Just to end this post on a positive note.
Alright, love birds, same time next week. I hope you found this post interesting. I definitely learned a lot about Denmark and was so fascinated by the culture I wanted to share it. While some contributors to Denmark’s happiness may not be attainable here in the U.S. we can still do the little things. We can strengthen the relationships we have with those we trust, enjoy the arts for entertainment, move our bodies, pursue our passions, and find ways to get involved in our communities. As I’ve said before, just do what you can.
Once again, thanks for reading <3.