Why are danes more happy than americans
Hello from the Danish coast,
Denmark has been named the Happiest Place on Earth and nobody here is particularly happy about it, or not. Danes are remarkably unmoved by global rankings or world interest in their state of being. The reason for this is simple.
Danes, I know because I’m married to one, tend have low expectations for how their day will turn out. I think they’re the ‘happiest people on earth’ because they’re starting from a low base. They’re not asking for much.
I’ve lived in many countries and there’s a difference as to how Danes wake up and see their day compared to other places. In America, there’s a constant grind to succeed and push relentlessly forward towards Gatsby’s green light. In South Africa, there’s a constant vigilance to avoid being screwed over by criminals and the government (same thing.) In England, there’s a constant need to complain about the mistakes other people have made and catch them out at ineptitude.
Denmark. Ah, Denmark. Why so happy?
I think it’s this: small, simple, consistent life, equals less strife.
We’re been visiting the same beach village along the Oresund for twenty years. Nothing much has changed. As usual the summer is mild and the ice-cream is dipped in licorice sprinkles and topped with a marshmallow bomb called a flødeboller.
The Danes do nothing big and showy (except the ice-creams) - the whole nation is built on consistency and art of valuing quality rather than quantity and size.
Everything is small. You forget how massive everything is in the USA until you leave for a few weeks and think, damn, I really need to downsize. No wonder Ozempic was invented by the Danes; it’s the less-is-more drug.
I think a Danish sense of ‘happiness’ is difficult to replicate elsewhere; it’s an old-fashioned way of life. It's about contentment rather than wee-wow-whoop-whoop kinda happiness and that is a luxury in today’s fractured and bitter world. I'll take it for a few weeks a year.
Skol!
Robyn
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