Danes are the Happiest
“Over the past 30 years, in survey after survey, this nation of five and a half million people, the land that produced Hans Christian Andersen, the people who consume herring by the ton, consistently beat the rest of the world in the happiness stakes.” Morley Safer in a Feb. 17 CBS News 60 Minutes story highlighting Denmark.
When I first heard that Danes were considered the happiest people in the world, I admit I was somewhat skeptical. Loving, kind, open, truthful, straight talkers, quirky, crazy, polite, innovative, intellectual - totally. But happiest? No, that’s not the first word I, or most Danes, would think to use to describe themselves (in fact, I know far more grumpy Danes than Pollyanna ones!).
However, during the 60 Minutes interview, one of the Danes cleared up my confusion by saying that it’s not that they are the happiest, but they are, perhaps, the most content. All Danes have all their basic needs covered from birth to death (good wages, health care provided, free education including university, one year government paid maternity leave and some of the best elder-care in the world to name a few). A word that describes how Danes feel with this life is tryghed which simply means “tucked in” – like a snug child looked after.
With basic needs met one doesn’t have to struggle for the day to day things so much (how will I get into school, how do I pay for the doctor, where do I go when I’m old), so one’s energy can go into family, friends and job pursuits. This sets up Danes for that feeling of being content. Feeling content then frees them feed other desires/pursuits which fuels a lot of young people’s ambitions.
But what also needs to be added to this equation is that Danes generally have very low expectations of life. This is not to say they are pessimists or Eeyore about everything, it’s just that they don’t expect that they will all grow up rich and famous, have a big mansion, drive the BMW, and wear more bling than their next-door’s mama and all by age 25.
If that or something else fabulous happens - great! Wonderful! Celebrate! But they just don’t go around with the expectation of extraordinary events occurring all the time; they are content with where they are and might stay at that place without a feeling of missing something. If they’re in a small home, they don’t feel shamed by this because that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not ambitious or successful or happy - it simply means they want a small home.
In Denmark, one can enjoy being a homemaker, working in a grocery store, growing old with wrinkles, sitting for hours drinking coffee instead of jet-setting, because they’re not stressing out about providing the basics that aren’t really basics or about becoming rich/famous/skinny just because they could be (or as we sometimes tell each other in America, should be). Danish society supports everyone in making sure they live well yet, aside from the basics mentioned earlier, doesn’t dictate what that is. Each Dane gets to decide what it is that makes them content.
And thus, we call them happy because, well, doesn’t that sound happy? It certainly does to me.
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Despite all the talk about simplicity there are things that I still wish for. Some are simple and useful and some are just pure lust. But lists are good to have and share and you can see my lists at both 
July 25th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Having lived in Denmark I loved this post. I actually blogged about this article earlier this week. http://viechaotique.blogspot.com/
MVH,
Anita
July 25th, 2008 at 8:38 am
What an inspirational blog. Your words totally sum up what we found when we visited Denmark. The taxi driver who took us to the airport said to us, how in London he had seen all these department stores. He couldn’t understand why anyone would need all that stuff. Being content with what I have is something I really aspire to.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:36 am
I wish America could be more this way. Of course you get called a socialist if you say this out loud. We sure do have a crazy culture here. You are right, it seems the American way to aspire for usually impossible things. It is so exhausting! We are an overworked, overstressed, exhausted nation that constantly feels like what we have isn’t good enough. If someone would publish it, I’d write a whole book on this mess! Ha–I’m sure plenty of people have already. Good post.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:36 am
I think the pursuit of happiness can be more of a burden than people realize. The very notion seems to say that happiness is something to be obtained, rather than happiness being what one already has. I’m not saying that dreams aren’t important, because they are, but constant striving for happiness (in the form of possessions) can be exhausting. Interestingly enough, John Adams originally wanted the Declaration of Independence to be “life, liberty, and the preservation of property”, but got voted down. I sometimes wish they had stuck with property instead, especially when one things of eminent domain abuse in the US.
July 26th, 2008 at 1:13 am
I lived in socialism, well communism
and we had the basic needs met - free health care, good salaries, free education, 3 weeks off for holidays and the workers were very protected… but still people complained.
Then we have embraced capitalism and although stuff like free health care and free education still remains, people now complain how much better it was before. So my nation is just a complaining bunch of codgers
But I also think where I live it is a generation thing, to my parents (post WWII generation) it is all about security, acquiring as much as you can… my dad suffers from a hamster effect as I like to call it, accumulating stuff because you never know when you might need it.
They would be happiest if I worked in civil service because it means security. Well I tried that and I was bloody miserable.
I did find what I love to do, but for me the challenge is to balance work, fun times, friends, traveling and just breathing.
July 26th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Have you ever even lived in Denmark??? Nobody in America is telling you you need to accumulate more stuff or be skinny or whatever. I am a fat, poor, happy American and there are many just like me. This pressure, it is all in your head!! Just chill and enjoy being a homemaker for your sugar daddy (or whatevs, man).
July 26th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Alison: having really studied American history/culture and living all over it, I totally understand why the culture here is set up to go go go and get get get. That’s what America was founded on - to have a “better life” than what came before because you had the freedom to be better than before. So your neighbours, the government, business, it all reinforced this idea (where European history people might be born into a certain economic or social area and that was that). And selling that idea (and having lots of “success stories) is confusing when you start bringing media into the game and people in your same country, or state or even block, seemingly have more than you. And with the idea of “easy success” it seems like everyone ought to have it even though most of the time, “success” isn’t self-defined and therefor almost always unobtainable. But that’s why I think it’s important to talk about all this because I think a lot of us feel this way, but we feel like we can’t talk about it for reasons you stated and so we perpetuate the situation instead of solving it.
Megan: I TOTALLY agree. But I think if we define what happiness is on an individual basis, people would actually either be more naturally happy or would make changes to ensure their own happiness.
Miggie: If you were really a happy (and aware) person, I don’t think you’d make that kind of comment or that kind of judgment.
July 26th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
In this country we are free to determine our own unique paths and select what social trends we choose to follow or eschew. If we aren’t living by our beliefs/ideals, but follow the herd into materialism and vanity,… we have *ourselves* to blame. Thank God, we have the ability to strive for better, even when it’s hard and going “against the grain,” socially-speaking.
I am so thankful not to be living in a Socialist country (yet). Good grief! What would the Founding Fathers think of all the government intervention (and taxation) that goes on…even now…in this country? We need to buck up and revive the notion of “personal responsibility” on so many fronts. America was NOT built on the backs of men and women who wanted a parental government. This nation’s greatness was not forged through the tears, sweat, and blood of men and women who *desired their needs be taken care of from cradle to grave*. How quickly we are forgetting.
July 27th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I met a young couple traveling CA from Denmark. We had a long conversation with them over a campfire. When reading your article, you hit the nail on the head. The way you describe them is exactly how they live. Happy, content, realistic in their expectations on life. Big houses are just not an option. They said that small places are still so expensive, so if you EVER own anything you are very proud of yourself. They were also so aware of our politics. When elections are, whose running, etc. It made my husband and I feel very low. WE knew nothing about them and they know EVERYTHING about our country. Once again, us Americans come off looking so selfish. All in all we were very impressed with the Dames we met!
July 27th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Sweden is also a lot like that, and they’re one of the richest, most progressive nations in the world, so something has to be working—if I were still single, I’d move there in a heartbeat. America has all its priorities mixed up, and this once-great country is suffering now because of that.
July 27th, 2008 at 10:46 am
What an interesting conversation. I actually agree with you, Alex. I believe contentment with what he have is a lot healthier than desiring stuff to fulfill us. Wanting stuff doesn’t make us happier for more than a moment, it only makes us want more stuff. Maybe part of the problem with America is that we are always being told that there is something wrong with us that must be fixed, usually by spending money on it, sometimes through education or religion. How can be satisfied with what we have if we are bombarded by how we are simply not enough.
ps I used to read you back when I first started blogging, many years ago, then you went away, and then I went away, and now I am back and just found this and like it a lot.
July 27th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I agree with Rowena’s statement that “wanting stuff” (and getting it, too) “only makes us want more stuff.” We spend our energies coveting and scraping toward what we *don’t have* instead on placing our emphasis on a deeper appreciation and realization of what we DO have. I think that we (me, for sure) could use a big dose of Reality, at times, …seeing what people in other parts of the world make do with (and not only “make do with,” but, actually, feel priviledged to be with..). We’ve got to get past the materialism. It’s all too much. This is something I certainly struggle with. I recently canceled my DirectTV subscription and am trying to be very selective with the kind of popular culture I allow into my life and let pass into my pointy little head.
So, I’ve cut way back and, truly, view it as no big loss considering what is being offered, in large part, “out there.”
July 27th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I don’t have TV because I can’t handle all that stuff coming into my head. I’ve been on Twitter and Facebook and just had to cancel using those because I couldn’t take all the updates and knowing all that about my friends. My bloglist is small. It’s not that I don’t want to know about these things but they’re not helping me. Choices - that’s what it’s all about and sometimes that’s the hardest thing to accept because sometimes we feel pressure in our choices.
July 30th, 2008 at 3:44 am
This is a really interesting topic. I think it is always very easy to blame the way we were brought up or the country we were brought up in for the materialistic people (some) of us are. I am no exception. But, reading this post actually made me think, who do I REALLY blame for constantly wanting new things or “keeping up with the Jones’”? And the truth I came to after a bit of thought….Um…Me. At the end of the day, do I have to watch all the adverts, read all the mags and believe my friends when they say “I need this or I need that”. I don’t have to believe any of this. I have moaned about how stuffed full of stuff my house is, how I can’t find anything when I need it, how short of cash I am….Maybe I should do something about it. Live more simply and enjoy what I have and who I am (because you become lost in what you should have and who you should be). Now the difficult part for me, put the effort into changing!
October 15th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I just recently had this exact conversation with a client of mine. She is in her mid-70’s–a Dane that lives here in the States. She’s wonderful, all the things you describe. I think a country full of people like her sounds just wonderful! One of the things I love most about my housekeeping/organizing business is helping people to enjoy what they already have and taking joy in the ‘everyday’. Thanks for your lovely blog