Why are Danes so happy? They are much less industrious than Americans or the Japanese, and their taxes are higher, so why are they happier? This short TV segment is more interesting than I'd have thought. It brings up some important points.
[The video works for me in Firefox, but not in Safari.] Thanks to Greg.
34 comments:
They make really good porn.
I'd mention the drugs too, but that's the Dutch.
I will say this about the Danes, though, they do not appear to be especially strong skaters. :)
I guess being happier is the best. I mean, the Swedes are healthier, the Norwegians are richer, and the Dutch are taller. But none of that matters much if you're not happy.
I think this was on 60 minutes, that or CBS Sunday Morning. One the Danes was quoted as saying something like, "Well we don't have very high expectations so when we meet the expectation we are happy. Now if you are an American, maybe trying to reach the American Dream, there would be a lot more chance of failing wouldn't there."
WTF?
Forget the "American Dream". It's a joke, a cruel fraud unattainable for at least 90% of us, anyway.
And more so: once you're an olympic gold medal winner or the president of a Fortune 500 company, so what?
gandalfe:
WTF?
Right back at ya.
And more so: once you're an olympic gold medal winner or the president of a Fortune 500 company, so what?
That's like saying it's wrong to want to achieve and excel. It's only bad if that's all you care about. That's the lesson Scrooge learned.
Interesting that you moved OUT, Eolake. What was your reasoning, and do you regret it?
I was "too comfy" in Denmark, it made me lazy.
Also I save 30% in taxes by living in the UK!
I don't regret it at all. I paid off big debts while living here, and I've had much personal growth. Also the differences between the countries seem less and less to me.
I'm still waffling whether I'll ever bother to move back.
"And more so: once you're an olympic gold medal winner or the president of a Fortune 500 company, so what?"
You think of another goal, or something else to do.
You people seem to confuse the goal with the process. People strive to achieve big goals because the process is fun.
We humans are engineered to do stuff. Merely thinking about stuff, or owning things, does not produce happiness. Action does. Almost any action, provided its fun and sufficiently challenging. It also helps if you can share the action in some way with other people.
Forget the "American Dream". It's a joke, a cruel fraud unattainable for at least 90% of us, anyway.
10% would be fantastic odds. But it doesn't really matter. You might as pursue the "German dream", or the "Italian dream", or the "Kosovo dream". For ultimately its about you.
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.
I'm still waffling whether I'll ever bother to move back.
I've never been to Denmark, but I can't say I was all that impressed with England.
Interesting what others think of "the American dream." There is some degree of cruelty, to a system which would raise a person's hopes unreasonably. Is the raising of those hopes unreasonable? It's all about expectations, I guess. If you come to the USA hoping to make $6 billion in your first three years of work, you're likely to be disappointed. If you come here hoping to escape political oppression, or slip out of a caste system which prevents you from working for your own betterment in a more traditional society, you're likely to be more than thrilled with the results. There are lots of happy cab drivers from overseas, and lots of unhappy stock brokers from here at home.
joe dick said: "I can't say I was all that impressed with England."
England used to be a great country. At one time I considered moving there. But unfortunately during the recent years it has changed a lot -- for the worse.
Every week 4000 people seek to leave Britain. [1]
At the moment, the best country in Europe, in my opinion, is Switzerland.
Eolake, how abotu India and Malaysia are those two also in the list of the happiest countries in the world?
I've no clue, you'll have to Google around for it.
How about the riots Eolake? To me that's a sure sign that all isn't well there.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23228060-5005962,00.html
Why are they happy?
Because they take no religious fanatics seriously, starting with Muhammad.
Because they have great butter at breakfast to spread on their toasts.
Because they have fun playing with LEGO.
Because they have giant Dalmatian dogs.
Because their ice-creams are icebergs!
Because they didn't need to break eggs to have a Hamlet.
Because they have a little mermaid. (Here in Lebanon, we only have regular visits from Condoleezza Rice. EEK! Mummy!)
Nicely put, Final. All's not rotten in the Kingdom of America.
;-)
"I've no clue, you'll have to Google around for it."
Or, if you live in the area, it might be sufficient to oogle around. Maybe you'll spot them and notice stuff.
Maybe, perhaps Denmark has all kinds of beauty to offer. Secondly, most Danish girls are beautiful. Thirdly, its a very liberal place. Fourthly, they sufficient amount of money. Fifth, a Danish philosopher called Piet Hien quoted as saying, ' Things take time.'Lastly, because you originate from that place.
I'm Dane, and we are generally happier, because we laugh and smile to each other all the time. There are actually "laugh-clubs" who train angry Danes to laugh. I think thats the reason :D
//Caroline
i'm a dane, and to say it as it is, where not happier at all, it's bullshit. i don't know why we've achieved that reputatation?
(I googled "Why.." and THIS came up, lol!)
I'm 110% Danish, and I'm very happy indeed. Because I'm FREE.
In Denmark we can do what we want to; there's no very harsh rules and we are not bound to a religion. In other words: we can be ourselves.
We are firendly to each other, mostly, and smiles alot - nobody is starving or can't afford basic things like food. We live in a lovely, small country which we're very thankful for. :P THAT'S WHY.
I've read an article about this, and it answers the question pretty well. It's because of 'hygge' and safety. Hygge more or less translates into cosiness, and well, Denmark is a cosi place if you ask me. But most importantly, I think we (yes, I'm a Dane) have very few worries compared to the rest of the world. Say, and American worries a great deal about getting their children into college, health care and other stuff, well at least the lower class as well as the middle class does in America. We don't, since we pay enough taxes to cover all those expenses. And believe it or not, but it doesn't really matter, because everything costs just enough so that you can still have materialistic goodies! If you took and American middle class citizen and a Danish one, I believe the Dane would be a lot happier, since he wouldn't happen to have to worry about anything in the social sector, and meanwhile, he wouldn't have to worry about getting money on the table either.
Well, why are we so happy?
I think it is because we're used to live in a rich society, where we've got a lot of opportunities. We are social and smiling, and generally an optimistic country.
I'm proud to be a dane in many ways. (:
Wuhuu! Denmark rulez
"In Denmark we can do what we want to; there's no very harsh rules and we are not bound to a religion. In other words: we can be ourselves."
yeah unless of cause we disagree with the pathetic excuses for humans that run the country then they'll lock you op in a mental institute!
Im danish and personally i dont think we danes are more happy than everybody else. But if it is the case i think some of reasons is this: Because of our high taxes we got one of the greatest healthcare systems in the world, the average dane is also quite rich and those who doesn't make a lot of money can get financial support from the goverment.
"Maybe, perhaps Denmark has all kinds of beauty to offer. Secondly, most Danish girls are beautiful. Thirdly, its a very liberal place. Fourthly, they sufficient amount of money. Fifth, a Danish philosopher called Piet Hien quoted as saying, ' Things take time.'Lastly, because you originate from that place." If you ask most of the guys in Denmark you find out that most guys will say that the swedish girls often look way better than the danish.
haha. yo there, Im a dane myself, and i find it funny how the danes is known as the happiest people in the world. I think its called ignoring the bad things. We're quite good at it. and if someone realizes how bad things r, we lock them up in a hospital. tadaah, danes r happy cuz we lock the unhappy people away . LOL xD sad but true.
I don't think we danes know how happy we are, because we don't know precisely how "Unhappy" people are in other parts of the world.
And i think that you have to BE a dane to feel their happiness, you can't just visit the country and feel the happiness for real.
You can meet a LOT of happy danes who just don't know how lucky and happy they actually are.
We are happy, but just don't know it. It's kinda sad if you think about it.
I don't think we danes know how happy we are, because we don't know precisely how "Unhappy" people are in other parts of the world.
And i think that you have to BE a dane to feel their happiness, you can't just visit the country and feel the happiness for real.
You can meet a LOT of happy danes who just don't know how lucky and happy they actually are.
We are happy, but just don't know it. It's kinda sad if you think about it.
Having grown up in Denmark, I did not realize until in recent years how brutal most of the world is. Just for one example: in the US right now, hundreds of thousands of middle-class people are homeless, actually living in tent cities and having no running water or electricity, because they lost their job in the recession. In Denmark, you have no fear of that.
One of the big reason for us to be so happy is also the thing called "Efterskole" It's simply a school were you live all the weekly days, and being around teenagers at your own age. You become very social and VERY VERY HAPPY. It's the greatest thing in the world. We are the only contry with "Efterskole". And mabye that's the reason why we are so happy.
But to those danes who says "We are not happy" then it's mostly yourself which is not happy. nearly all my friends are very happy..
But it's just that we enjoy very many simple things, and love life..
I think many ppl got it all wrong.. The thing is that us danes are happy, u dont get happy by moving to Denmark or visiting it.
And I think that what make us danes so happy, is the simple things in life, our big social life, and our nationality. Like we have Carlsberg, we have Tivoli, we got Norma, H.C Andersen and so on. All the little danish things in life, that is what i think make us happy.
Hi, my Name is Zahid Naz. I'm a Danish Citizen and moved to Denmark ..It's just been two years that i'm living in a Country which has according to the people of the World and 93 surveys got the reputation of being the happiest people in through out Eruope..
In my view i think the reasons r as follow.
1) Things and the suitations we r known to about the other countries in the world, is quite change then Denmark.. It is a very small country comparing the other big countries and has not so many people who lives in it. We r very soft hearted, busy in our lives, caring, understanding, and sincere people and as well as united.. There r thousands of reasons which i can leave u as a example but it just need to be concentrated then to just discuss about the difference of happiness in Denmark and other Countries ..
v. Simple to understand, very easy to accept.
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