Happiness and Culture

by Vida Penezic

According to the World Happiness Report, Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world. The report regularly ranks it as one of the top two or three, and several times in the last ten years it was ranked number one. Not surprisingly, Copenhagen, the Danish capital, has a Museum of Happiness. This paper presents the Danish approach to happiness through the work of Meik Wiking, the founder and the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen. In his two best-selling books, The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living and The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People, Wiking examines the Danish approach to happiness in the context of Denmark’s geographic location, its socio-economic system, and Danish beliefs and values, as well as in relation to the latest scientific findings about happiness.

He suggests that countries ranked higher on the World Happiness Report

 tend to have some things in common:

1. A stronger sense of community

2. A more equitable distribution of wealth

3. A better healthcare solutions

4. Their citizens have more freedom to decide how to live their lives and more time to put this into practice

5. There is more trust, cooperation, and empathy

6. There is more kindness toward others

7. All this is often made possible by a strong and benevolent welfare state.