Why Danes Are So Happy
Multiple studies have suggested that Danes are the happiest people on the planet, but an article in the medical journal bmj.com goes one step further and attempts to understand why. Most likely reason they're so satisfied: low expectations. (h/t boingboing.net)Multiple studies have suggested that Danes are the happiest people on the planet, but an article in the medical journal bmj.com goes one step further and attempts to understand why. Most likely reason they’re so satisfied: low expectations.
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...bmj.com: Danes are unrivalled in satisfaction with life. The University of Leicester recently published the World Map of Happiness (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/28_07_06_happiness_map.pdf) with Denmark as number one. For more than 30 years this country with five million inhabitants has ranked first in Eurobarometer surveys (europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/index_en.htm). More than two thirds of Danes are “very satisfied” with their lives according to these surveys. In no other Eurobarometer country has this proportion exceeded a half, and for most of the countries the proportion is less than a third (figure)Go. To explain Danish contentment we sifted through literature, statistics, and common knowledge.
Previous TD posts: Denmark Is Happiest Country, Study Says – Jul 28, 2006
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Politics
If the Trump administration is serious about pursuing strategic interests in Greenland, diplomacy is the only way forward.
Pray we make it through the next 14 months. Then, it is our responsibility to do everything in our power to remove this man from office.
The president's abrupt move comes after the Danish prime minister calls his musings on buying the mostly frozen island "an absurd discussion."
We like to believe anyone in the U.S. can make it by pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. It couldn't be further from the truth.
More than 10 billion tons (11 billion U.S. tons) of ice was lost to the oceans by surface melt on Wednesday alone.
Liberals want to believe America won't make the same mistake twice. We underestimate our capacity for self-delusion, fear and nationalism.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.