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.
Dig, Root, Growbmj.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
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