as CEO Happiness Research Institutemy work is dedicated to measuring and understanding factors that improve people’s well-being and overall quality of life.
We are headquartered in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, one of the countries that continues to rank The happiest person in the world. Danes are often surprised by this fact. As someone who was born and raised in Denmark, I’m often asked what makes the Danes so content.
I think the best short explanation is that the Nordic welfare model is good – not perfect, but good – in mitigating some of the sources of unhappiness. But there may also be things in our culture and language that promote our well-being.
If you want to understand how we approach life and think about happiness, you can find the answer in these three phrases we use every day.
1. “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.”
This is an old Danish expression with no clear origin. It has always been part of the cultural fabric here.
It rains 365 days a year in Denmark, or at least it feels that way. This rarely happens if we only go out when the sun is shining and warm. The good news is, we firmly believe that you can enjoy most weather conditions as long as you dress for the occasion.
When I was a college student, I got a job selling Christmas trees in December. It was a nice part-time job, but I would be outside in Copenhagen during the darkest time of the year. I wore heavy boots and six layers of fleece and drank a few cups of coffee to keep warm during my shift. I had a great time.
The London School of Economics has a research project that aims to understand how people’s feelings are affected by their environment. map app Following more than 30,000 people over time, they found that people reported Feel happy when they are in nature.
Not only Danes but all Scandinavians love friluftsliv (free, open-air life). No matter the season, simple enjoyment of the outdoors is an integral part of life here.
As another favorite saying goes: “Bad weather always looks worse through a window.”
