Why are Danes so Happy?

Among other reasons, the fact that Denmark has been ranked either first or second as the world’s happiest country for several years inspired me to come study happiness in this cloudy paradise.

Since I have been here, I have dared asked the few Danes with whom I have interacted why they think that Denmark earned this status. At first, many react with a laugh, a surprised phrase or just a plain “I don’t think we are that happy.” So, if they themselves have a hard time believing it, why should we?

Back in February, I spent some time with my Positive Psychology class searching for the answer to this, among others, question.

We began by visiting Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark just a short 4 hour drive to another island, Jutland, the Island connected to Europe’s main land. This island is one that many Copenhagen residents slightly make fun of in a similar way to how people from the north talk about people in the south in the U.S. Basically, this town has the reputation of being a less “posh” version of Copenhagen. “Copenhagen adjacent,” as one of my friends briefly described it.

Disclaimer, I really liked this city. It was a lot like Copenhagen, with very similar architecture, unpronounceable street names and high prices. But it was a lot smaller so we were actually able to explore a big part of it in just a few days.

Along this trip, we immersed ourselves in different activities and listened to a few lectures that explored the idea of human flourishing and happiness. The most Danish of these was the concept of “Hygge.” Hygge itself deserves its own blog, which I plan to write as my knowledge and experience of the concept develops.

But, throughout my search for the answer of why Danes are so happy involves the idea of Hygge. In short, a crucial part of Danish culture involves people sitting around, enjoying good company and good food in a cozy atmosphere. It is hard not to be happy in that scenario, if you ask me.

This trip allowed me to ask why Danes are so happy but also gave me another reason to be happy:actual friends! I was able to connect with one my classmates to the point where we now have a trip to Croatia planned at the end of April. He has become part of “my people” here, and helped me a lot, more than he probably realizes, as I have dealt with the not-so-nice parts about studying abroad, including having to leave my homestay. And the best part? He is living in Chicago this summer so maybe leaving Copenhagen does not mean that I will leave that friendship behind.