Why is scandinavia so happy

For many outside of Scandinavia, the World Happiness Report finally offered some solid data confirming our suspicion that Northern Europeans were just better at life than the rest of us. From the middle of the twentieth century the minimalist functionality of Scandinavian design — epitomised by IKEA — has come to dominate the aesthetic of our homes, which will fill with candles and coffee machines in an attempt to capture a little of the coziness and conviviality associated with hygge.

In the US, progressive presidential hopefuls point to Scandinavia as example of egalitarian states that temper the worst ravages of capitalism with clear-headed, pragmatic social welfare policies. And now, having topped the happiness tables for nearly a decade, it looks like the Scandinavian model is coming undone, leaving the region scrabbling to rebrand itself as the idea of national happiness takes hold across the globe.

To trace the roots of our obsession with Scandinavia, you need to go back to before happiness reports, hygge and IKEA and to a book. Written in by the American journalist Marquis Childs, Sweden: A Middle Way , sketched a portrait of a country that had tempered rampant wealth inequality by maintaining strong worker cooperatives and keeping a close eye on industry.

President Roosevelt despatched commissions to investigate the organisation of worker cooperatives and explore how unemployment was managed in Scandinavia. The economic policies that insulated Scandinavia from the Great Depression were rooted in pragmatism, not ideology, Marklund says. It was during this era that our modern-day perception of Scandinavia was forged. While the UK struggled to keep hold of its dying empire, and the Nazis rose in Germany, Scandinavia was surprisingly stable.

When the world has confronted crises of capitalism, Scandinavia has stood in as a hopeful symbol of a less turbulent way of existence. Any Scandinavian country will do. It ranks particularly high in areas like GDP per capita, social support, and freedom to make life choices. When compared to other high-ranking countries, Finland has room to improve, for instance, when it comes to life expectancy. This shows that while their healthcare system generally receives positive reviews from citizens, it is not perfect.

Denmark, the only Scandinavian country physically connected to mainland Europe, is the second happiest country in the world. Like Finland, it ranks high in GDP per capita, social support, and freedom of choices. In other words, Danes have less concern and are more assured, when it comes to financial stability, interpersonal relationships, and individual liberty.

In comparison to the residents of other highly-ranked nations, Danes live approximately 18 months less than the 4 overall ranked country, Switzerland. However, they live a little longer than citizens of the 1 ranked country, Finland.

Iceland is ranked 1 in the world when it comes to social support, according to the survey. The island nation exhibits strong bonds and a spirit of helpfulness among its residents. Some speculate if the isolation of the island nation contributes to a unique identify that positively impacts their perceived level of happiness. Thus, according to the report, people all around the world can learn from the relationships Icelanders have with one another.

Financial strength and stability, in part, characterize the happiness level of many Norwegians. Only five nations in the world received a score above 11 when it comes to GDP per capita and Norway was one of them. The others were Luxembourg To climb higher in the rankings, Norway would increase its generosity score and lower its corruption score.

Their measurements in other categories are already among the highest in the world. Among the nations in the Top 10, including its Scandinavian neighbors, Sweden ranks low in GDP per capita and social support, in which it comes in last place. Because Scandinavian nations dominate the World Happiness Report, analysts have developed theories to explain the survey results. Welfare state generosity : Nordic countries give their citizens a high number of social benefits compared to other countries.

The report summarizes:. People tend to be happier in countries where there is easy access to relatively generous welfare benefits, and where the labor market is regulated to avoid employee exploitation.

Institutional quality : This metric identifies important criteria such as access to institutions, like in a democratic system, lack of corruption, and freedom to political associate. Income inequality : Scandinavian counties are well-known for having low levels of income inequality.

Yet, the report states that it is not certain that a lack of income inequality explains their high levels of happiness:. The Nordic countries are also famous for low levels of income inequality, but the evidence is not clear that a lack of income inequality is a potential explanation for high life satisfaction. It is clear, however, that if income inequality is perceived to be the result of, for example, institutional corruption, their satisfaction score will be lower:.

Freedom to make life choices : Liberty contributes to perceived levels of happiness. People in Scandinavian countries believe that they have the freedom to make choices. And if we see it that way… maybe Nordic people are not even be that happy. They are just not unhappy …? According to the World Happiness Report , even though the Nordic region is collectively topping the list, "there seems to be no secret sauce specific to Nordic happiness that is unavailable to others.

There is rather a more general recipe for creating delighted citizens". Historically, trust has proven to be essential for a country in terms of securing a quick er rebound from a crisis — like the COVID crisis.

So, the phenomenon of trust might turn out to be crucial in the fight for increasing the happiness of citizens worldwide in the years to come, post-COVID Every year, on the occasion of the World Happiness Report, the Nordics have their high level of happiness pointed out.

Or… is everyone here but me? One thing is the measured and perceived level of happiness of a people. Another thing is how this is actually experienced in everyday life. A third thing is how this is actively taken into account in public policy objectives. And as of now, this is where the Nordics have to look across country borders for inspiration. Promoting mental health and well-being throughout a population can mean encouraging active lifestyles, providing opportunities for people to interact and feel they belong within a community, or fostering a sense of purpose by increasing contribution to society or meaningful causes.

Read more: Here's a mental health workout that's as simple as ABC. It can also include efforts focused on individuals, such as encouraging self-care and opportunities to hone personal and social skills and pursue creative endeavours. The combination of universal and individual approaches has proved important in many different settings.

There is still plenty to learn about positive mental health and how to promote it, and our results suggest people should not only look to the Nordic countries for guidance. Asking the right questions could enable a better understanding of what drives positive mental health, and how it can be promoted. While reducing poor mental health is necessary to make life bearable, positive mental health makes life worth living.

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