The secret behind the world's happiest countries

Even amid the pandemic, the Nordic countries ranked high on the happiness index, prompting Jeffrey D. Sachs, American economist and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, to state that year after year “life satisfaction is reported to be happiest in the social democracies of northern Europe".

Apart from the focus on social justice and gender equality, work-life balance and social trust, all the Nordic countries have their own philosophies and ways of living that help them lead more fruitful lives. The result? Significantly higher levels of contentment.

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Denmark is known for its attention to hygge, which focuses on “coziness and comfortable conviviality", and aims to celebrate the simplest of pleasures, be it enjoying a home-cooked meal or enjoying a leisurely walk outdoors. “In Denmark, hygge is connected to a time of gathering, coziness, good company, and belonging to a group; it has a very strong social connotation. It would be sad to sit home alone to eat a big piece of cake," says Guxi Maria Abel, a tour guide in Copenhagen.

That spirit of kinship is also seen in the heartwarming Danish trend of fællesspisning or communal eating that uses the power of food to bring people together and build a sense of community. Apart from community centres and neighbourhoods, restaurants and cafes across Copenhagen now offer the chance to partake of communal meals.

According to Danish food historian Nina Bauer, food has been a powerful vehicle for making connections since ancient times. “At fællesspisning, you meet different people and start talking about the food—and conversation flows," she says.

Brian Funk, marketing and communications manager at Aamanns, one of Copenhagen’s popular restaurants, says all the Danish cultural traditions seeing a revival over the last few years—hygge, folkekøkken (community kitchen), and fællesspisning—“emphasise togetherness".

Danish happiness can also be attributed to samfundssind, defined as “putting the concern of society higher than one’s own interests". More loosely translated as “community spirit" or “social mindedness", samfundssind became the rallying cry for Denmark’s response to the covid crisis. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen revived the word in 2020 when she spoke about its two defining pillars: collective responsibility and community spirit. The word soon became a popular social media hashtag in Denmark, highlighting big and small acts of kindness, solidarity and community spirit.

Bauer explains that the three concepts—hygge, fællesspisning and samfundssind—exist in a social or communal sphere. “They are all about interaction and the form of this interaction between individuals, the community, and Danish society as a whole."

Meanwhile, in Finland, the country that in 2024 topped the World Happiness Index for the seventh time straight, people have their own philosophy that helps them deal with life’s challenges in the best way possible: sisu.

In Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage, Joanna Nylund describes sisu as “stoic determination, hardiness, courage, bravery, willpower, tenacity, and resilience".

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“You don’t brag about having sisu; you just let your actions do the talking," she writes, adding that inner strength is “within the reach of everyone". This “life force in times of adversity" is one of favourite words of the Finns, and often seen as a cornerstone of Finnish identity.

Finland’s other exportable idea is kalsarikänni, a compound word that combines kalsari (underwear) and kännit (intoxication). The pursuit of “drinking at home, alone, in your underwear" seems to have been drawn inspiration from the weather, grey, gloomy and freezing for almost nine months a year.

Author Miska Rantanen writes in Pantsdrunk: The Finnish Path to Relaxation that a Finn’s survival strategy relies on “the primeval yet surprisingly cosmopolitan concept of pantsdrunk, which can be adapted to every corner of the world, regardless of circumstance, milieu, or mood". It’s important to remember though that “pantsdrunk" may celebrate the importance of relaxation, it does not encourage binge drinking or alcoholism.

In Norway, people swear by friluftsliv or spending time in remote locations for spiritual and physical wellbeing. Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen coined the word, which translates to “free air life", in the 1850s. It could be as simple as a Sunday hike with your family in the forest, going skiing with friends, or going ice fishing with your grandfather. Interestingly, Norway offers a bachelor’s degree in friluftsliv.

The Swedes, meanwhile, live their life by lagom, a culture that proactively battles excess. Lagom stands for balance and moderation in every aspect of life. Work and play, family and food, friends and even money. Niki Brantmark, the author of Lagom: The Swedish Art of Living a Happy, Balanced Life, writes that the term can be translated to “not too little, and not too much, but just right."

The Icelandic people, meanwhile, live by the unofficial motto petta reddast, or “it will all work out". Alda Sigmundsdóttir, who has written numerous books on Icelandic history and culture, says, “Icelanders normally use it with a delightful combination of laissez-faire and trust in providence." Petta reddast has become ingrained in Iceland’s populace after centuries of tough living, in a climate and landscape that overshadowed everything else. “The intrinsic meaning of this phrase is that whoever is stuck with a problem needs to stop obsessing about it and to let it go," explains Sigmundsdóttir.

It’s true that happiness in the Nordic countries is built on a strong foundation of quality of life, equality, social trust and support and accountability. But it’s also a fact that the many cultural constructs that have been passed down generations ensure the Nordic people remain happy and contented—no matter what life throws at them.

 

Teja Lele writes on travel and lifestyle. 

 

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