Rydahl - Happy as a Dane: 10 secrets of the happiest people in the world

HAPPY AS A

DANE

10 Secrets of the Happiest People
in the World

MALENE RYDAHL

W. W. NORTON & COMPANY

Independent Publishers Since 1923

New York | London

Copyright 2017 by Malene Rydahl

Copyright 2014 by ditions Grasset & Fasquelle

Originally published in French as
Heureux comme un Danois: Les 10 Cls du Bonheur

All rights reserved

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Book design by Chris Welch

Cover design by Jason Ramirez

Cover photograph by Muriel de Seze / Getty Images

Production manager: Lauren Abbate

ISBN: 978-0-393-60892-2 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-393-60893-9 (e-book)

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

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For the freedom to be true to yourself

and the courage to pursue

a happy life with purpose

12. 12.

Contents

TRUST
I Have Trust in People

EDUCATION
I Have a Place in Society

FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE
I Am Free to Choose My Own Way in Life

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
I Can Become Whomever I Want

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
I Have Realistic Dreams

SOLIDARITY AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS
I Feel Better If You Feel Good

WORKLIFE BALANCE
I Want Lots of Hygge Time

RELATIONSHIP TO MONEY
Im Happy with What Ive Got

MODESTY
I Dont Think Im Better Than Other People

GENDER EQUALITY
I Feel Free to Choose My Role

Once upon a time there was a young Danish woman who decided to write a book
about happiness.

W hile writing it, she went on vacation to the south of France. She was invited to an elegant dinner party in a stunning house overlooking the sea. The guests were beautiful and everything was perfect, just like a dream. For predinner drinks they were offered fine vintages of champagne and wine, and every exotic cocktail you could imagine. They discussed the sweet life: exotic journeys to the worlds most beautiful hotels, dining at the best and most fashionable restaurants, culture and art. All the finer things in lifethe life everyone dreams of. Then the conversation turned to her book about the Danish people. The other guests around the table were surprised by the title, Happy as a Dane. But why did you choose that topic? I cant think of any reason why people in that country would be so happy! one man said.

The young woman tried to explain the great trust Danes have in one another and in Danish institutions. Their eagerness to contribute to the common good for the benefit of the whole community. The educational system that fosters the development of each students individual personality. How important it is that all citizens are given the freedom to choose their own way of life and to carve out a place for themselves. Being the best is not what matters so much as finding the right place for oneself. She told them that in her country, they dont try to cultivate a superior elite; their priority is having a population that is happy as a whole. Then she made the mistake of adding that in order to finance that kind of society, the tax burden was the highest in the world, with a marginal tax rate of almost 60 percent for incomes of 390,000 kroner (around $59,000 at the time of this writing, as are all U.S. dollar equivalent amounts given in this book) and above.

At which point the same man lost his patience. How awful, what a nightmare! he exclaimed. Dont try to convince us that a system like that can make anyone happy. Nobody wants to pay for other people. Anyway, without an elite, a country has no future, he continued.

I watch Borgen on TV, a woman added, and theyre all miserable. This is completely silly, it makes no sense at all!

S top. Back to reality.

I am fully aware that the Danish model will not appeal to everyone. My motive for writing this book is in no way to persuade people that this model is better than any other; it is simply my wish to share my experiences and my vision of the world.

I was born, without realizing it, in the happiest country in the world. I wasnt aware how lucky I was, and I decided to leave and make my own way in life. Now, after a long time away from Denmark, I want to review in ten simple key points a model of society that appears to have been making people happy for more than forty years, since we started measuring well-being in countries.

Observers all over the world are in agreement: the Danes are When the country actually has more pigs (24 million) than people? Quite strange, most people would say!

When the Danes are asked about their status as the happiest nation, they often reply, Oh yes, I heard about that. I dont know if its true, but life is definitely good here. They tend not to brag, and certainly not about being the happiest people in the world. Modesty and humility are fundamental cultural values in Denmark. And besides, life isnt a bed of roses there: alcohol and antidepressant consumption remains high, for example, as does the suicide rate (though not nearly as high as rumor has it!). Does that mean Danish happiness isnt real? Not at all. For reasons were going to discover together, the vast majority of Danes genuinely feel good about their lives. But in Denmark, like anywhere else, life is complex and you cant make simple generalizations.

I was born in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark with 250,000 inhabitants. After growing up in the happiest country in the world, and armed with the knowledge and experience Id acquired there, I decided to leaveto live my life and find my own personal happiness. At the tender age of eighteen, I wanted to figure out for myself the difference between what people had taught me and what I believed to be the truth about life. Rubbing shoulders with reality is often a good way of putting your points of reference and your beliefs into perspective.

I didnt know back then that the Danish model was an international benchmark of happiness. Id taken the system for granted; for me, it was normal. That didnt stop me from asking myself hundreds of questions about its major tenets. Is it really a good thing that everyone is equal? Doesnt homogeneity lead to mediocrity? Doesnt the constant emphasis on humility and modesty limit peoples potential? And finally, isnt the welfare state just a pretext for taking personal responsibility away from citizens? I also pondered the notion of happiness and where to find it. I needed to put my ideas to the test in real life, to give myself the best chance of becoming independent and freefree to be true to myself.

The path has been a long one. My contact with other countries and cultures has made me more aware of my Danish sense of well-being and to strengthen it. Traveling around Asia, the United States and Europe has opened my eyes to the treasures around me. The country I lost my heart to and where I now liveFrancehas inspired me through the richness of its culture and people to find my own personal balance and base of well being. So here I am today in France, writing about happiness in Denmark, with all the benefits of hindsight.