The Grim Secret of Nordic Happiness It’s not hygge, the welfare state, or drinking. It’s reasonable expectations.
Thank you Julie Rockefeller for this
Julie posted this article today.
She didn’t like the title. I do.
Happiness is thousands of different
kinds of poems.
And as for Finland and Iceland
and Denmark and all those
happy ish countries
none of them seem very funny
to me and I believe
that there is a Serious Correlation
between happy and funny.
Many years ago we rented
our next door house to a woman
from Bhutan:. Sonam Choden.
We asked why Bhutan is often ranked
by serious studies that take many years
the happiest country in the world?
(Armenia, fyi, is often at the bottom.)
We are happy enough she said.
But we don’t have Mel Brooks.
There couldn’t be a Mel Brooks in Bhutan.
(Here’s the piece, if you’re interested in happy secrets.)
The Danish concept of comfortable conviviality and all things cozy is supposed to capture the essence of Danish culture and has been marketed as the secret for happy living. A few years back, there was a surge of hygge-related books, articles, and household products. Journalists from around the world were touring Denmark to document various aspects of this unique lifestyle. The enthusiasm around Denmark was stimulated by the nation’s reputation of being the happiest country in the world. However, last time I checked, the designer store across the street here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, had moved its selection of Hygge branded candles to the clearance corner.
If there has been a downturn in the hygge industry in recent years, it may be because Finland, my home country, has surpassed Denmark in the World Happiness Report four years running. Denmark occupies the third place, after Iceland, in the most recent edition, released in March, and its distance to Finland is growing. As reported by multiple media outlets, the Finnish spiritual equivalent to hygge is something far less convivial and much more difficult to pronounce: kalsarikännit, which translates as “pantsdrunk,” refers to the practice of binge drinking home alone in your underpants. If this is a secret to happy life, let’s keep it that way: a secret.