Find Out Why Nordic People Are Happier Than Other Nations In The World!

Happiness is often seen as something that’s tough to describe. But if we look at it closely, it can be measured. Jeff Sachs—co-developer of the WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT and a lecturer at the University of Columbia—disclosed that when research experts speak of happiness, they calculate it through people’s sense of fulfillment with life. It is something that’s not measured by how many times a person laughed or put on a smile.

The Cream of the Crop

Werner Lerooy/Shutterstock

Every year Finland, Norway, Sweden, and other Nordic countries top W.H.R.’s list, while the U.S.A. is always behind, usually ranking at the 18th or 19th place. According to a report issued in 2019, Finland bagged the top spot, like it did in 2018. Norway seized the title in 2007, while Denmark was deemed 1st on the list in 2013 as well as 2016. Switzerland was also reported as the world’s happiest country in 2015. So why are Nordic countries the happiest, exactly?

They Have Generous Welfare State Models

Since Nordic nations are renowned for their generous welfare state models, a reasonable candidate to determine Nordic happiness is their comprehensive social benefits. People, whether poor or rich, are more satisfied for they can easily have access to high-quality benefits such as free schooling and healthcare.

They Care About Work-Life Balance

The labor market models of these countries are also directed towards prioritizing their citizens’ work-life balance and avoiding employee exploitation. They have short working hours and unique leave of absence systems that guard against anxiety around employment and job loss usually faced by other people in the world.

Sina Ettmer Photography/Shutterstock

They Value This Social Construct

There’s a social construct that’s deemed as necessary in the daily lives of people living in Nordic countries: In Denmark, they call it “hygge.” There’s no actual English word for it. However, it can be interpreted as “intentional intimacy” and can arise from having secure, stable, and peaceful shared experiences, like having a summer picnic in a park. Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands all have their own analogy of hygge.

They Have No Room For Inequality

Nordic nations are famed for their low levels of income inequality. Overall, inequality has a negative affinity towards happiness, particularly amongst the poor in Europe. So even though the same linear effect isn’t noticeable in a lot of other countries, having low levels of inequality could be vital for Nordic citizens’ happiness.

Their Institutional Quality Is Outstanding

Government quality is one major reason why Nordic countries have such high life satisfaction—despite their high tax rates. Indeed, various research has revealed that people are more fulfilled with their lives when institutions are of high caliber, non-corrupt, deliver their promises, and generously care for their citizens in various adversities.

In Conclusion

The Nordic countries seem to have gotten quite close to perfecting the recipe for producing profoundly satisfied citizens. They all have liberal and efficient social welfare benefits, low levels of criminality and corruption, and happy citizens who feel free enough to trust one another as well as their governmental institutions.