Happiness. That slippery word and fleeting condition. What is it, really, and how do we attain it? In my opinion, in the United States we’ve missed the point entirely. Every time you turn on the TV and watch the commercials that make up a quarter of every hour of programming, you’re being sold happiness in the form of a car, technological gadgets, make-up, exercise equipment, clothes, pharmaceuticals, and fast food. Let me be clear: happiness is not about posing with material goods for others. Nor is it about convenience, or quick fixes to our problems. Happiness is an extremely complex, subjective condition. When I speak of happiness I’m referring to a general state of being, as opposed to periodic moments of euphoria and bliss. I am interested in the underlying sense of satisfaction with life as it relates to our work, relationships and mental and physical health, and not the temporary emotional highs that come from winning a sporting match, making out with someone you find desirable, driving a new car on a windy country road, or gorging oneself on pizza and burgers. Long-term happiness differs from its short-term counterpart in that it depends on strong and supportive human relationships, a meaningful, fulfilling, and goal-oriented working life, and a balanced lifestyle that promotes physical and mental health.
In 2007, Adrian White, of the University of Leicester in the UK, published a paper entitled “A Global Projection of Subjective Well-being: A Challenge To Positive Psychology?” Using the responses of 80,000 global citizens, she produced the first world map measuring subjective well-being. Without going into detail on the methods used in her study, she determined Denmark to be the happiest nation on earth.
There are several factors that may have a bearing on overall Danish happiness. Denmark is a socialist democracy with all the benefits that such a form of government provides: universal public health care, an efficient, affordable and comprehensive public transportation system, well-funded public schools, generous unemployment and welfare benefits, and social and economic equality (to the extent these are possible). Denmark is also a wealthy nation with a small population, approximately 5.5 million, and a low income disparity among its citizens. Here we find ourselves in one of several chicken and the egg circular cause and consequence situations ultimately pointing back to happiness.
Are Danes happy because they have a high level of education and a small population to share in their wealth? Did Danish wealth allow them to develop a socialist democratic system with the public benefits previously mentioned? Or did a particular egalitarian worldview provide the impetus for economic success throughout their society? And would this worldview have been possible in a large, less-homogeneous population of relatively high density? Can a system of government with comprehensive social services function in a nation with a large population? Finally, is wealth a reliable measure of happiness? Where the Danish model is concerned, only insofar as that wealth is equitably distributed.
Aside from factors tied primarily to economics, according to researcher Kåre Christensen, Danish happiness has also been attributed to low expectations among its citizens. This pessimistic, defensive and, dare I say, Scandinavian perspective is the antithesis of the American attitude of optimism and personal initiative that has produced numerous American innovations and achievements. Still, it’s not every optimistic individual with unique talents and ideas who finds success. It would follow that the cost of dreaming big and failing to achieve is unhappiness. I suppose it’s easier to be satisfied with life when one has the security of a socialist welfare state, but will a happy society really ever achieve greatness? Might unhappiness not be an integral part of the functioning of the American dream factory, where one man’s loss is another’s opportunity, and failure is only an intermediary step to ephemeral success?
Resources:
BBC News. What can the Danes teach us about happiness? April 17, 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6563639.stm
White, A. (2007). A Global Projection of Subjective Well-being: A Challenge To Positive Psychology? Psychtalk 56, 17-20.
http://www.le.ac.uk/users/aw57/world/sample.html
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2 comments:
Hola, Markus! Me encantó este post, sobre todo porque he vivido en Dinamarca y EEUU y entiendo perfectamente todo lo que dices.
Me he quedado con la impresión de que la gente es más feliz en Dinamarca, aunqe quizás solo sea porque yo fui más feliz allí (diría que la etapa más feliz de mi vida fueron los cuatro últimos meses que pasé en Dinamarca, y eso que era bastante pobre). Por momentos, parece que es el lugar perfecto, pero hay problemas también..."generous unemployment and welfare benefits" -- del que alguna gente se aprovecha y no se preocupa de buscar trabajo durante una buena temporada, lo que si se generaliza puede crear grandes problemas para la economía del país. Otro problema, el de la inmigración, qu quedó demostrado hace un par (?) de años, con la "revuelta" de Noerrebro. Yo viví en ese barrio y creo que allí no todo el mundo es tan feliz... Es una especie de banlieue francesa a menor escala (y un poco más feliz).
"Danish happiness has also been attributed to low expectations among its citizens". Totalmente de auerdo! Y la verdad, me uno a ellos. El modelo de vida estadounidense, con sus aspiraciones de grandeza, es demasiado difícil de soportar para la mayoría de la gente "normal", que nunca alcanzará la fama ni amasará una gran fortuna. En Dinamarca la gente dsfruta el presente, en EE.UU. viven demasiado preocupados por disfrutar el futuro.
En cualquier caso, creo que es bueno animar a la población a ir más allá, a tener sueños y querer superarse. Es así como avanza la ciencia, la tecnología, la economía... Y i bien lo material no da la felicidad, ayuda en buen grado y es necesario para nuestra subsistencia. El riesgo de la gente perezosa en Dinamarca es el de quedarse estancada en su felicidad y frenar el avance de su sociedad.
Yo creo que me quedo en un punto medio entre ambos países, aunque más cerca de Dinamarca y con el clima de California!
See you soon in Monterey!
Antía
I just wanted to address one point about "dreaming big and failing to achieve". It would seem to work in the way that you say, but I think it works differently in practice. Apparently what sets American culture apart from others is an interesting combination of motivational influences. Not only is individualism held in a higher regard here than in all or most other places, but there is a very small social penalty for failure here. This works out to be a very powerful combination.
I don't believe that this combination I mentioned is mentioned in his work, but I think you would really like the theories of Geert Hofstede:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Hofstede
The Wikipedia article mentions the different cultural dimensions he identified, but it doesn't talk about how he arrived at them in his research. It's a pretty interesting and convincing story.
-Christian
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