Why denmark happiest country

A cup of coffee with a friend in front of a fireplace might qualify, as could a summer picnic in the park. A family might have a hygge evening that entails board games and treats, or friends might get together for a casual dinner with dimmed lighting, good food and easygoing fun.

It acts as a buffer against stress, while also creating a space to build camaraderie. In a highly individualized country like Denmark, hygge can promote egalitarianism and strengthen trust. It would be fair to say that hygge is fully integrated into the Danish cultural psyche and culture. But it has also become a bit of a global phenomenon — Amazon now sells more than books on hygge, and Instagram has over 3 million posts with the hashtag hygge. Google trends data show a big jump in searches for hygge beginning in October In the U.

If you try to contact someone in Denmark and Sweden in late July or August, they'll very likely be away "enjoying their vacation time," Sachs says. In Finland, many people spend their summers in cottages, called "mokki," where they unplug and relax with family and friends. Contrary to popular belief, "giving ourselves some free time can improve our productivity rather than decrease it," Santos says.

Christina Konig Koehrsen, an art student from outside of Copenhagen, tells CNBC Make It that she left her job in advertising for eight months because she was stressed, and the work simply wasn't making her happy. People typically go on "stress leave" when things are so bad at work that it's affecting their mental health, Mellish says. Stress can be "a career-killer, to be honest," she adds, comparing it to a "low-level disability. This safety net between jobs is part of Denmark's "flexicurity" labor market model, which allows businesses to be flexible, and people to get security from the government.

Under this model, it's very easy for employers to fire and hire people. The government also provides education and counseling to get people back to work. Freedom is another value that matters in a society, and determines someone's well-being, Sachs says. If you're trapped by poverty, if you're trapped by debt, the answer will be no," he says.

And if yes, that makes people a lot happier. No matter where you live, research shows that finding work that really maps onto your core values can make you happier, Santos says.

Although the culture and safety net in Nordic countries seems to promote happiness, life is not all warm and " hygge. Nordic countries pay some of the highest taxes in the world. For example, daycare, public education including college and healthcare. Living in the happiest country in the world also puts pressure on people to be happy, Konig Koehrsen says. For the people who come up with policies and run countries, the lessons of the report are not shocking: People are more satisfied with their lives when they have a comfortable standard of living, a supportive social network, good health, the latitude to choose their course in life, and a government they trust.

The highest echelon of happy countries also tends to have universal health care, ample paid vacation time, and affordable child care. Arthur C. Brooks: Find the place you love. Then move there. A central takeaway from nine years of happiness reports is that a wealthier country is not always a happier country.

In the U. Read: Who actually feels satisfied about money? He also thinks it can show people which policies to vote for if they want to nudge their society in a happier direction. The rankings, though, have less to say about what people can do differently in their own lives. This vacuum of actionable information gets filled by media coverage that suggests mimicking aspects of other cultures in hopes that some of their happiness will transfer to you.

Marveling at the warm communal pools in Iceland No.