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How to Be Rich, According to the Happiest Country in the World

Meik Wiking, author of The Little Book of Hygge, tells us what the Danes know about converting wealth into well-being

Paul Ollinger
Forge
Published in
6 min readOct 21, 2020

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Filtered image of a person’s legs dangling over water with European buildings in the background.
Photo illustration; Image source: Alexander Spatari/Getty Images

Every other week, Paul Ollinger investigates how redefining success can help us lead better lives.

Winters in Copenhagen are long and dreary. Denmark’s tax rates are legitimately scary. And Hamlet was a bit glum, to say the least. But year after year, the Danes place at or near the top of the World Happiness Report, a global ranking that uses Gallup World Poll data to measure contentment by country.

By comparison, the United States seems like it should score very well on a happiness test. Winters here are, on average, far more temperate. Our tax rates are relatively benign. And boy, do we have a lot of resources to entertain ourselves, from 23 Six Flags amusement parks to a near-monopoly on Cheesecake Factory restaurants. Despite this, we keep coming in around 18th or 19th on the list — this year, sandwiched between Germany and the Czech Republic.

I wanted to find out what the Danes know that the rest of us don’t — and, more selfishly, how I could implement some Danish happiness practices in my life. So on my podcast, I interviewed

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Forge
Forge

Published in Forge

A former publication from Medium on personal development. Currently inactive and not taking submissions.

Paul Ollinger
Paul Ollinger

Written by Paul Ollinger

Comedian. Host of the Crazy Money podcast. Proud former Facebook and Yahoo! sales person/leader. http://PaulOllinger.com/podcast

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