Column
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
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…
