Walddk Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 According to survey after survey Denmark is the happiest place on earth. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/14/...in3833797.shtml I must be wearing blinkers. I didn't notice and I have been here for 60 years :unsure: Roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matmat Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 doesn't Disney have that trademarked or something? I have actually heard this before (i.e. i don't think it's the first time denmark has finished high in this poll). Probably just means people are less likely to burst into places uninvited and with a gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helene_t Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Some of the notes are recognizable. Danes are happy when things turn out not quite as bad as expected, lol :unsure: Others are less recognizable. That the Danes are not workaholics. This is difficult to compare between countries. In the Netherlands, the lunch break is not considered part of the work week so a Dutch work week of 35 hours translates to a Danish work week of 37.5 hours. OTOH my impression is that Danish employers are less tolerant of employees doing private things (like posting to BBF) at work. Also, there are categories of semi-employees such as unemployed or retired people doing sponsored voluntary work which are registered differently in different countries. And of course, child care being more professionalized in Scandinavia biases the statistics substantially. The work is more evenly distributed in Scandinavia than in the Netherlands, with most working the official 37 hours including 2.5 hours of lunch break. In the NL, many people (especially women) work substantially less while some substantially more. The top 2006 list (couldn't find any newer). Surprisingly Norway does not do so good, in other studies they have been close competitors to Denmark. 1. Denmark 2. Switzerland 3. Austria 4. Iceland 5. The Bahamas 6. Finland 7. Sweden 8. Bhutan 9. Brunei 10. Canada 11. Ireland 12. Luxembourg 13. Costa Rica 14. Malta 15. The Netherlands 16. Antigua and Barbuda 17. Malaysia 18. New Zealand 19. Norway 20. The Seychelles 23. USA 35. Germany 41. UK 62. France 82. China 90. Japan 125. India 167. Russia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whereagles Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 >> According to survey after survey Denmark is the happiest place on earth. That cannot be true. When I was there, I was served for lunch some strange, uncooked, very bitter vegetables with raw fish. How're you supposed to play bridge under these circumstances? I was on the verge of appealing to The Hague courthouse for crimes against humanity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the hog Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 >> According to survey after survey Denmark is the happiest place on earth. That cannot be true. When I was there, I was served for lunch some strange, uncooked, very bitter vegetables with raw fish. How're you supposed to play bridge under these circumstances? I was on the verge of appealing to The Hague courthouse for crimes against humanity. Agree Nuno, and the don't make wine either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helene_t Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Agree Nuno, and the don't make wine either. Of course they do, never heard of Chateau Kildevaeld? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberlour10 Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 >> According to survey after survey Denmark is the happiest place on earth. That cannot be true. When I was there, I was served for lunch some strange, uncooked, very bitter vegetables with raw fish. How're you supposed to play bridge under these circumstances? I was on the verge of appealing to The Hague courthouse for crimes against humanity. Agree Nuno, and the don't make wine either. but they compensate this with brewing fabulous sorts of beer :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwnn Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Denmark, usually: 1st Denmark, when somebody gets a good result thanks to Gerber or Flannery: 132nd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walddk Posted February 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 ... but they compensate this with brewing fabulous sorts of beer :unsure: Probably true (I don't drink beer); at least Carlsberg and Tuborg are very popular in many parts of the world. Then add all the famous Danes. To name a few: Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kirkegaard, Niels Bohr, Piet Hein, Jørn Utzon (Sydney Opera House), and the Great Dane (I think it's a dog) :) We also have excellent cartoonists although I realise that they are not appreciated everywhere. Are they among the "happy" Danes? Some of them might not be right now. Roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whereagles Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 carlsberg = suxtuborg = good stuff, especially the strong one :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerben42 Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 and the Great Dane (I think it's a dog) not Gus Hansen? :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberlour10 Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 We also have excellent cartoonists although I realise that they are not appreciated everywhere. Are they among the "happy" Danes? Some of them might not be right now. RolandTja, times are changing, till recently Denmark seemed to be a land of full social freedom (peace), however, no reason to be afraid, Danes have a long tradition of close social solidarity with amazing examples of it during the II World War. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossoneri Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Not surprised that a Scandinavian country nicked it. Maybe one day I should find the chance to visit Denmark. I had a great impression of Finland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackshoe Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Brunei was ninth. :P I've been to Brunei. Granted, it was a long time ago, but it didn't look to me then like a country expecting change anytime soon. When I was there (with the US Navy) we travelled from the port to the Sultan's 1100 room (iirc) "castle" through some of the sorriest hovels I've ever seen (and Brunei isn't the only third world country I've been in). I didn't get the opportunity to talk to anyone who lived in those hovels, but I can't imagine they were happy. The Sultan and his associates might be a different story - at the time of my visit (late 1970s or mid 1980s), the Sultan's net worth was something like 345 billion dollars. Money can't buy happiness, true, but it certainly doesn't hurt. I wonder how this survey determined the happiness level in Brunei. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sceptic Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 I spent some time in Helsinge commune about 25 years ago, the reason that Denmark could be the happiest place on earth, is that the people are probably some of the nicest I have met on my travels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_U_Card Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 And here I thought it was the "weed".... ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echognome Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 You sure they meant Denmark and not Christiania? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walddk Posted February 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 You sure they meant Denmark and not Christiania? Let me emphasize that most Danes are not proud of having a place like Christiania. Drugs, other criminal activities and residents who believe it's a deed not to contribute to society. http://goeurope.about.com/od/christiania/C...gen_Denmark.htm Roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finally17 Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Some of the notes are recognizable. Danes are happy when things turn out not quite as bad as expected, lol ;) If I had to guess without reading the experts ideas, I'd say that one of the key factors would be learned culturo-psychological response to negative stimuli. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walddk Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Being a Dane makes me happy when I think about our social welfare system, arguably the best in the world. If for example a person collapses or is run over in the street, you won't have to ask him/her if he/she is insured so that he/she can afford to be treated properly. Everyone gets the same treatment in hospital or at the GP's, free of charge. Yes, we pay for that through taxation, but I don't mind to pay for others even if I don't need treatment myself. I will just be happy that I don't need it. This reminds me of an incident about 10 years ago when an American friend of mine, suffering from MS, had a seizure while visiting me in Denmark. I rushed her to the emergency room in the nearest hospital, and she was treated instantly. One hour or so later she was able to walk out of the door. Before she left, she asked me how much she was supposed to pay. The answer was and still is: not a cent. Roland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helene_t Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 I find this story strange, Roland. Maybe the rules have changed or maybe your friend was a special type of visitor somehow covered by the Danish system, but foreign visitors of mine have generally been charged by Danish HC providers. This is unlike for example United Kingdom (GP services free for everyone, hospital treatment covered by NHS if you are an NHS patient) and Cuba (everything free for everyone). Last time I was admitted to a Danish emergency room, I also asked how much I had to pay. They said that as a Danish citizen I was probably covered, which was confirmed when she looked me up at the computer. Maybe it was a database bug or maybe she misinterpreted what the computer said. When I left Denmark and called the Danish health insurance the day after to ask whether I was supposed to return my insurance card, a very angry receptionist told me that I should have returned it before I left since I lost all rights the moment I crossed the border. (Even though it took me one-and-a-half year to obtain a health insurance in the Netherlands, during that time I had to pay a few hospital bills and GP bills cash, but I suppose that says something about the Dutch system (and maybe something about European coordination) rather than about the Danish system. In theory everyone has a health insurance in the Netherlands, but I have several friends who don't, simply because all insurance companies either reject them or just refuse to reply to their applications). When I moved back to Denmark the rule was that new immigrants get covered after six weeks, while of course I lost my Dutch insurance immediately, so again six weeks without coverage. Same happened when I moved form NL to UK. That said I think the Danish health insurance system is extremely reliable and cost-effective, a true role model for other developed countries. Same can be said about other parts of Danish public services such as police, revenues, social welfare, and civic registration. The Danish justice system is also quite cost-effective but maybe not so reliable, as it fails to separate the executive branch of government from the courts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshs Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 My theory is that the Dane's are happy because of Legos. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echognome Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 You sure they meant Denmark and not Christiania? Let me emphasize that most Danes are not proud of having a place like Christiania. Drugs, other criminal activities and residents who believe it's a deed not to contribute to society. http://goeurope.about.com/od/christiania/C...gen_Denmark.htm Roland Roland, I was just teasing of course. Despite having been to Copenhagen dozens of time (having lived in Lund, Sweden for about 8 months but before the bridge), I have never been to Christiania, nor desired to go there. -Gnome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helene_t Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 My theory is that the Dane's are happy because of Legos. :) Spot on. Lego has certainly done more for my quality of life than Christiania and all beer breweries combined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matmat Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 My theory is that the Dane's are happy because of Legos. :) Wow. That's gotta be it... and they get the duplos when they're really young :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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