HAPPINESS: The Secret of Scandinavian Happiness

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0:00 - Journey to Denmark
2:30 - The World’s Happiest Man - Meik Wiking
3:55 - Happiest Country Rankings
4:59 - Hygge and Other Secrets of Danish Happiness
7:54 - A Second Opinion - Helen Russell
9:51 - High Taxes and Trust
12:19 - Downsides and Upsides
13:31 - A Different Kind of Happiness
15:10 - Legoland Reflections
18:23 - Credits

[maxjosephdirector]

I am 42 years old and until today I didn't know that Finland was not part of Scandinavia. Guess that B- in Geography was well-earned after all. Thank you YouTube commenters for setting me straight and apologies to the Finns and Scandinavians for my American ignorance.

[xjokunen]

A finn here! I feel like its not about how much you earn or how successful youre, but how little you need to worry. Safety, willingness to help, paid sick leave, affordable housing, free education and healthcare, all those things and more that help you get back up when youre down. Some people here dont understand it and appreciate it, but i most people are fine with paying high tax to not be kicked deeper to the ground when losing their job etc.

[jillscheintal]

Americans' constitution guarantees us the "pursuit of happiness." We're always in pursuit of it, chasing it, not relishing or feeling it or or being present with it.

[LavenderSpell]

Its called "contentment", not happiness. Its what happens when the burning urge to improve your situation relaxes into the true security of trust and long term stability of an entire society.
Its no wonder Americans are baffeled by this concept, because we don't have that here, at all.

[lostleviathan]

Happiness comes at a cost to society, & Denmark is willing to pay it. I find the level of trust in the wider society so striking & beautiful.

[JaakkoPaakkanen]

I guess the Danish kind of happiness covers all Scandinavian countries -- but not Finland. Finland not being a part of Scandinavia is not only a matter of language, there's a huge mental difference. As a Finn having lived in Norway I know what I'm talking about. The Finnish recipe for happiness is completely different, but harder to grasp from the outside. It has to do with sauna, sisu and nature and is deeply rooted in ancient Finnish mindset. It's about embracing the laws of nature and feeling a connection to the soil of your homeland. As one of our poets puts it: "I do not laugh or grieve, or sigh; the forest's darkness breathes nearby, the red of clouds where day sinks deep, the blue of windy hills asleep, the twinflower's scent, the water's shade -- of these my heart's own song is made." (Eino Leino: "Nocturne", Translated by Keith Bosley)

[trevordevelops]

as someone who is greatly struggling at finding my happiness, these videos are not only great bumpers to steer me in the right direction, but they are wonderfully produced and filmed. thank you!

[brianholihan]

Another thing that a lot of Danes value is humor. I was often with a group of Danes while living in India back in 1996, and they were constantly finding humor in things. They immediately started teasing me about little things, like being slovenly with my belongings, and I teased them. When we parted, one said, "Come to Denmark. You would not be a foreigner there. You have our humor."

[JapaneseSoundscapeJourneys-jw]

I am Japanese and have lived in the US, Australia, and Switzerland. The gap between the rich and poor in Japan is widening, but society is still much more homogeneous. People are not judged by which suburb they live in, and you can see doctors, teachers, shopkeepers, cleaners, single mothers, and carpenters all living on the same street.

[poethammer]

The Netherlands is ranked #5 worldwide on the happiness scale. As an American who has been living in the Netherlands for 20+ years, I can say that I am the happiest I have ever been. Moving to the Netherlands was the best decision I ever made and my greatest achievement. The work/life balance (the Dutch lead the world in part-time work), prosperity (the Netherlands is among the wealthiest nations in the world), education (education costs are nowhere near those of the US), healthcare and overall attitude and sense of genuine freedom contribute to the sense of contentment one enjoys here. The typical top-down hierarchy you find in the US and UK is not the norm; every opinion counts here and there is an attempt to reach consensus. Thank you for an informative video. Keep up the great work Max. It is good to see you again! Greetings from the Netherlands. 🇳🇱

[cherylcarlson]

Went on this quest in 1989. Learned happiness is youth hostels, bakeries, museums and nature in ways not in US. It was the grace of someone putting another blanket on me one night, the innkeeper who wrote in Danish phrases I needed that first day, the museum in Sweden that didn't rush me out, the Finn who went to church with me in Sweden grumbling I just made his mom happy because he was certain I couldn't manage the Lutheran service...raised swedish Lutheran in US. For me happiness is grace, given and taken. That trip was pivotal for me

[PatrickStypinsky]

It’s a wonderful example of circumstances that made Scandinavia such a place for security and prosperity. But an interesting thing is, that when you achieve such a Maslowian state of self realization, some weird things happen. Firstly, those who do not experience the safety and happiness, feels far more excluded, those who don’t have great social skills become far more isolated, and the families that do not have resources become taboo. So while we in Denmark have great average feeling of happiness, we have outsiders that feel a disproportionate degree of not fitting in. It’s one of those complex challenges of a homogeneous society. Again if you live in one of the wealthiest, happiest, most secure places in the world, how dare you to not be satisfied, take responsibility and do better?

[John-Is-My-Name]

The word you are looking for is Content. We are very content with our lives here in the nordics. We rarely stress about work, expenses, crime, crises and other bad stuff happening. We are just content with living, with our families.

[ruriichigyou]

"embracing discomfort for long term gain"

i think it's the greatest thing that i heard today

[theisandersen]

i'm a dane and i was asking myself this question a lot through out my life and I think you pretty much hit the core of it... your deep dive gave me watery eyes! thx

[judiemjacobson]

I am 82 years old. And the best decision I ever made in my life was to discover that happiness is a choice . I live in the United States where there is so much crime and unhappiness and social and political unrest. But my happiness does not depend on any of that. It is a choice I make when I wake up in the morning . And most importantly I have the support of my family

[MrChrisromero]

Please continue making videos. Even beyond the happiness series. Great storytelling, Max!!

[elimpoulsen]

I live in Denmark, I benefit greatly from the system supporting us! We live the American dream here in Denmark, here you can truly become whatever you want no matter who you are. The freedom and security makes life easy! (Maybe to easy)
The one thing Dane’s need in my opinion is to see Casey and your film “make it count”, when I watched it the first time 12 years ago I found the missing piece in the puzzle, in Denmark you tend to become to comfortable and end up missing out, if you sprinkle a bit off make it count in your life we would be number 1 again!
Great video! Come and visit Ærø next time and your mind will be blown

[oliversloan]

I lived in Copenhagen for 6 months this year and I think the feeling of ‘subdued happiness’ is fitting. As any place, the grass isn’t greener. But people in Denmark put in effort into caring, and being thorough. Happiness is a feeling that can be harnessed easier in Denmark than most places because of design and social influence.

[bindilove]

All in it together and everyone is going to help each other … I love that!