A lot of people were surprised when Denmark was called one of the happiest countries in the world.
Desiring to be happy and understanding what happiness is is not new, but has been central - also historical - to understanding what a good society is.
Fall in Denmark. How can Denmark be voted a happy country when so many Danes eat happiness pills or even commit suicide? (Photo: Colourbox.)
In the last 10-15 years, there has been increasing interest in knowing more about and considering using happiness as an indicator of social decisions, such as countries such as France, England, Canada and Bhutan.
It also derives from a desire to have information and information about social development not only based on economic figures such as GDP, inflation and growth in society.
Research in happiness has many and very different starting points. Right from psychological, philosophical, sociological and economic, etc. Approaches that all share it in common that they want to understand what it makes people happy and happy.
Good luck must be measured properly
Can you measure happiness? The short answer is yes.
Obviously, it is based on individual individual perception of how they are, but this is, in principle, no different from other surveys of the population's perception of and attitudes to a wide range of social issues.
Obviously, it is important to ask in a good and proper way and not start with, for example, saying: It is good weather today.
People may relate to whether they are happy and satisfied, and they can typically also distinguish whether it is a short-term current state that makes them happy, for example if they have just won a lottery or it is a more general satisfaction with life.
Therefore, it also seems that happiness changes over life.
We are most happy in the young years and in the older years, but less satisfied in those years where there may be both stress and need to take care of work, family and own interests.
A problem with measurements and analyzes is that we can not always know which connection there is.
Is it for example because we are happy that we get married - or is it because we are married that we are happy?
It does not change that it gives us a new understanding of key issues in the life of the individual and the entire community when there are particular relationships that we become aware of.
Why is Denmark one of the world's happiest countries?
There may be a number of explanations.
They include That we are one of the world's most equal countries, without which it can be concluded that we would be more happy if society became even more even than it is today.
It's about being one of the richest countries in the world.
There is, at least to a certain limit, a correlation between the degree of happiness and the income of a society as well as an individual.
Therefore, the rich countries are more often happier countries than the poor countries.
It is a welfare society which ensures a high degree of security and security in everyday life, both in relation to income and more qualitative aspects.
Denmark is also one of those countries where there is great political stability and trust that there is no corruption and that we can believe in other people.
This belief in others and stability is thus an important ingredient in the perception of a stable society.
It is also about the fact that there is great cohesion in Danish society and many people have good social contacts.
A frequently raised question is: Can Denmark be a happy country when there are many suicides and a big sale of happiness pills?
Yes, even though it is a paradox, the average can show that Denmark is a happy country, even if there is someone who is bad and needs support.
Can you use talk of luck to make decisions?
It can be difficult to do in all areas because it is not always clear which way the connection goes.
Even though we know, for example, that happy people are healthier, we can not be sure that because more people become healthier, society will happier.
But it can help to make decisions when looking at what factors are important contributors to making the citizens more satisfied.
But it can also help to push people to live a healthier life - making it both happier and making them live longer.
It also means that it may be important to think that many people want a job (for example, something to get up to in the morning) - but not that the individual will necessarily work more or longer in Day because the people also appreciate their free time.