the happy danes - denmark：幸福的丹麦人丹麦.pdf

THE HAPPY DANES Exploring the reasons behind the high levels of happiness in Denmark TH E H APPIN E SS R E S E A R CH I NS T I T U TE THE HAPPY DANES Exploring the reasons behind the high levels of happiness in Denmark TH E H APPIN E SS R E S E A R CH I NS T I T U TE FOR E WOR D Today, leaders from around the world are expressing an interest in why some societies are happier than others. At the same time countries are taking steps to measure their ess as a society – not only from how much the economy grows – but also from how much their lives are improved, not only from standard of living, but from quality of life. This is one of the consequences of the recent years’ paradigm shift away from gross domestic product as the dominant indicator for progress. However, this idea is not new. As Robert Kennedy pointed out more than forty years ago ”the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials...it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.” Since Kennedy, an increasing body of evidence has shown that subjective well-being – or happiness – can be measured in national and international surveys and that they can inform policy making. The international surveys frequently name Denmark as the happiest country in the world and this has naturally prompted an increasing interest from happiness researchers. What are the reasons behind the high levels of happiness in Denmark? At the Happiness Research Institute we have tried to answer this question. We hope that this report will shed some light on the puzzle, and contribute to the discussion of how we may measure the progress of our societies and improve the quality of our lives. Meik Wiking Director The Happiness Research Institute FOREWORD