Why Are Scandinavian Countries So Much Happier?
Everyone wants to discover happiness, but for most people, this is an ongoing struggle that they try to fight the majority of their life. However, it seems that the people who live in Scandinavian countries may have discovered the secret to happiness since they consistently rank at the top of the list of the happiest countries in the world.
The World Happiness Report has placed Scandinavian countries in the top four spots for the happiest places in the world, with Norway coming in at number three for 2019. This is quite impressive considering the fact that they managed to finish in the top five spots every single year since the World Happiness Report was first launched back in 2012.
But what is it exactly that makes the Scandinavian countries so much happier than the rest of the world? Here are a few things that might contribute to the nation’s remarkable track record for happiness.
Photo: CH / Visitnorway.com
Emphasis on Personal Life Above Work Life
For many Western countries, there is a strong emphasis put on productivity and commitment to the workplace. How successful someone is is often a direct reflection of how much time and energy they put into what they do for a living. However, in countries like Norway, there is a much bigger emphasis put on improving someone's personal life rather than their work-life.
While putting more effort towards being a productive worker is good for some reasons, it often does not help improve someone's health. Therefore, Norwegian companies tend to encourage employees to take more frequent time to themselves in order to go out and participate in some of the great activities in Norway, such as glacier hiking or going on a vacation to try and re-energize themselves and improve their mental health. This helps to prevent them from feeling burned out or experiencing work-related depression.
Photo: Rosendal Event
Spending Time Outdoors
It has long since been proven that spending time outdoors has a direct correlation with improved mental health. That is why it is such a big deal that Scandinavians spend such a large portion of their time outdoors.
With the incredible amount of fjords in Norway, in addition to all of their glaciers and other natural elements, it makes the country the perfect place to get out and experience nature. In most cases, they only need to travel short distances in order to find some truly astonishing natural splendors.
Scandinavians truly take advantage of this fact as proven by their tendency to engage in things like forest bathing. This involves venturing into the heavily forested areas and just aimlessly wandering through them for an hour or two while simply absorbing the serenity of their surroundings. This can help someone to mentally reset themselves and allow them to let go of a lot of their stress and negative emotions, which definitely has the ability to make them happier.
If you’re interested in slicing off a bit of Norway’s famed “happiness” for yourself, book your Norway Experience today.