{"id":1371,"date":"2016-03-31T15:25:43","date_gmt":"2016-03-31T15:25:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/?p=1371"},"modified":"2016-03-31T15:40:26","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T15:40:26","slug":"the-worlds-happiest-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/2016\/03\/31\/the-worlds-happiest-people\/","title":{"rendered":"The World’s Happiest People"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From the celebration of Margrethe II\u2019s 40th anniversary as Queen of Denmark. (Photo courtesy of Comrade Foot at Flickr<\/a>, CC License.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Do all Danes wake up to Pharell\u2019s song \u201dHappy\u201d? According to FN<\/b> (De Forenede Nationer <\/b>\u2013\u00a0<\/b>United Nations), they probably should. The 2016 World Happiness Report once again<\/a> k\u00e5rer <\/b>(elects) Denmark as verdens lykkeligste folk<\/b> (the happiest people on earth), followed by Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Finland.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s because Danes take so many lykkepiller <\/b>(happiness pills = antidepressants), an Australian bartender earnestly jokes. Ude p\u00e5 gaden smiler folk til solen<\/b> (out in the street, people are smiling to the sun). In the rainy winter months, however, many people do suffer from vinterdepression<\/b> (winter depression). A Norwegian friend of mine asked me why so many Danes look angry?<\/p>\n

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A pretty Dane. (Photo courtesy of Xuanxu at Flickr<\/a>, CC License.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Turister<\/b> often think of Danmark<\/b> as a magical country from an H. C. Andersen eventyr<\/b> (fairytale). They go to \u201dWonderful Copenhagen\u201d that is so peaceful that politiet<\/b> (the police) stops the cars so andemor og hendes \u00e6llinger <\/b>(mother duck<\/a> and her ducklings) may cross the street. In recent years, however, there have been many ugly misforst\u00e5elser <\/b>(misunderstandings) between \u201dtraditional\u201d Danes and new groups such as Muslim Danes. No matter how you vote, I hope we can agree that Denmark is a changing land<\/b> that is both exciting and a bit confusing! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Here are some things to be happy about in Denmark:<\/p>\n