http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/lowered-expectations/
July 19, 2009, 6:00 pm
Lowered Expectations
By Eric Weiner
Mysterious are the ways of human happiness, as anyone who has surveyed
the perplexing, often contradictory research findings can attest. But
one nugget in particular truly boggles: Denmark is the happiest nation
in the world. More than two-thirds of Danes report being "very
satisfied with their lives," according to the Eurobarometer Survey, a
figure that has held steady for more than 30 years. True, Danes tend to
be healthy, married and active -- all contributing factors to
happiness. But why, researchers wondered, are Danes happier than Finns
and Swedes, who share many of these traits, not to mention a similar
culture and climate?
The answer is, in a word, expectations. Danes have low expectations and
so "year after year they are pleasantly surprised to find out that not
everything is rotten in the state of Denmark," says James W. Vaupel, a
demographer who has investigated Danish bliss.
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The rest of the article is kind of a waste of time IMHO. He does nothing interesting with this factual nugget. But I found the nugget itself amusing. Especially alongside the self-portrayal that Danes have in their own films -- they seem like the grumpiest people on the planet :-)
Michael