Is Denmark Really the Happiest Country in the World?

My impression of Denmark was the Little mermaid, high tax, and they get off from work at 4 pm.

When I went there, I was impressed. It’s charming and… perfect!

It’d be nice to have an apartment close to waters. And go to places by boat.

Who knows if the canal might lead me to Miss Mermaid!

If I don’t have a boat, sitting on the bridge with a friend is a way of living too!

Roads are clean and wide. It’s easy to walk, ride a bike or drive! It’s so organized!

And when you walk, you might just bump into another awesome museum!

But… (life is all about ‘but’)…. my opinion started to change on a rainy day.

It became piercing cold and uncomfortable that day. The place started to lose its charm.

The place isn’t spotless clean after all. Is it really Copenhagen?

It’s horrible if you have to ride a bike in this weather. And in my understanding, this weather is normal. And when you think about how expensive public transportation is (24kr within 1 zone, and an additional 12 kr for crossing additional zone)

And in case you take a bus, you’d need to bear this crowdedness (with a bunch of tourists). Is this really Copenhagen?

Especially when I found out how small Tivoli (their amusement park), aquarium and zoo were, I was puzzled. How could this be the happiest place in the world?  In my opinion, it’s not perfect, and there are definitely places more livable than Copenhagen.

When I shared my concern with my couchsurfing host in Copenhagen, she also didn’t know why they were rated as the happiest country.  And then I realize, these ‘ratings’ are very subjective. Nothing is absolute. Copenhagen has its good times and bad times.

However if I can draw any conclusion, I’d say in nature people in Copenhagen are relaxed and undemanding. They don’t need a bigger Tivoli to be happy. They are happy to take their children to the tiny Copenhagen zoo and spend time with family there even on a rainy day. And they are happy that they at least have an aquarium in Copenhagen that’s convenient and fun.

In this mentality, I think every place has the potential to become the next happiest country! It’s true that you might not have a world-class infrastructure, both cheap and convenient transportation, delicious but cheap restaurants,  365 sunny days in a year… but if the vibe of the city is of gratitude and positivity, you might call that city the happiest city in the world!