Monday, September 14, 2009

The Happy Danes

So in two of my classes today (coincidentally), Psychology of Happiness and Danish Language and Culture, we watched a clip of a 60 Minutes episode on why Denmark has been rated over and over again the happiest country in the world. From a psychological and anthropological perspective, it is interesting to think about all of the cultural norms we were raised with that seem so natural to us, and how they contrast with those of citizens in other countries, and with the Danes. It also raises interesting points about diversity, competition, the American dream, and what our priorities are. Of course, individuals can actively make the choice to reprioritize what is important in their lives, even if that list happens to be different from the one their culture teaches them, and I think this research presents to the world many things that can be learned from the Danes. Studying the topic of positive psychology also raises more general questions such as, what is happiness, really? and what is success?

Something the video also highlights that I really appreciate and can relate to is the idea of setting low expectations. Expectations too often lead to anxiety and disappointment, and while it has been a habit of mine to expect things to go a certain way or for people to behave like I want them to, I find that it is best to just let go of them. (Thank you, Soltura!) While I am living in another country, too, I want to be able to learn as much about its citizens as possible so that I can gain a better appreciation of who they are and figure out more of what goes on inside their heads.

I really recommend watching the clip, which you can find here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shepBx2ogJo

Everyone is certainly entitled to their own definition, but after reflecting on the topic, I have come up with my own.

hap·pi·ness: a state free from major anxiety and worries; fully feeling and appreciating life's events, which can be initially good or bad; allowing yourself to express your emotions and be who you are - laughing, crying, loving, sharing, moving.

Everyone's definition is certainly shaped by their life experiences and it will be interesting to see how mine changes over the course of the semester and throughout my life. It has been really cool to go to a class where we self-reflect and learn at the same time. I rather like it.

And to end my first short blog entry, I leave you with a visual interpretation and mosaic of what happiness means to fifty-two Americans studying abroad. Our paintings were so much fun to make! I will write more about the trip that I took to Western Denmark last weekend soon.



Loves,
Kristina
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3 comments:

  1. Un humoreanSeptember 18, 2009 at 2:43 AM

    What you have defined as elements of happiness: the lack of anxiety and worry, fully feeling and appreciating life's events, allowing yourself to express your emotions and be who you are - laughing, crying, loving, sharing, moving, are in fact consequences of state of happiness, not causes. The causes are more complex and are economic, political, geographical, climatic, historycal, psychologycal and mentality. But the causes can differ from one country to another, from one region to another

    I am, for example, from the saddest country in the EU. Anxiety and sadness, care of tomorrow can best be seen sitting on a bench in a crowded marketplace. I often sit and look people crossing the street who forgot to smile, stare in the ground, giving up the idea that something will ever change for the better for them. This happens because the level of expectations was high and the disappointment was even higher.
    There ar more to say, but that’s all for now
    Greetings, and wait for further posts from you
    With respect, Bogdan Hison

    ReplyDelete
  2. sara [at] journey of doingSeptember 19, 2009 at 10:50 PM

    I think that clip is really interesting, especially after spending time visiting with a few Danes. I wish I had seen it before I visited.

    Thanks for sharing the link.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BNovember 27, 2009 at 11:17 AM

    which one is yours???

    ReplyDelete

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