The Danish secret to happiness

The people of Denmark have reported higher levels of happiness than citizens of other Western countries for the past 30 years. Now scientists think they know why: Danes just have low expectations.

In surveys, Danes repeatedly report little enthusiasm for the coming year, relative to other nationalities. In a humorous study published recently in the British Medical Journal, scientists conclude that this culture of low expectations is the secret to Danes' high levels of life satisfaction, writing:

Year after year they are pleasantly surprised to find that not everything is getting more rotten in the state of Denmark.