Denmark -- happiest place in the world?

On the "raising minimum wage" thread Thaiboxerken pointed out that Denmark -- a high-tax, high-services country, -- is the happiest place in the world. Caper was skeptical:

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Originally Posted by Caper (Post 9827968) I wonder how one could be so happy when the credit card bills come in... having the highest debt to income ratio in the western world.

Thaiboxerken repsonded:

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Originally Posted by thaiboxerken (Post 9828403) It doesn't matter what you wonder. It is a fact that Denmark is the happiest place on earth. http://ift.tt/1ggu0Aa

I read the article in question, and admit I certainly would be happy there. What matters to me is not how much money I have, it is whether my needs are met:

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For example: they have no student loans hanging over their heads. All education is free in Denmark, right on through university. And students can take as long as they like to complete their studies. "And we get paid to go to school actually. Instead of in the U.S. you pay to go to school, we get paid to go to school if we pass our exams," a student explains. "Americans watching this particularly people your age would be bowled over by the very idea that the government pays you to go to school," Safer remarks. "Yeah," the student acknowledges. "I'm being paid right now for not going to school. I'm being paid for parenting," another male student tells Safer. "It's 100 percent paid for by the government for half a year." Denmark also provides free health care, subsidized child care and elder care, a social safety net spread the length and breadth of the country. "I mean, we're pretty much free to do whatever we want. We're secure from the day we're born. For a Dane who lives in Denmark," a male tells Safer. Fish and beer-a-holics they may be, but workaholics they are not: Dr. Christensen says the average work week is 37 hours, and workers get six weeks of vacation.

Give me all that, and frankly, I would not care if at the end of the year my bank account is zero. I would be secure about my future. And that's what makes Danes happy. But would that work for non-Danes?



Note that both me and my significant other are completely indifferent (if not outright hostile) to "stuff" -- we are minimalists as far as material things are concerned. I lived in my own house for 15 years, and now recall the experience with horror. The amount of time, effort and money that taking care of house/yard takes out of your life is just staggering. I'd much rather spend it surfing the web or swimming in the sea.

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