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I Borrowed the Habits of the World’s (Almost) Happiest People, And It Worked
We can’t all move to Denmark, but we can bring some of it to us
When adjusting to life in Copenhagen, I noticed that things were very different in Denmark from back home in New York City. Locals seemed more relaxed, less addicted to their phones, more present with one another. Streets were quieter, shops and restaurants played gentle music on low volume. It’s almost as if people there didn’t need distractions from their reality.
Was it just the famous work-life balance and social welfare system or were there other, lesser known, reasons for their contentment?
When America is more gloomy than ever, I decided to look at some small, and big, habits we could borrow from the citizens of the country voted second happiest in the world.
Danes go everywhere by bike
Often called the bike capital of the world, Copenhagen carries roughly half of its daily commuters on two wheels. Danes bike in any conditions, rain or shine, boasting a wide range of weather-proof wear. Lots of bikes are equipped with baby seats in the back, or cargo push-carts in the front, for wheeling around toddlers, boyfriends, girlfriends, grandparents, groceries, dogs, you name it. IKEA…
