Why does Denmark consistently rank as one of the happiest countries?
A deep sense of ease – what the Danes call ‘tryg’ – is a collective responsibility that allows individuals to flourish
https://psyche.co/ideas/what-life-in-denmark-shows-about-the-power-of-emotional-safety
If you read the article, you’ll learn that this sense of ease is not just about feeling confident or resilient. It’s about purposefully building a society, schools, workplaces, and public spaces that allow people to breathe and relax. There’s a stillness that comes from feeling safe, allowing human beings to thrive instead of living a life of fear.
In contrast, other countries are creating a culture of constant stress, always hustling, always getting ahead of the other people in your community, looking over your shoulder for the next risk, burning out, not having friends, etc. They offer no safety to people struggling to keep a roof over their heads or food for their families.
Then we wonder why we measure so poorly on happiness, have surging mental health needs, and have so many people burning out in their careers.