The Danish consider themselves a happy nation, the home of Hugge. In 2021 Denmark ranked 2nd on the Happiness Index, and Finland ranked 1st. New Zealand was 10th, Australia 11th, Germany was 13th, Canada 14th, Ireland was 15th, the USA 16th, and the UK was 17th.
Finding happiness, according to Wikiversity’s The Ten Points of Happiness
1) A Proactive Life is a Happy One – Happy people have positive goals and positive tasks. Proactive people are 15% more satisfied with their lives than more passive people. Happiness researcher Ed Diener explains, “happy people set goals for themselves again and again.”
2) An Active Life is a Happy One – Regular physical activity keeps the body healthy and makes the spirit happy. Daily walks raise the level of happiness by 12%. David Niven says, “people who stay fit via sports are healthier, more positive, and more successful.”
3) Doing Good for the World is a Source of Happiness -Those who regularly do good things for others are 24% happier than those who only live for themselves. John A. Schindler wrote, “live as a giving person. Those who give are happier than those who only take. Those who give to others discover the beauty in the world.”
4) Rest and Relaxation Bring Happiness – The central point of a healthy and happy life is to find the balance between rest and activity. Besides work, physical activity, and time spent with others, we need time to rest and relax.
We need to get enough sleep. Scientific research shows that relaxed people think more positively and are happier. Every hour of sleep missed lowers the positivity one can experience during the day. We need to figure out how much sleep and relaxation time we need and at what speed we function at our best.
5) Positive Thinking – Those who think positively double their chance to realise happiness. Those who wish to be happy should think positively. The positive characteristics of wisdom, love, peace, inner power and joy in life should be set as the central point of one’s life. One should exercise a conscious decision to be positive.
6) Too Much Television Makes You Unhappy – Scientific research states, every hour of television lowers the general quality of life by 5%“. TV orients people around superficial things, and the concept of superficial happiness. It raises desire, increases aggression, and creates sorrow. Those who would like to grow in terms of happiness should stop watching TV. (David Niven: Die 100 Geheimnisse glücklicher Menschen. München 2000, Seite 32 f.)
7) Foster Friendship – Build on your positive circle of friends. Women who talk to others reduce their worries by 55%. Cancer-stricken women who met with a group once a week raised their survival chances to twice as high as those who didn’t meet with a group.
In the western world, there is a strong tendency towards isolation. There are many single and lonely people. People who have a good circle of friends are happier and not isolated. We should take care of our friendships and practice positive activities with them.
8) Facilitate Joy – Those who can find little elements of joy in their lives can raise their overall happiness by 20%.
9) Humour – Those with a good sense of humour raise their positivity by 33%. We should foster our sense of humour and learn not to take things so seriously. We should learn to laugh at ourselves. Those who can live lighter and brighter. It is good to see cheerful films, read funny books, and visit joyful people.
10) Self-Confidence – Happy people believe in themselves. They believe in their goals, wisdom, and power, seeing themselves as winners. They know they will prevail in the long term. In a world of doubt, all followers of the way of bliss need inner strength to go about their way successfully. The followers of inner happiness need a clear anchor in terms of wisdom, self-discipline, and self-confidence to avoid being brought back by materialism and doubt.
Conclusion
As you can see from the research and their findings, happiness or being happy really doesn’t have much to do with the amount of money you have or don’t have.
Our happiness, they say, is
10% is down to our environment
50% down to our disposition, which is genetically determined
40% is down to our thinking, our perspective, and our outlook on life
Staying positive and optimistic takes constant adjustments; we need to work at it. Making an effort to avoid negative thinking. Trying to cultivate an attitude of seeing the best in things. In the beginning, making the best of things takes some effort. We all need goals and purpose, whatever that might be, big or small.
