My guest on the podcast today is Malene Rydahl, author of the international bestseller, Happy as a Dane.
For decades Denmark has ranked at the top of the world’s happiness surveys.
How is it that these 5.6 million Danes are so content when they live in a country that is dark and cold nine months of the year and where income taxes are at almost 60 percent?
In Happy as a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World, Malene shares anecdotes and research, and explores how the values of trust, education, and a healthy work-life balance with purpose – to name just a few – contribute to a “happy” population.
The book became a best-seller and was awarded the prize of the most optimistic book in 2014. It has been published in Japan, Korea,Taiwan and Russia, and will come out later this year in Spain, Germany and United States.
In this episode of Informed Choice Radio, I speak to Malene about the factors that make the Danish lifestyle unique, their approach to work/life balance, how the Laws of Junte underline behaviour towards others, how gender equality contributes towards happiness, why so many Danish citizens are taking ant-depressants, how we can find a sense of purpose in life, and much more.
Welcome to Happy as a Dane with Malene Rydahl, in episode 186 of Informed Choice Radio.
Some questions I ask:
-What factors make the Danish lifestyle unique?
-What’s the Danish approach to work/life balance like and how does this contribute to happiness?
-Can you tell us about The Laws of Junte in Nordic countries and how these laws underline behaviour towards individuals?
-To what extent do you think the Danish model of gender equality contribute to their happiness?
-As well as scoring highly on measure of happiness, Danish citizens are reported to be the highest consumers of anti-depressants in the world. How do the two things tally?
Useful links mentioned in this episode:
Happy as a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World
Malene’s TEDx talk
Malene on Twitter
Thank you for listening!
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