It’s another dark, dreary day and I can hear the pitter-patter of rain on the roof. The sky beyond looks ominous. I drag myself out of bed, take a shower, and pull out my usual outfit of woollen pants, thermal under-layers, cashmere or wool jumpers (yes, plural), a down coat, my scarf and matching beanie, and a pair of woollen socks. I then slip my feet into chunky, fur-linedboots, grab an umbrella and ready myself for the freezing day ahead.
I’m an expat living in the second happiest country in the world, Denmark, a northern European nation a stone’s throw from Finland, which has, for the seventh time in a row, topped the World Happiness Report. The report is based on a Gallup World Poll sample of 100,000 people from 130 countries who rate their own happiness from 0 (the worst possible life) to 10 (the best). And researchers use the results to extrapolate the role of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support etc in the final score.
Once again this year, the results set the world into a flurry as other nations asked, “What are these Nordic