A little more hygge, please
What makes a society happy? It’s not just a strong economy, Shamubeel Eaqub writes.
The latest World Happiness Report shows that New Zealand is a pretty happy place. We have gotten a little less happy over the past decade, meaning we can’t be complacent. And we can learn from other countries.
The World Happiness Report published by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network measures perceptions of wellbeing across and within countries.
The top 10 countries are all rich and share similar economic approaches. All relatively liberal on the economy, but active in social policy, they are Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand and Sweden.
Compared to top-ranked Norway, we fall behind on a few underlying drivers, but do better in others.
Our incomes are lower and fewer of us have the freedom to make life choices.
But we do better on social support, healthy life expectancy, generosity, and perceptions of low corruption.
We can nitpick over whether we really believe these scores, but that doesn’t matter.
As the survey is subjective, it is about how we perceive things to be, which has a strong bearing on our wellbeing and happiness. Behind the stoic Kiwi look is a happy nation.
A big driver of wellbeing is economic performance. Generally higher incomes leads to higher scores, as it gives access to better opportunities for individuals and better public services.
But not always. China, for example, is no happier than 25 years earlier, even though economic performance has been spectacular. Fraying social safety nets was a big driver.
In South America, people are happier than suggested by incomes, because they value family and social connections more.
Economic opportunity gives us opportunities and freedom to do, or get,what we desire. But it can also lead us to prioritise work and money over other important things.
Rana Dasgupta’s 2014 book, Capital: The Explosion of Delhi ,is an excellent read and neatly encapsulates the contrasting effects seen during a period of rapid economic transformation.
The book also details the extraordinary corruption that accompanied economic liberalisation.
He traverses Delhi’s experience with globalisation. It paints the disconnects between glitzy malls next to squalor, extreme wealth and a growing middle class next to poverty, social mores out of the home but conservatism inside.
Ultimately, the economic opportunities give many access to dignity through employment and entrepreneurship. But the means can become the prize.
The pursuit of money can fray the social fabric and worsen corruption, both of which reduce the happiness of a nation.
In rich countries, the scores are not that different. The differences are largest amongst the poor and vulnerable, where the score between countries can vary significantly.
Here a social safety net with welfare, access to healthcare and education is critical.
But there is also a cultural element. Culture can overcome a tendency for individualism to make people isolated, lonely or divided.
Psychologist Marie HelwegLarsen studied the Danish cultural practice of ‘‘hygge,’’ which the Oxford Dictionary describes as high quality social interaction.
I guess a bit like the Kiwi traditions of gathering around the barbecue or getting together at the bach.
She suggests that this practice of intentional intimacy is a big part of why the Danes are so happy.
As a result, Danes are happy to pay high taxes for lower inequality and more public services, believing higher taxes lead to a better society.
We need to keep investing in our key public services like health, education and welfare. But also we need to think about how we can develop our own hygge – to bring back a sense of egalitarianism and increase trust in society.
Unless we are a happy and united people, the upcoming challenges of an ageing population and deep intergenerational differences will be impossible to solve.