I recently saw a segment on the happiest place on earth. I assumed it would be a warm, tropical island in the pacific or a small village on the Amalfi coast. I was wrong. Its Denmark. I couldn’t believe it. Especially because when I lived there I thought I was depressed for most of the year. I always heard that sunlight equals happiness and well they don’t see the sun for a good five months out of the year.
Well I got to thinking about Denmark and the people and why on earth they might be considered the happiest people on earth and I came up with a few reasons.
I photographed a man in his 70s because after walking past him a couple of days I noticed his constant smile. While I was grimacing in the cold, he seemed to love it. When taking his portrait, I asked him why he always smiled despite the cold and he responded by saying it just makes the summer even better. And its true once the ice melts and late spring comes around, this place is amazing. While in the winter people stay inside, in the summer everyone is out and stays out until the sun goes down around midnight or later. The sun then peeks its head up around 3 or 4 in the morning. So if you decide to go to a pub when its light you might find yourself walking home with the sun. So while I admit I hated the winter there, the summer made up for it.
The Danes also have this odd thing called the Jante law. It was imperative at the time for me to understand this law as a journalist because it influences the way you propose stories and interact with the locals. It is an unwritten law that imposes modesty on its people. It says Don’t think you’re anyone special or that you’re better than us.
I have to admit that I thought it was an odd law to live by but it started making sense to me once I moved back to the states. The middle class - something we don’t understand here in the US. Homogeneity - something we fear.
Anyway, after hearing this, I wanted to reflect on my time in Denmark - one that at the time I would have defined by depression but later defined by happiness.
Posted by Jenn Ackerman
