Norway, the happiest country in the world (apparently).

[jarofthoughts]

I think the Vikings still have an outpost in Minnesota. They were invaders.

Ah, yes... We do have a...questionable past, don't we.
And now we're considered 'champions of peace'.
Funny how things turn out.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

So, as of 2017 Norway has been deemed the happiest country in the world.
Granted, most of the Nordic countries tend to populate the top 3-5 of that list every year, but apparently we beat all the other ones out this time.

Thus, seeing as I am Norwegian myself and have lived here all my life (apart from working for shorter periods of time in other countries), I figured that if anyone has any questions or things they've always wondered about regarding Norway, I will do my best to answer them here in this thread.

A bit about myself, so you know where I am coming from: I am a 41 year old elementary school teacher, a profession I've practiced for about 12 years. Before that I worked as a bouncer for a few years, and I was also a marketing executive for most of my twenties. So I've tried a few different things.
I've had personal experience with the Norwegian healthcare seeing as I almost died a few years back, but I have never been unenmployed. I served for a year in the Norwegian military as a kind of recon ranger, but just the mandatory stuff.

So, if you have any questions, please post them below.

Source: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on Earth - BBC News

How would you mesh that with the notoriously high suicide rate in Nordic countries, happy as in 'not complaining' any more ?

 

[David T]

So, as of 2017 Norway has been deemed the happiest country in the world.
Granted, most of the Nordic countries tend to populate the top 3-5 of that list every year, but apparently we beat all the other ones out this time.

Thus, seeing as I am Norwegian myself and have lived here all my life (apart from working for shorter periods of time in other countries), I figured that if anyone has any questions or things they've always wondered about regarding Norway, I will do my best to answer them here in this thread.

A bit about myself, so you know where I am coming from: I am a 41 year old elementary school teacher, a profession I've practiced for about 12 years. Before that I worked as a bouncer for a few years, and I was also a marketing executive for most of my twenties. So I've tried a few different things.
I've had personal experience with the Norwegian healthcare seeing as I almost died a few years back, but I have never been unenmployed. I served for a year in the Norwegian military as a kind of recon ranger, but just the mandatory stuff.

So, if you have any questions, please post them below.

Source: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on Earth - BBC News

It's emperical proof that norwaynians (those who were from Norway but migrated to the United states, Minnesota specifically) were the unhappy genetically challenged lot, that left behind the happy modern Norwegians. I blame those unhappy original norwaynians on the unhappiness in the United States.. if the happy ones had migrated well norway would be a very unhappy country.... is that crazy talk? Of course it is, but its fundemental to European/American logic. Its what makes western culture what it is!!!! Nuts!!!! Ok. sorry i was trying to be normal. I do hope the humor translates well..

 

[Shem Ben Noah]

I guess antisemitism brings... happiness??

Welcome to Norway, the West’s most anti-Semitic country

And yes, I'm mostly of Norwegian ancestry.

 

[jarofthoughts]

How would you mesh that with the notoriously high suicide rate in Nordic countries, happy as in 'not complaining' any more ?

Actually, there are plenty of countries that have us beat in that department.
Even in the EU we're around the lower middle somewhere, and countries like the US and Russia have more suicides per 100.000 citizens.
Finland tends to score pretty high on those studies for some reason though.
Not sure why, but they have been considered our gloomy cousins for a long time.

In either case; you'd have to as the UN about their survey. They're the ones who publish this ranking each year.

 

[jarofthoughts]

I guess antisemitism brings... happiness??

Welcome to Norway, the West’s most anti-Semitic country

And yes, I'm mostly of Norwegian ancestry.

While it is true that fighting racism is a constant battle in all countries, according to Times of Israel, Norway isn't even on the top ten with regards to antisemitism (not that we'd want to be).
It is, however, very important to separate criticism of Israel the state, and the political and military actions thereof, from actual hatred of Jews as an ethnic/religious group.
And it is true that large portions of the Norwegian populace is critical of how Israel has handled the situation with Palestine, but that doesn't mean that they are antisemitic.

Source: The 10 most anti-Semitic countries

 

[LuisDantas]

One curiosity: what would you say to be widely perceived threats to happiness among Scandinavians (or Norwegian people specifically)?

 

[jarofthoughts]

One curiosity: what would you say to be widely perceived threats to happiness among Scandinavians (or Norwegian people specifically)?

I would say potential future income inequality might be a threat. While Norway is still one of the best in the world when it comes to this subject, it has worsened somewhat over the last decade or two, and it is something we will have to watch closely.
Secondly it appears that the pressure put on teens and young adults to be 'perfect', i.e. having good grades, good looks, lots of friends, etc. is causing some backlash in that some groups of youths report being exhausted to the point of becoming mentally ill.
Thirdly, the Norwegian school system has been under pressure from misinformed reforms and additions based on New Public Management, meaning implementation of unnecessary demands for documentation and standardized testing. This has put a toll on the public school system without giving much in the way of improved results, and could potentially threaten one of the pillars of why our society works the way it does.

 

[metis]

How would you mesh that with the notoriously high suicide rate in Nordic countries, happy as in 'not complaining' any more ?

I can't deal with this from a Norwegian perspective but I can from a Swedish one.

Suicides are labeled as such without pretending they're not because insurance companies still pay out, plus there's less of a stigma attached to it than here in the Americas. Studies done here in the States pretty much agree that the American suicide rate is at least as high as Sweden's if we were to calculated the stats the same way the Swedes do.

Also, the long winters with very little sunlight helps to create a more depressive atmosphere, as well as the relative high rate of alcohol abuse. Getting stinking drunk in Stockholm is not as looked down upon as it would be in Rome, for example.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I've known a number of people from Scandinavian countries over the years, and almost to a person, they came here because they couldn't stand it over there. I suppose if everyone who doesn't like it leaves, then you'd be left with a "happy" population, by whatever subjective measure they happen to be using.

 

[Akivah]

So, if you have any questions, please post them below.

Source: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on Earth - BBC News

Which rung of the ladder are you on?

 

[Stevicus]

I've known a number of people from Scandinavian countries over the years, and almost to a person, they came here because they couldn't stand it over there. I suppose if everyone who doesn't like it leaves, then you'd be left with a "happy" population, by whatever subjective measure they happen to be using.

This reminded me of fairy tale spoof on an old Monty Python record:

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived in a valley far, far away in the mountains, the most contented kingdom the world had ever known. It was called 'Happy Valley', and it was ruled over by a wise old king called Otto. And all his subjects flourished and were happy, and there were no discontents or grumblers, because wise King Otto had had them all put to death along with the trade union leaders many years before. And all the good happy folk of Happy Valley sang and danced all day long. And anyone who was for any reason miserable or unhappy or who had any difficult personal problems was prosecuted under the 'Happiness Act'.

 

[jarofthoughts]

I've known a number of people from Scandinavian countries over the years, and almost to a person, they came here because they couldn't stand it over there. I suppose if everyone who doesn't like it leaves, then you'd be left with a "happy" population, by whatever subjective measure they happen to be using.

You'd have to ask the UN what criteria they use.
My guess is a simple survey.
No-one said this was a scientific measure, and as I stated in the title of the thread, Norway is APPARENTLY the happiest country in the world.

 

[jarofthoughts]

Which rung of the ladder are you on?

If we're talking income I'm pretty much square in the middle.
As a teacher with 12 years seniority I make almost exactly what is considered the average salary in Norway.

 

[Stevicus]

You know, I've always heard that Disneyland was the "happiest place on Earth." And having been to Disneyland many times, I can say that there is some truth to that.

So, do they have any amusement parks or places like Disneyland in Norway?

 

[Shem Ben Noah]

It is, however, very important to separate criticism of Israel the state, and the political and military actions thereof, from actual hatred of Jews as an ethnic/religious group.

Not really. Anti-Israel propaganda is a well known euphemism for Anti-Jew propaganda. It's an old PC tactic by now and fools no one who's seen it before.

And it is true that large portions of the Norwegian populace is critical of how Israel has handled the situation with Palestine, but that doesn't mean that they are antisemitic.

I would think that after the shameful treatment of Norway's Jews under Quisling that the 'Norwegian populace' would be a bit less judgemental. There wasn't any Israel back then now was there?

 

[jarofthoughts]

You know, I've always heard that Disneyland was the "happiest place on Earth." And having been to Disneyland many times, I can say that there is some truth to that.

So, do they have any amusement parks or places like Disneyland in Norway?

We have some, although nothing like Disney Land.
However, we do have some of the most stunning and beautiful nature found anywhere in the world, which many choose to take advantage of.
Hiking and skiing is very popular i Norway, and we are generally quite good at being 'tourists' in our own country.
Personally I take several walks in the woods on a weekly basis, and it tends to refresh my mind and make me feel more alive.
It's a great stress-reliever.

 

[jarofthoughts]

Not really. Anti-Israel propaganda is a well known euphemism for Anti-Jew propaganda. It's an old PC tactic by now and fools no one who's seen it before.

I dislike the word 'propaganda' as it implies lying or exaggerating.
But what you are basically implying here is that Israel should be exempt from criticism because it is just founded in a hatred for Jews. And that is not something I can neither accept nor condone.
No-one is above criticism and while there can be many reasons for people being critical, dismissing all of them as just being racist is not only playing the victim-card to an extreme degree, but it is also deceitful.
Hate-speech against ethnic or religious groups is one of the few things that limit freedom of speech in Norway, but being critical of another country's politics and military actions is not.

I would think that after the shameful treatment of Norway's Jews under Quisling that the 'Norwegian populace' would be a bit less judgemental. There wasn't any Israel back then now was there?

Are you serious?
You're using a man convicted and executed after the war (in Norway, by Norwegian courts) as an argument, more than 60 years later, for why we should not criticize Israel now?
Please tell me you are joking...

 

[Akivah]

If we're talking income I'm pretty much square in the middle.

No, the subject was about happiness. Which rung are you on for that?

 

[jarofthoughts]

No, the subject was about happiness. Which rung are you on for that?

Oh, I'm quite happy with my life.
I have a fullfilling and meaningful job, I make enough not to miss anything, I have good friends and family, a loving fiancè, hobbies that challenge my creativity...
Can't complain much really.