Why are Danes so darn happy? What does this mean to your happiness?

Is the secret to happiness low expectations and a winning soccer team?

Last summer researchers at the UK's University of Leicester published a study which concluded that the good people of Denmark were the "happiest people on earth."

The study found that a nation's level of happiness was most closely associated with health levels; prosperity and education were the next strongest factors. But some researchers thought this didn't fully explain matters. For instance, life satisfaction in Denmark substantially exceeds that in fellow Nordic countries Sweden and Finland. Was something else making the Danes happier?

They retested the original study's hypothesis (health and a prosperous economy as primary factors) as well as things like family life and even a few odd ones including hair color, genes, food and language. According to the British Medical Journalthe results (as reported by Science Daily) were:

"...their analysis points to two explanatory factors. Firstly, winning the 1992 European Football Championship put Danes in such a state of euphoria that the country has not been the same since. This may explain the high level of life satisfaction in Denmark after 1992, they write.

Secondly, while Danes are very satisfied, their expectations for the coming year are rather low. In contrast, Italy and Greece, which rank low on life satisfaction, rank high on expectations for the year to come, together with Swedes and Finns.

The causes of the stolid depth of Danish wellbeing are undoubtedly multifactorial, they say. The Danish football triumph of 1992 has had a lasting impact, but the satisfaction of the Danes began well before 1992, albeit at a more moderate level.

In other words, it certainly doesn't hurt to have a big win in the nation's #1 sport but the key factor for explaining the "happiness gap" between Danes and Swedes & Finns appears to be that "Danes have consistently low (and realistic) expectations for the year to come."

The lessons from these studies are obvious, relevant, and important:

The obvious. Manage your own expectations. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't shoot for high goals. You can and should expect the best of yourself, but be very realistic in what will come to you regardless of those outcomes.

The relevant. The lessons apply to people just like you. This posting is going up right at the end of the year, when most people are thinking about what the new year will bring. Why not try and be like a Dane in this regard?

The important. Science is just coming to grips with the importance of having a positive attitude, effecting everything from how often you catch a cold to how long you might live. The relatively new field of "positive psychology" (which some people consider it the "scientific study of human happiness") is focused on this area.

Read more about the importance of happiness by clicking on the tags below.