BBC: What's the key to happiness?

That's a big smile on your face, Georgina! You seem happy today!

I am, Neil. After all, what's the point in seeing the glass half empty?

Ah, so you're someone who tries to see the glass half full- you generally look at things in a positive way. 

I hope so! It may seem strange to be discussing happiness in the middle of a global pandemic but right now feeling happy is more important than ever. 

Well, then, it's lucky that happiness is the subject of this programme, Georgina. And while many things seem to be out of our control just now, there are small things we can do to feel better about life...

... to feel less stressed, and maybe even a little happier. 

You're talking like a Dane now, Georgina. Denmark, and in fact all the Nordic countries, are often listed as among the happiest places in the world. 

You know what would make me happy, Neil- asking me a really good quiz question. 

OK. Well, did you know that every year the UN publishes its Global Happiness Survey revealing the happiest countries in the world? It's based on factors lkie income, life expectancy and health. The Nordic countries often come in the top ten, but which country was rated the happiest in 2020? Was it:

a) Iceland  b) Denmark   or c) Finland?

Well, Neil, Denmark is famous for bacon, and nothing makes me happier than a bacon sandwich, so I'll say b) Denmark.

I like your thinking, Georgina! We'll find out the answer later, but you're certainly right to say that Denmark is considered one of the happiest countries in the world. 

Malene Rydahl, author of the bestselling book, Happy as a Dane, believes that aspects of Danish culture can help us improve our chances of happiness. 

Here she is explaining what happiness means for her to BBC World Service programme, The Conversation. See if you can hear what she thinks:

Well, I think we should be seeking alignment and I think we should practice gratitude and I think that we should be more conscious about how we relate to things that happen to us and how much we compare ourselves to others... I do think that what we need to focus on is the quality of our relationships. 

Did you hear Malene use the world alignment? She thinks there should be harmony between my true sense of who I am, what I think and how I relate to others. We should be in alignment- or in the correct relation, to those things. 

Malene also thinks happiness comes from gratitude- feeling grateful and expressing thanks to other people. 

She recommends finding three things, no matter how small, to be grateful for every day. 

Like... getting a good night's sleep, drinking a hot coffee... and having this chat with you...Gerorgina. 

Thanks, Neil, that's put a smile on my face! It may sound strange but doing this every day can really boost your happiness levels. 

Malene also warns against seeking happiness in external things, as you can hear in this chat with BBC World Service's, The Conversation:

If you seek happiness and you mistake it for pleasure, you will be running around like a little hamster in a wheel because it's never enough and because you will be very quickly the victim of the hedonic treadmill... and the hedonic treadmill is...you know, you want something, you think if you're more beautiful, if you get more power, if you get more money and fame and then you'll finally be happy... and then you get it and you get a small satisfaction. 

According to Malene, chasing external pleasures like money and fame will leave you feeling like a hamster on a wheel- like someone who's always busy but never accomplishes anything useful or finishes what they start. 

She also says it's easy to become a victim of the hedonic treadmill. This is the idea that humans adapt to whatever level of happiness they achieve. As we make more money, meet the perfect boyfriend or whatever we desire, our expectations also increase, so we never find the happiness we hoped we would!

'Money can't buy happiness', as my grandma used to say. 

Right. In fact, it's probably the quality of our relationships, not external objects, that gives satisfaction- the pleasure we feel when we achieve something we wanted to.

Lots of useful tips there, Georgina, for feeling as happy as a Dane. 

A Dane, you say, Neil? So I got the correct answer?

In my quiz question I asked Georgina which Nordic country was rated happiest in the UN's 2020 golbal survey. 

I guessed b) Denmark. 

But in fact, Georgina, it was... c) Finland. I guess their bacon sandwiches are even better!