According to a UN study a few years ago, the people of Denmark were reported to be the happiest in the world, which this article explains further, as does a highly entertaining book I read called The Xenophobe's Guide to the Danes (and this is in spite of the fact that they also have one of the highest divorce rates in Europe). According to the study, a lot of it has to do with their national culture of cooperation and treating others equally along with a high level of trust in their government, the laws, and each other. Trusting people are happier people, apparently.
I have a slightly different theory, which is completely unsupported by anything anywhere, but that I'll put forth anyway: The Danes are the happiest people in the world because they get all their angst and dysfunction out in their films.
In preparation for my trip, I decided to watch whatever Danish films I could get my hands on. When I did a search, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that I'd already seen several of the most popular films over the years. But as I watched a couple more that were new to me and started to really consider the films collectively, something jumped out to me--namely that, for the most part, they were all pretty dark and disturbing. And about every third film stars Mads Mikkelsen.
Consider the following and what they deal with/contain (warning: there are a few minor spoilers):
The Hunt--divorced teacher accused of being a pedophile, ruined relationships, animal cruelty, a beating in a grocery store, and the total emotional devastation of a nice man
A Royal Affair--infidelity (duh), the corruption of power, oppression/suffering, execution
The Celebration--accusations of incest, suicide, family members punching each other out
After the Wedding--more infidelity, major lies between family members, terminal illness
In a Better World--third-world cruelty to women, death of a parent, bullying, retributive violence
And then there are Lars von Trier's films, which frequently portray sad, traumatized women getting further traumatized and exploited by everyone around them. I still haven't fully recovered from Dancer in the Dark (which I saw in theaters about 14 years ago) and I'm pretty sure Björk hasn't either.
Granted, a few of the films above also offer some hope and work out some redemptive themes, but they sure put you through a hell of a lot first. Things are a little brighter in the lovely Babette's Feast. And Italian for Beginners, if I'm remembering correctly (I also saw that years ago) could pass as the somewhat melancholy, quieter sister to the romantic comedy.
As for all that Danish trust, the fantastic (really, you will thank me for this recommendation) television series Borgen shows just what troubling kinds of compromises, betrayals, and general political shenanigans are required to keep a coalition government going.
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