Happiness in the Nordic world (engelsk)

While many commentators have attributed the Nordic region's high levels of happiness to its particular interpretation of the welfare state, this does not provide a convincing explanation. The Nordic welfare states have changed considerably over time, and Iceland does not share this feature. Instead, the most important factor to come out of international comparisons is the importance of social trust - the ability to trust other people one does not know personally. The Nordic countries constitute the most trusting region in the world, and judging from studies of communities of immigrants from these places to the US, they have done so for a very long time. Also, the populations in three of the five countries are characterised by their very strong sense of personal freedom. These factors contribute to a fuller and richer life. This book ends by discussing to what extent these factors can be exported to other parts of the world.