How to be happy? 10 keys to happiness from the author of a bestseller about achieving it – she’s a Dane, often ranked one of the world’s happiest people

Trust in and respect for others, modesty, realistic expectations, work-life balance and gender equality are among the things making Denmark a hub of happiness

On International Day of Happiness, Malene Rydahl describes the values Danish people hold dear and that make them some of the happiest people in the world

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Malene Rydahl speaks in Paris on wellbeing and performance. The author of Happy As a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World shares 10 secrets to happiness from her country, Denmark, regularly ranked among the most happy places in the world. Photo: Malene Rydahl

Published: 4:15am, 20 Mar 2024Updated: 6:02pm, 20 Mar 2024

Malene Rydahl did not realise she had been born into what is considered one of the world’s happiest countries until she moved from Denmark to Paris to become a nanny at the age of 18.

She soon discovered that values she had taken for granted at home, such as innate trust in and respect for others, independence, and good work-life balance, were not so widely embraced in other places.

She struggled to regain her happiness, and in doing so realised that it can be self-taught and comes from within.

After going on to have a successful career in advertising, marketing and public relations in France, she went in search of what really makes people happy. In 2017, she published the international bestseller, Happy As a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World.

Rydahl gives a keynote address on happiness at a hospitality convention in Copenhagen in 2023. Photo: Malene Rydahl

Since The World Happiness Report was first published in 2012, Rydahl’s home country has always appeared in the top five happiest countries, usually accompanied by the other Nordic countries of Norway, Finland and Iceland.

The report, published by the United Nations, draws on data mainly from the Gallup World Poll, based on respondents’ ratings of their own happiness.