Making Happy Happen

“Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world,” proclaims an article on the morningfuture.com website. “This is according to the UN’s World Happiness Report, an important survey that since 2012 classifies the happiness of 155 countries in the world, and that for seven years has placed Denmark among the top three happiest countries on a global level. The fact that teaching empathy has been mandatory since 1993 in schools in Denmark is a factor that contributes to the happiness of the country. Empathy helps build relationships, prevent bullying and…promotes the growth of leaders, entrepreneurs and managers.”

Rachel Robertson, in an Out of the Box Training Kit, “Making Happy Happen,” writes about another way to help children grow up happier: “One of the best ways to nurture happiness is to prepare children for the adversity they’re guaranteed to encounter in life: in other words, develop their resilience. Ann Masten, a leading researcher on resilience calls it ordinary magic: a commonplace phenomenon that can do wondrous things. Sure, resilience is something we are all born with, But, if it is not nurtured or if a child repeatedly experiences significant crises, his resilience can wither and fade… Purposefully developing a child’s naturally resilient tendencies will give him the essential life skills he needs to cope with challenges, adopt a positive perspective, and develop self-confidence and self-worth – all essential ingredients for happiness.”

Source: “Empathy? In Denmark they’re learning it in school.” morningfuture.com, April 26, 2019

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