Mr Wiking, what is happiness?
happiness is an Umbrella term, in which we put all sorts of things that make for us a good life. Happiness has many components: a sense of meaning in life, of connectedness with other people, meaningful work, health, and enjoyment in everyday life like a good meal in the circle of friends. The Exciting the luck is that it has so many facets. That is exactly what we want to make the Museum visible.
How to show these facets in a Museum?
We have various areas, for example, on the history of happiness. How did the idea of the good life? We look at the science of happiness, how to quantify happiness. And look at the whole world: As different people in different cultures understand the happiness? In addition, we exhibit artifacts, for example, we have a “Make America Great Again,” cap, because researchers have measured that the English in the year 2016, at 9. November at the most unfortunate goods, one day after Donald trump’s choice.
What has changed over time to the idea of happiness?
looked to the past, we have the gods, because the were able to make us happy. Today, happiness is our own project, and we are responsible for it. Companies promise today: If you buy this or that, you will be happy. Of course I can do something, but I’m also subject to some social and genetic conditions that I can’t change. So, if Coca Cola say that happiness is a decision, it is very simplified. Because it ignores many factors which also have importance.
What are the factors that are the?
in fact, there are many different factors. Some of them we can’t affect. For example, the genetics plays a role: Identical twins often have relatively similar levels of Happiness, while to not think for fraternal twins, so large correlations. Genetics is also a factor in the development of mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. Also the age is crucial, as we can see in most of the countries, a U-curve. We are typically happier when we are younger and older. Many people in their forties to a kind of zero point. Relations, but also in our way to and from work, the love life, health. Luck but also depends on where we live: people with children are in America are less happy than in Portugal, Finland, Sweden. It has to do with the living conditions.
What influence I can take on my happiness?
I think we should look at happiness as well as health: Everyone is genetically predisposed to certain diseases, but also the place of residence has a meaning: Denmark, for example, on a super health care system. The last category is our personal choice: Smoking we, how much we drink, how our food is, how much we move? So it is similar with happiness.
