Happiness researchers in an interview: “We in the north simply have a head start when it comes to luck”

Schleswig-Holstein will elect a new state parliament on Sunday.

The country regularly occupies a top position in the so-called happiness atlas.

Why is that, Mr. Jensen?

Anna Lena Ripperger

Editor in Politics.

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Research is relatively unanimous that the bulk of happiness—or contentment, as we researchers prefer to call it—is rooted in genes.

You decide 50 percent whether the glass is half full or half empty for us.

And we simply have an advantage in the north because we share a common gene pool with the Scandinavians.

And are they happier?

Yes.

That has to do with the fact that life in the North is a bit more relaxed, not so excited, not so hectic.

Emotional serenity plays an important role, it is very happiness-promoting.

And that you enjoy the beautiful side of life and are happy when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing in your face.

That sounds nice, but also a bit romanticizing.

There are certainly problems in Schleswig-Holstein: low wages, long commutes to work, too few daycare places.

How does that fit with the high level of satisfaction?

Of course there are problems.

But we Schleswig-Holsteiners tend to ask: What can I do about it?

And if we can't change anything, then we don't care about it.

This is also shown by the classic North German panic outbreak: Oh ha. (

.) If there's a bit of a storm, it's not so wild for us.

And what you have to say very clearly, even if it sounds banal: money doesn't play such a big role in happiness - if your own existence is sufficiently secure.

Because with more money, the demands also grow.

In the neighboring state of Hamburg, however, average gross wages are significantly higher than in Schleswig-Holstein.

Isn't that enough to arouse envy?

It doesn't have much of an impact.

You probably don't compare your wealth to a tennis star or someone on TV, but rather to that of your neighbors or colleagues.

This is the norm.

Nobody looks at the average income and then thinks: Oh, but we in Schleswig-Holstein are poorly off.

That would be terrible.

Is that a plea for frugality?

The happy people are not the ones who want the best, but the ones who make the most of what they have.

And the people in the north are good at that.

What else can you learn from the North Germans besides their composure and frugality in order to be happier?

As I said, genes are 50 percent decisive for happiness.

We have no influence over them.

Living conditions are decisive for 20 percent – ​​health, age, income and so on.

20 percent depends on how active I am, how I spend my free time, what goals and attitudes I have.

And 10 percent is the so-called happiness of the day – i.e. what happens to me on the specific day of the survey.

In the data we see that people in the north are relatively athletic.

So a tip would be: go out more often, don't hang around at the TV at home and munch on chips.

Meeting people, moving, maybe cycling to work instead of driving.

Prime Minister Daniel Günther, who wants to lead the government with his CDU even after the state elections, seems to have internalized this North German lucky formula well.

Not only does he appear calm in public, he also shares his running routes on his website.

Politicians like him, who take things calmly, are pragmatic and don't make too much fanfare, definitely fit in quite well with the people of Schleswig-Holstein.

What can politics do to make people happy?

Politicians cannot make people happier directly.

But of course she can take care of the basic needs.

Corona has already hit it pretty hard when it comes to satisfaction, with homeschooling, worries about health and one's own existence.

The same threatens now, due to the war in Ukraine and its consequences for us in Germany.

Politicians can do a lot to prevent major cuts in people's lives.

Would moving to Schleswig-Holstein actually automatically make me a happier person?

No, that won't work, because the essential parts for satisfaction are already in us. If a dissatisfied person, let's say from Saxony-Anhalt or Bavaria, moves to Wesselburen, then it doesn't make a crack and he's satisfied.

After all, the influence of the landscape, of wind, water and flat land, is not that great.

Personality and life situation are much more important, whether someone has family and friends, whether they are valued and have the feeling of having done something meaningful in the evening.

In the end, it may even be that the person is less satisfied after the move because they miss the mountains and find it dreadful that you can see for miles here with us.