Scandinavia: Health, Happiness, and Hygge

The newly released 2025 World Happiness Report finds that the top four happiest countries in the world are Nordic: Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. What is it about the Nordic countries that makes them rank consistently and regularly so high in the World Happiness Report? Part of the answer is their emphasis on caring and sharing, or societies that help build connection, support, and trust. In this study abroad, we will explore cultures, social networks, and policy making, and focus particularly on the idea of compassionate communities. We will begin by visiting the Compassionate Mind Foundation, a research center in England, to better understand compassion as a driving force for better mental health, strong relationships, and flourishing societies. We will then see how caring and sharing play out in the Nordic region, visiting Stockholm, Sweden, and Copenhagen, Denmark. In both of these cities, we will spend time learning, exploring, and intentionally integrating Nordic values of balance, trust, social connection, nature, and intentional coziness into our day-to-day lives. We will also take an extended excursion to Norway to experience the fishing towns and fjords, and all along the way, soak in the long summer evenings, enjoy biking through cities and forests, swim in fjords and lakes, celebrate Midsommar and dance around the maypole, and experience firsthand the art of fika and hygge—ways of slowing down and savoring connection. Join us as we immerse ourselves in the cultures that consistently rank among the happiest on earth.

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