Happiness is a hooga state of mind

At least according to Danes it is. (Actually the word is spelled “hygge” but pronounced “hooga,”  a much happier word which sounds like a bunch of Vikings grunting contentedly after a hearty feast of whale. Hooga! Almost on the same jubilation scale as “Yowza!”) In two recent independent surveys, one sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the other by the World Values Survey (WVS), Denmark was ranked the happiest country in the world. “What the –?” The normally reticent, grave Danes scratch their heads but sheepishly acknowledge their gift for hooga, which means, intangibly, “to let go.” (And no, it doesn’t refer to letting oneself go to seed or to pot or to become fat and mangy.) Says one delighted Dane: “It’s a combination of relaxing, eating, drinking, partying, spending time with family.” Sounds like a really good recipe for happiness to me.

In more tangible terms, Denmark got top marks for “economic strength and social programs,” that is, for its “free universal health care, one of the highest per-capita GDPs in the world, and first-rate schools,” as well as “the freedom to choose how to live one’s life, encouragement of gender equality, and tolerance for minorities.

“Denmark’s approach relies on high taxes and aggressive redistribution of wealth (Aside: I didn’t know they were socialist!) – anathema to many free-market Americans — which results in a broad range of social services like health care, retirement pensions, and quality public schools. Yet remarkably, the country has managed to make this model work without crushing economic growth or incentives to succeed.” 

E-card my coworker Carisa sent me last month at the height of the $700B bailout brouhaha

Not that Americans are gnashing their teeth in misery. The WVS survey ranked the US as the 16th happiest nation for the same standards of political and social freedom. The survey does note that the US can stand to improve on the areas of “solidarity and universal health coverage,” and that the current distraught state of affairs may have thrown a damper on Americans’ sense of well-being but suggests this is a mere bump in the road. No doubt Americans will go back to being happy freewheeling big spenders as soon as the economy stabilizes again. That’s a relief.

The same survey ranks the Philippines 38th in the happiness scale. Not bad, nor surprising since Filipinos are genetically gifted with massive amounts of hooga in their bloodstream. The only ingredients missing are economic strength, universal health care and quality public school education but who needs those? Not Filipinos, as generations of plundering governments have robbed us blind and conspired to make us poor but hardy, ignorant and amnesiac. All the better to vote for Erap and BongBong Marcos in their 2010 bids for the presidency. Yowza!

The Filipino brand of hooga is bahala na which loosely translates to “que sera sera” or more accurately, “Leave it to God.” That’s because Pinoys are sanay sa hirap (used to hardship) and find no point in worrying. If any ripples from the U.S. financial meltdown are felt, Pinoys aren’t letting on much less fretting (at least that’s what my sister, my brother-in-law who is a VP of a big bank, and my best friend tell me.) Well the underlying truth is that whatever concern there once was has been dulled by resignation or worse, apathy. Why squander precious opportunities of happiness worrying about the economy or the government when nothing will ever change. Might as well enjoy life while you can.

Tales of Mere Existence by Levni Yilmaz

Since moving here to the U.S. five years ago and becoming a citizen two weeks ago (Yowza, the application process took only a miraculous four months instead of the expected 18 months of INS red tape!) I have effectively moved 22 steps up the happiness ladder. I do feel happier. I think. I went from feeling like I had no stake in anything and thus worrying about nothing in Manila, to feeling like a fully vested American worrying about the economy, job security, growing old, retirement, getting sick, terrorists, cost of healthcare, global warming (I worry about this more than anything else), the price of gasoline, cereal, milk, buying a house, not buying a house, immigration, abortion, gay rights, did I mention the ECONOMY?

On top of that the worry for abused animals and children, registered sex offenders in my neighborhood and people dying in Darfur and the Congo keeps me awake at night. And this coming from a natural-born hooga-infused Filipino and an eternal optimist which I am, really.

On Friday I got laid off and decided it was a great time as any to de-stress by taking the rest of the year off (with my family’s blessing) in the midst of an economy gone to hell. If that isn’t hooga laced with liberal amounts of bahala na, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, exercise your optimism and vote because voting will give you an extra little jolt of happiness according to this blog. Imagine how happy you will be to engage in the national conversation as you wait in line for ten hours to vote tomorrow.

I hope Obama wins by 291 electoral votes and delivers us from economic evil with $700B worth of HOOGA. I really want to resume my blissful shopping sprees in pursuit of a higher rung of happiness in the next WVS survey.

On the off chance that McCain wins, I’ll move to Denmark and live hoogaly ever after.

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Here’s my hooga playlist in lieu of poems: