2 days ago
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Finland has been crowned the happiest state successful the world, according to the 2026 World Happiness Report. Nordic countries person topped the happiness database for decades, and Denmark has consistently ranked successful the apical three.
American writer Jessica Joelle Alexander believes the Danes person immoderate habits worthy importing successful the U.S. to rise blessed kids.
The writer of the best-selling publication "The Danish Way of Parenting" told CBS News astir immoderate of the kid rearing customs that she thinks person helped support the bluish European federation truthful happy.
She sums it each up with a elemental acronym: PARENT.
The P is for play.
"The astir important happening for a kid present is to play," she told CBS News.
"Free play is seen arsenic truthful fundamental," she said, due to the fact that it teaches "empathy, dialog skills, captious thinking, collaboration, and an interior locus of control."
The A represents authenticity, and Alexander said it's astir however Danes talk to their kids regarding the authorities of the world.
"I find that they're really incredibly honorable with their children, successful an age-appropriate way," Alexander told CBS News. "I deliberation the attack present is that, if it's portion of life, it should beryllium portion of education, due to the fact that beingness is not a fairy tale."
Denmark is celebrated for fairy tales—it is the location of Hans Christian Andersen, the 19th period writer whose works see "The Little Mermaid."
"But the existent fairy tales are really precise sad," Alexander said. "'The Little Mermaid,' successful the existent version, she dies of sadness. I work some versions to my girl and I recovered she preferred the bittersweet version. It opened up meaningful discussions."
Alexander said the honesty helps physique resilience successful children.
The R is for respect, the E for empathy, the N for "no ultimatums," and the T stands for togetherness.
A batch of factors apt lend to Denmark's wide happiness: It scores precocious connected the World Happiness Report successful spot wrong society, for instance, and has debased levels of inequality and a beardown payment system.
Parents, mothers and fathers, are allowed to instrumentality up to a twelvemonth disconnected erstwhile they person a baby.
Alexander said the U.S. is precise different, but "just similar Italy has large pasta and pizza and we've imported that successful the remainder of the world, Denmark has immoderate large parenting practices I deliberation we tin incorporate."
The United States ranked 17th successful this year's happiness report, beneath Mexico and Panama.
The study includes research, citing information from U.S. marketplace probe institution Gallup and different studies, suggesting a driblet successful wellbeing among young radical who usage societal media heavily.
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