Denmark has been ranked high in the world ranking of the happiest countries in the world for years. The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen thought it was time to set up a museum where visitors can learn more about that seemingly elusive state of happiness. Today the world's first museum about happiness opens at Admiralgade 19 in the center of Copenhagen. In The Happiness Museum, visitors get answers to questions such as 'How has the good life developed over time?' and 'Can you really measure happiness? If so, how?'.
The initiator behind this small museum is The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, which is committed to knowledge about happiness and quality of life on a daily basis. Meik Wiking, director of the institute and author of several books on happiness and quality of life:“The UN has put happiness on the agenda with the World Happiness Report (a survey of the state of global happiness among 156 countries). Denmark is consistently at the top as one of the best countries in the world in terms of happiness. That's why we think Denmark is an obvious place for a museum that focuses on how we can create a better framework for a good life”.
“There is interest in the Danish way of life from all over the world. People want to know how we Danes do that to experience 'happy and quality of life'. With the museum, we give our guests, and ourselves, the opportunity to delve deeper into the subject and learn more,” said Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen (Copenhagen Tourist Office).
Money on the floor and the question of The Matrix
In the museum, the visitor gains insight into the history of happiness, the anatomy of smiles and the question why Scandinavian countries are the superpowers of happiness.
The museum is interactive and visitors can conduct small experiments with chocolate and light therapy or try thought experiments through the 'experience machine'. While this one offers a pleasant experience, it's just a The Matrix-style illusion. The question is whether the visitor would not rather prefer the real world where loss, pain and discomfort are part.
On the floor of the museum is a wallet with cash in it. What will the visitor do, leave behind or take with them? Surveys from around the world of wallets with cash that have been allegedly 'lost' illustrate how this phenomenon is dealt with and whether the money is eventually returned to its rightful owner.
Furthermore, there are also personal objects on display from all over the world, which evoke memories of happy moments.
More information about the museum can be found at:
www.thehappinessmuseum.com
