As residents of Sweden, you ought to know more about this place than its most cliché associations. Meet this country’s greatest asset: the welfare system.
It only takes a quick look around to realize that Sweden is a pretty
swell place. Nothing but pretty towns and pretty people.
No wonder, then, that Swedes are often reported to be among the
happiest people in the world. But what could explain that? Is decorating one’s home with cozy IKEA furniture that satisfying? Maybe the lingonberries are injected with happy pills, which would explain why Swedes pour them over everything.
In fact, the reason may lie with an unexpected source. A little thing called the social welfare system.
Perhaps you have heard somewhere that the Swedish government takes
care of its citizens from cradle to grave, and that Swedes pay
taxes up the rear. Both claims are quite true. Swedes pay higher
taxes, but in return receive a smörgåsbord of benefits like free
health care, free education, and paid retirement, all the while being
left with enough cash to keep their seasonal wardrobe up to date.
For many Americans and citizens of developing countries, needs like
health care and education are serious costs which can threaten to
bankrupt them. That is a worry large enough to dampen anyone’s
spirits.
Suddenly, it makes more sense why Swedes are apparently so happy.
Their major life costs are taken care of, granting them more security
and freedom in life. If you think of the Swedish safety net as more
of a safety hammock—which Swedes get paid to relax in—then this whole
happiness mystery seems less, well, mysterious. It is basically
Hakuna Matata in real life.
Now sure, being taken care of by the state is no guarantee of
happiness. The state cannot help Swedes find their true love, or
their ultimate purpose in life. Nevertheless, most people would probably choose those dilemmas over disease and hunger any day.
We already love these Nordic people for the cool products they make, but there is one more “good” to be shared. If Swedes could export
their ideas on social welfare, it would help make other parts of the
world pretty swell places to be.
