World’s First Happiness Museum Opens in Denmark

レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

The world’s first happiness museum has opened in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Happiness Museum was founded by author Meik Wiking [VAHY-king] and curated by the Happiness Research Institute, a private organization that focuses on people’s well-being and quality of life. The museum has eight exhibits that explore the role of happiness in different areas of people’s lives. The goal of the museum is to remind visitors what provides value to them and makes them feel good. According to Wiking, he hopes that guests feel eager to make a positive change in the world after visiting the museum. The Happiness Museum offers an interactive experience through different activities and thought experiments. It also has a geography section that presents how particular environments affect a person’s level of happiness. In this section, visitors can see a world map that shows the happiness rankings of 153 countries. Other sections of the museum explore the science and history of happiness. The museum also has a room that is dedicated to smiling. In this room, visitors can analyze which side of Mona Lisa's face is making the enigmatic smile. The museum also displays personal objects donated by people from different parts of the world, which serve as a reminder of moments that made them happy. Wiking said that the United Nations has made happiness a part of its agenda, and the organization has been publishing the World Happiness Report annually since 2012. He explained that Denmark has consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world, making it a good location for The Happiness Museum. Currently, the museum is open to the public but has a few restrictions because of Covid-19.