Shawn Tan
As the world reels from the impact of the coronavirus, one country has answered the call. Enter Copenhagen’s Happiness Museum. Officially opened two months ago, the museum was created to bring happiness to life. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The brainchild of the Happiness Research Institute, a think-tank focusing on well-being and quality of life, the museum comes with eight rooms. Each explores how happiness is expressed in areas of our lives through different perspectives.
Can you distinguish between a real smile and a fake smile? Why is laughter contagious? How does happiness change with age? These are some of the questions the museum would seek to enlighten guests.
“I think people imagine that the Institute is like a magical place, a room full of puppies or ice cream,” said CEO Meik Wiking. “But we are just eight people sitting in front of computers looking at data.”
“The UN has put happiness on the agenda with the World Happiness Report, where Denmark is repeatedly ranked as one of the countries in the world that is best for creating well-being, happiness and quality of life. Therefore, we think that Denmark is an obvious home for a museum that focuses on how we create a better framework for good lives.”
Also read: Copenhagen to Create Unique Cluster of Floating Public Parks
Interactive happiness
If you’re expecting The Happiness Museum in Copenhagen to be a mere walk-through exhibition, you’ll be surprised. The museum is highly interactive and encourages visitors to be involved with things like light therapy and thought-provoking experiments.
In the geography of happiness exhibition, visitors can locate where their countries stand on the World Happiness Report 2020 world map. There’s also a section dedicated to smiling. Here, they can get up close and personal with the Mona Lisa and figure out which side of her face is actually smiling.
In the time of COVID-19, happiness may seem like a difficult pursuit. But a place like Copenhagen’s Happiness Museum is sure to put a smile on our faces. The next time you’re in Copenhagen, check them out and drop by!
