The article, as many of its ilk, presupposes that certain things are "good" and others are "bad". Purchasing power is used, rather than GDP as some other comme

The article, as many of its ilk, presupposes that certain things are "good" and others are "bad". Purchasing power is used, rather than GDP as some other commenters have assumed, but it only tells you what is possible to purchase rather than how closely what is possible matches what is desired by that population! Interacting with Scandinavians I've found that the concept known variously as hyggelig , gemytligt, hyggw, koselig, gemuetlichkeit (in various northern European languages) is very central to their cultural identities. It represents a sort of... "social coziness", a comfortable harmony, and this is what is sought. To me this stands in contrast to states of mind that would make an American happy. Don't take my comment as saying that this cultural concept somehow renders Scandinavians superior. I find that my own preferences tend towards having the greatest purchasing power, but without delving into the murky depths of cultural relativism it's important to understand that the subjective evaluation of objective economic parameters can vary wildly.