In the bleak midwinter, one wonders how the Scandinavians keep coming up as the happiest people in the world when it’s cold and dark and miserable outside, conditions that drive many to indulge unproductive addictions. Recent research into the psychology behind Nordic life satisfaction turns up practical tips for those who choose to bypass initial cringe factors or cultural bias toward overwork.

Day or night, dark or light, Scandinavian families get outside every day, in a practice called friluftsliv, translated as "open air life." The Norwegians have a saying, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes.”

In 2019, a social psychologist, Mathew White of the European Centre for Environment & Human Health at the University of Exeter, studied the effects of spending weekly time in green spaces — local parks or other natural environments, either all at once or spaced over several visits. Of 20,000 people studied, those who go outside for at least two hours a week are substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who don’t, regardless of their demographics. The study finds that people who do not meet the two-hour threshold show no benefit.

A meta-analysis, by the........

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