Happiness Isn't about Home Runs

When we Americans (and our cultural followers) think about happiness, we often imagine moments of intense joy — the euphoric highs that leave a lasting impression, which is like slugging percentage in baseball. But recently I read  Shige Oishi's book "Life in Three Dimensions," where he suggests that happiness is better understood as frequency rather than intensity —the steady, consistent getting on base, which is aptly called on-base percentage.

This insight reframes how we view well-being. Rather than chasing rare bursts of excitement, happiness is about the small, repeatable positive moments that, accumulated over time. 

This framework helps explain the so-called “Nordic paradox.” Nordic countries—Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland—consistently rank among the happiest places on Earth in surveys, despite it being obvious they are not overtly cheerful people. 

The paradox dissolves once we understand that Nordic societies excel at removing anti-happiness factors rather than generating exuberant joy. Their success lies in engineering conditions that make emotional strikeouts rare: 

• Robust social safety nets ensure that citizens are protected from many of life’s major stressors—poverty, illness, unemployment—providing a cushion that prevents the debilitating lows many others face.
   
• High levels of trust and low corruption reduce daily psychological burdens. People can engage with public institutions with confidence rather than suspicion or fear.
  
  
• Thoughtful urban design and social norms create quiet, walkable environments where privacy and personal boundaries are respected. There is less social pressure to perform or be extroverted, allowing individuals to conserve emotional energy.
  
  
• The cultural embrace of concepts like hygge—valuing coziness, comfort, and simple pleasures—reflects a collective preference for steady, manageable sources of well-being rather than dramatic highs. 

The Nordic example teaches us that sustainable happiness comes not from occasional bursts of excitement but from stable, low-friction environments that allow people to “get on base” emotionally with regularity. In these environments, well-being is accessible to a broad range of temperaments and personalities, not just those naturally inclined toward high energy or low emotional volatility.

This perspective shifts focus away from seeking extraordinary experiences to building social, cultural, and economic structures that reduce everyday suffering and stress. It highlights the importance of infrastructure—both material and cultural—in shaping emotional landscapes. 

Ironically, the Nordic environment is actually ideal for people across the spectrum — not just exuberant, resilient types. You don't have to be gregarious to feel safe. You don’t have to be emotionally bulletproof to avoid constant psychological wear.

They've created a society where you don’t have to fight to be okay.