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I Saw Why the Swiss Are Happier Than Americans
They score better than us on the World Happiness Index for a reason.
I stepped off the plane, and into the Zurich Airport, seeing waves of people going by and was immediately taken aback.
Despite the huge crowds swirling around me, everyone spoke in hushed tones. Rather than the usual cacophony of conversations and loud music, I heard only a gentle murmur as we strolled across the black marble floors.
“Why is it so quiet?” I asked my spouse, Laura, softly, as if I were in a library.
She shrugged and said, “I guess it’s cultural.”
I heard a parent shush a child in the distance, seeming to affirm Laura’s point. Even at a playground full of kids, the relative quiet remained. There was no screaming, outside of that of an occasional infant. And I suppose it shouldn’t have been terribly surprising, given our reputation as “loud Americans”.
This was but one of a few cultural shocks during my trip to Switzerland last week. Beyond being an incredibly beautiful country, with a fascinating history, it offered a glimpse of what our lives could be like.
