杏吧原创

HOW鈥橲 your health? Do you socialise with friends regularly? Feel fulfilled after a day鈥檚 hard graft? I鈥檓 not just being nosy; these are strong indicators of the quality of your life.

So says the UK-based New Economics Foundation (NEF), which has measured the well-being levels of European societies. Rather than use more traditional economic indicators to judge a population鈥檚 success, their National Accounts of Well-Being analysed well-being levels across 22 European countries by looking at personal factors such as relationships, life satisfaction and self-esteem. What emerged from the data was that, on average, Scandinavian populations boast consistently high levels of well-being compared with most other European countries (see 鈥淗ow are they feeling?鈥�).

To see how I fared in the feel-good stakes, I took NEF鈥檚 survey and came in with a pretty decent well-being rating of 4.9, on a 10-point scale, compared with the European average of 5. Yet I鈥檓 still far behind the Scandinavians, who come in with a score of 5.62. So what is it that makes the Nordic people so content? And does Scandinavia鈥檚 high level of well-being indicate a land of opportunity for a scientist looking for a fresh start?

Positive vibes

Nordic nations are infamous for their high taxes, yet nevertheless seem to experience more positive and less negative feelings than the rest of us. Carl-Henrik Heldin, director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) in Uppsala, Sweden, reckons this is because Scandinavians are rarely disappointed, due in part to a solid support system. 鈥淪candinavian countries all have the sort of societies that provide good support, good social networks and have trustworthy, dependable systems,鈥� he says.

This was certainly true for UK-born Sarah Butcher, at Finland鈥檚 Centre of Excellence in Virus Research at the University of Helsinki鈥檚 Institute of Biotechnology. She began a new life in Finland 11 years ago. She says excellent public services, including free healthcare, efficient public transport and subsidised childcare compensate for high taxes. 鈥淓very child has the right to a place in the town-run day-care centre and it costs about 鈧�230 a month, including food,鈥� she says. 鈥淎s a female scientist and mother, this is one of the biggest advantages of going to any of the Scandinavian countries.鈥�

Like Butcher, many British scientists head to the Scandinavian shores to join one of its world-class institutions in the field of biotechnology. BioTurku, Finland鈥檚 biotech cluster around Turku, is a particularly successful research network that supports about 80 companies and several academic research institutes, all collaborating to produce drugs, biomaterials and biofoods.

Collaboration underpins most of Scandinavia鈥檚 innovative research centres. Travel west across the Gulf of Bothnia and Sweden鈥檚 long-standing biotechnology and pharmaceutical traditions also demonstrate strong collaborative networks. A large presence exists in the Stockholm-Uppsala region, which is home to major biopharma companies as well as research bodies like the Stockholm branch of the LICR, at the Karolinska Institute. Even further afield sit biotech clusters Medicon Valley and MedCoast Scandinavia, which form cross-border partnerships with Denmark and Norway (see map).

Researchers can rely on monetary support, too. When the Oslo Cancer Cluster recently had difficulties with funding, the Norwegian government pledged around 拢300 million to bail out associated biotech companies. But it is not only in times of trouble that the money flows. Nordic countries regularly top the European charts for R&D investment, with Sweden in first place investing 3.73 per cent of its GDP and Finland coming in a close second with 3.45 per cent. 鈥淭here are reasons to be optimistic, because the amount of funding for research is increasing in the coming years,鈥� says Heldin. 鈥淭his is a good time for a scientist to be thinking of moving to Sweden.鈥�

The great outdoors

As much Nordic research is based around the environment and geoscience, is Scandinavia鈥檚 impressive well-being associated with being social and enjoying the outdoors, too?

鈥淎 lot of people like me are here because we like the outdoor life,鈥� agrees Gunnar Sand, director of the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), an academic outpost that conducts Arctic climate research and teaching in conjunction with Norway鈥檚 mainland university system. Even at 78掳 north, in the high-Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, the northernmost part of Norway, there are still plenty of activities to keep you entertained. 鈥淓ven in this harsh climate we have tremendous opportunities to get out into the countryside to go skiing or boating, and that keeps you healthy,鈥� Sand says.

The sparsely populated Nordic mainland means that nature is always in reach, even in larger urban areas like Oslo. Norway鈥檚 capital city has a forested green-belt, Nordmarka, which is dotted with hiking and skiing trails. British expat Karen Mair, a geologist at the University of Oslo鈥檚 Centre of Excellence in the Physics of Geological Processes, reckons an outdoor spirit is required to make the most of Scandinavian living, especially in Norway with its mountain slopes and winding fjords. However, the high cost of living is initially a shock, says Mair. 鈥淪kis are possibly the only thing you get a bargain on here.鈥�

Although you may need to make a few sacrifices to adjust to Nordic living 鈥� Mair doesn鈥檛 run a car 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 extremely expensive鈥� 鈥� Scandinavian governments help ease the burden by offering tax breaks to newcomers for the first two to four years, depending on your destination. 鈥淵ou soon realise you get paid more and your sick leave is quite generous, so if something bad happens you鈥檙e taken care of,鈥� she says.

聯You soon realise you get paid more and your sick leave is generous鈥� so you鈥檙e taken care of聰

Sustainable future

There鈥檚 a saying among Scandinavians: if you don鈥檛 like the weather, just wait 10 minutes. So how do Scandinavians鈥� cope with life鈥檚 difficulties during their seasonal extremes?

鈥淔inland and Scandinavia in general has a culture of dark and light,鈥� says Butcher. 鈥淚n the winter time we are very focused and work hard because it鈥檚 dark most of the time, and then in the summer we really enjoy the light and getting out.鈥�

Much of this work is concentrated in climate change research. Although Scandinavia has an abundance of natural resources like oil and gas, it is investing in improving its environmental impact. For example, the Norwegian government is planning to build a 拢500 million research centre that will develop technologies to capture carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels.

The Research Council of Norway has also selected eight Centres for Environment-Friendly Energy Research, each of which will receive 拢2 million annually for at least five years. The RCN is hopeful that these centres will become international leaders in energy research while stimulating industrial activity and also creating plenty of employment opportunities for researchers.

Denmark, which is hosting the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2009, is also leading by example in the renewable energy sector. Forty per cent of the world鈥檚 wind energy companies are based here, providing work for about 20,000 people. To maintain this position, researchers at the Ris酶 National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy at the Technical University of Denmark, Roskilde, are busy developing energy tools of the future, including hydrogen storage and fuel cell technology. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big research area for Denmark,鈥� says Malcolm McGugan, a development engineer at Ris酶 who works on wind-turbine blades. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a big country, so they want to focus on areas that they鈥檙e going to get results in, like energy and biotechnology.鈥�

Eight years ago, McGugan moved to Denmark from the UK to marry his Danish girlfriend. Having family there made it easier to integrate into Danish society, which can sometimes be difficult. 鈥淒anes are very friendly and very family orientated, so they鈥檒l come to work and be friends there, but at the end of the day they want to go back to their families,鈥� says McGugan.

Daniel Partridge, a British expat who is currently studying for a PhD at Stockholm University鈥檚 Department of Applied Environmental Science recommends scientists join sports clubs and societies to aid their transition into the community. He adds that despite the fact that most Scandinavians speak perfect English, making an effort to learn the home language is key to making friends. 鈥淭his helps Swedes to accept you within their close friendship groups,鈥� he says.

Whichever Scandinavian country you choose, it appears unlikely that you will be dissatisfied with your lifestyle. Perhaps I, too, would benefit from some midnight sun in the Scandinavian night sky.