Ann, I had to grin at your description of Swedes. Replace it with Germans, and you have an accurate account of our populace. Although I would have expected to see Germany within the top 10 of the gloomiest countries, considering we (Germans) get told by the media that we are notorious whiners. But, surprise, we're ranked 23rd. Guess they didn't ask any Germans...
Another factor why Germany should be considered gloomy is the way families with young children or children in general are treated. If a little child that is just being potty trained has to relieve his bladder behind a bush, people will complain. If a dog leaves some smelly matter behind, nobody complains. If children are noisy, people here will complain. If a dog barks, they won't - unless the dog does so incessantly and at night. If a dog with dirty feet sits on a seat in the bus, nobody will say anything but maybe how cute it is. If a child has his way cleaner shoes on such a seat, people will look at the mother sideways (or complain). Really, it's sad. By now, many landlords prefer to rent their apartments or houses to people with dogs rather than to families with little children. I'm just waiting for the day when the first shops will have this "We have to stay outside" sign not with dogs on it, but with little children.
