Hygge - the Danish way of being happy

ksolymosi (67)in #psychology • 5 years ago

Bookworm Series #10 by Kriszta (@ksolymosi)

I was always admiring Scandinavian people for their attitude towards life. It was hard to imagine how can people be so positive and smiling in a region where there is so little sunshine and the weather is so freezingly cold. For some reason, earlier I thought that people are happier in warmer countries but now I have to admit that I was wrong. (Maybe it is just because I hate winters... 😂)

I have quite many friends and acquaintances living in Scandinavia and they just love these countries and this is especially true for Denmark which is regularly ranked amongst the first few countries in the World Happiness Report. People are positive, helpful and attentive towards each other and the entire society seems much more balanced than their southern counterparts. I listened to a lecture recently about Hygge which is the Danish word for happiness and I loved that lecture so much that it made me read a book about the topic. It was written by a very authentic person, Meik Wiking (what a name! 😊) who is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen. The title of the book is The Little Book about Hygge, and I can truly recommend it to anyone who is looking for ways to stay happy (even if it is raining outside... LOL).

So what is Hygge?

This is a very difficult word to translate, most frequently it is translated as 'cosiness' but it is not a good expression to cover its meaning. It means intimacy, a candlelight dinner or sipping your coffee or warm cocoa by the fire... it is the homely sensation of contentment... but it is much more than that. It is a feeling that you have to experience to be able to understand. For me, it is close to the Canadian word of hominess, so it is a sort of hearthside at-homeness. For the Danes, it is central to the conception of the self. They even have an adjective and a verb made from the word:

hyggelig means something that has hygge or can nurture hygge
or you might invite a friend to come and hygge with you.

Components of Hygge

Atmosphere

Hygge has something to do with the right atmosphere. The best way to do it is to get the right lighting - a warm-toned one that makes the room saturated with feelings of comfort and snugness. Candlelight, for example, is nearly synonymous with hygge. (A reason why the Danes burn the most candles in Europe... 😂😂😂).

Also, you can set up a cozy nook (they call it a hyggekrog) where you feel most comfortable (this is something that I have written about in my series about homes earlier: a place where you feel most at home, your favourite place within the house). Is it an armchair where you can sit and rest and relax, or a beanbag placed next to the fireplace...? All of us have something like that.

Community, friends and relatives

So you are all curled up in your hyggekrog, have your favourite hot drink in your hands and the candlelight is flickering away... But that's not all. Hygge is also about valuing community and spending time with others. It turns out from the happiness surveys that you cannot achieve satisfaction from solitary activities. Once your basic needs are covered (like food and shelter), there is no better way to achieve happiness than through companionship. It is important to have friends and relatives you can share experiences with. (Sharing and doing things together is a key aspect here! Making your girlfriend cook dinner for you isn't hyggelig. However preparing the food together most certainly is.)

Just a side-note here: this is another reason why you have to have a good work-life balance... If you spend most of your waking hours at work, this is what you won't have time for: you lose a valuable opportunity to spend time with those who matter the most, therefore your chances to live a happier life will diminish...

Food and drinks

Hygge is about pleasure, like a carb-heavy meal or a hot chocolate. It is all about trating yourself with the things you like. Warm drinks are especially part of this culture, in fact there is even a word to describe this connection: kaffehygge. (A reason why the Danes drink so much coffee and are one of the largest consumers of it in the world.) So hygge is all about eating and drinking goodies that make us most comfortable.

Christmas is a real hygge time: you have friends, family, good food and drinks, family, candles and coziness.. 🎄☕️🥂🕯🎁👨‍👨‍👧‍👦

Being in 'here and now'

In a way, hygge is the Danish way of mindfulness. Being at the moment and enjoying what you are doing is also part of this phenomenon. Freedom and being out in nature (especially with family or friends) is hygge, too. Another manifestation of it is the Danish love of bikes. The country is designed for cycling. Bikes - unlike cars - don't box you in. You can be part of nature on a bike, you can be open to your surroundings. Moreover, it is good for your health and the healthier you are the more happiness you can experience.

Being playful

Hygge is an escape from the 'rat race' and modern consumerist culture. It's about being playful and less result-focused. As
adults, we tend not to play enough. And this is a shame. Life doesn't have to be so serious! After all it should be about the joy of experience, right? A study that has been done at Princeton University by Alan Krueger has revealed that we are happiest when participating in leisure activities that are completely disconnected from monetary value. Hygge is trouble-free and carefree existence. The joyful moments of life that we all have to experience and incorporate into our daily routines. It's not that difficult, you just have to start.