Danish Happiness: 5 Ways to Get A Little “Hygge” in Your Life!

Meik Wiking is not only the author of The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living but he also studies what makes people happy at the Happiness Research Institute.  And it is no coincidence that the Institute is located in Denmark as the country consistently ranks at the top of the happiest countries in the world.

But why are Danes so damn happy?

Part of Danish happiness according to Wiking has to do with the welfare state model that the country employs.  The model turns the citizens’ collective wealth into well-being while reducing risk, uncertainty, and anxiety among its people as well as preventing high levels of unhappiness.

He also believes there is something else that makes people in Denmark so happy:

“However, recently, I have also come to realize that there might be an overlooked ingredient in the Danish recipe for happiness—hygge.  The word hygge originates from a Norwegian word meaning “well-being”. For almost five hundred years, Denmark and Norway were one kingdom, until Denmark lost Norway in 1814. Hygge appeared in written Danish for the first time in the early 1800s, and the link between hygge and well-being or happiness may be no coincidence.” ¹

(On a side note – as great a country as Denmark seems to be and as happy as they are, I count my lucky stars that I was born and raised in Canada!  A little bit more on that in a bit).

So, What Exactly is Hygge?

Pronounced “hoo-guh”, hygge has been described in a myriad of ways, from “the art of creating intimacy” to “the absence of annoyance” to “the coziness of the soul” to “cozy togetherness” to “taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things”.

Wiking explains the concept of hygge as follows:

“Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things. It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down. You may be having an endless conversation about the small or big things in life—or just be comfortable in each other’s silent company—or simply just be by yourself enjoying a cup of tea.” ¹

According to the European Social Survey, the Danes are the happiest people in Europe.  Not only that, they are the ones who feel the calmest and most peaceful and who spend the most time with friends and family.  Given these facts, the next question is – how do you create hygge?

Re-Creating Danish Happiness by Making Hygge Happen

Well, I am glad you asked because in this section we are going to explore 5 steps to create hygge; because who doesn’t want to indulge in a little “coziness of the soul”?

(1)  Shed Some “Light” on the Situation

When Danes were asked to identify what they associate most with hygge, an overwhelming 85% responded “candles”.  In fact, Danes loves candles so much that they use almost twice as many as the next European country, Austria. More than 50% of Danes light candles every single day!   However, for Danes, lights are not just about candles as they are obsessed with light in general.  The idea is to place them strategically so as to create soothing pools of light.

To give you an idea of the correct amount of light needed to create hygge, Wiking advises that:

“The rule of thumb is, the lower the temperature of the light, the more hygge. A camera flash is around 5,500 Kelvin (K), fluorescent tubes are 5,000K, incandescent lamps 3,000K, while sunsets and wood and candle flames are about 1,800K. That is your hygge sweet spot.” ¹

(2)  Get Together!

The second step to create hygge and get a little Danish happiness in your life is to simply be social by getting together with family and friends.

As Wiking explains:

“Time spent with others creates an atmosphere that is warm, relaxed, friendly, down-to-earth, close, comfortable, snug, and welcoming. In many ways, it is like a good hug, but without the physical contact. It is in this situation that you can be completely relaxed and yourself. The art of hygge is therefore also the art of expanding your comfort zone to include other people.” ¹

And by the way, you don’t have to be extroverted to create some hygge with this step. Hygge can include just you and a couple of friends hanging out by having a cozy and relaxing night at home rather than going a big party with a bunch of people you don’t know.

(3)  Eat, Drink, and Be Hygge!

This step is all about being kind to yourself and giving yourself a treat to take a step back from eating raw broccoli and carrot sticks.  Taking a break from your healthy life means having something sweet or your favorite drink.

The idea, according to Wiking is that:

“…we associate a certain kind of food with the feeling of pleasure, which makes us want more. Hygge is something that is supposed to be and feel good for you, and that means if you want to eat cake, have some cake. But at the same time, we must know when to stop. It is not very hyggeligt to have a stomachache.” ¹

Another hygge-related food idea he discussed was with respect the time taken to prepare it.  The idea is that the longer it takes to prepare a meal, the more hyggelig it is.  So, grab a bottle of wine, dim the lights, put on some soft music and take your time to prepare yourself a nice meal.  Oh, and don’t forget to invite me, I Iike my steak medium rare – please and thank you!

(4)  Put on Some Comfortable Clothes

Clothing is another area the Danes use to get in their hygge-zone. And when it comes to Denmark – casual is the name of the game!

The idea here is to focus on being warm! Scarves are a must for both men and women, don’t forget your wool socks and make sure you layer up – those Danish winters can be downright chilly.

As for your hair, Wiking describes it as “causal to the point of being borderline lazy. Wake up and go. Girls can put their hair in a bun, the higher the better.” ¹

(5)  There’s No Place Like Your Hyggelic Home!

Did you know that Danes have the most living space per capita in all of Europe?  Yup, it’s true, so you know they put a lot of time and effort into making their homes as hyggelige as possible!

There are a bunch of things that you can do to make your home more hygellic:

Get a Nook – Oa small place in the room you can snuggle up under a blanket with a book and beverage of your choice.

A Fireplace – As Wiking says: “…a fireplace may just be the ultimate headquarters of hygge. It’s somewhere we sit by ourselves to rest while experiencing ultimate feelings of coziness and warmth…” ¹

Candles – See #1 above!

Stuff made of wood – Wood always makes us feel closer to nature, it is basic and natural, similar to the concept of hygge.

Books – Who doesn’t love the sight of a bookshelf filled with great books? And another great way to escape into hygge is to grab one off the shelf, sit in your nook and read it.

Ceramic pieces – I can’t say I know anything about this topic but will take Wiking’s word for it when he says, “A nice teapot, a vase on the dining room table, that favorite mug you always want to drink out of—they are all hyggelige.” ¹

Think Textures – This one is all about adding objects that feel different to your touch to your home.

Vintage – When he says vintage, Wiking means antiques which is something my parents were into when I was a kid. Turns out they were on to something other than boring me to tears by dragging me to those antique shows as according to Wiking, an old table, lamp, or chair is considered to be very hyggeligt.  Who knew?

Cushions and blankets – The last things that are must-haves in any hygge headquarters are cushions and blankets. There is nothing better when you need to relax than leaning your head on a nice pillow while under a warm blanket.

The Best Things in Life are Free!

The thing I like most about hygge is that it is humble and slow, it chooses simple over extravagant and chill over excitement.

As Wiking summarizes:

“It is wearing your pajamas and watching Lord of the Rings the day before Christmas, it is sitting in your window watching the weather while sipping your favorite tea, and it is looking into the bonfire on summer solstice surrounded by your friends and family while your twistbread slowly bakes.” ¹

An interesting study which was led by Alan Krueger at Princeton University showed that we are the happiest when we are occupied with engaging leisure activities.

Check out the activities below (click to enlarge the image) and you will notice that most don’t cost a single cent!

With All Due Respect to the Danish People, I’m So Glad I Was Born and Raised in Canada and Not Denmark!

And it is nothing against the people or their country, it has more to do with me.

The Danes have an interesting tradition called the kvajebajer, or idiot beer. Basically, it is something you buy for all of your friends in the spirit of laughing at yourself every time you make a fool of yourself.

You see, I have no problem laughing at myself when I do something stupid. The problem comes to buying beers for everyone else.

Seeing as how many times I have made a fool of myself I don’t think I would have money for anything else!  By the way, for all those non-drinkers out there they also have something called the kvajekage, or idiot cake which works the same way.

On a serious note, both concepts do show that Danes do have a good sense of humor about themselves which is crucial to the concept of community, togetherness, and hygge!

Until next time, bottoms up, use these Danish happiness secrets and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

Use it Or Lose It

The 5 steps for creating Danish happiness that we discussed above were:

(1)  Shed Some “Light” on the Situation
(2)  Get together!
(3)  Eat, Drink, and Be Hygge!
(4)  Put on Some Comfortable Clothes
(5)  There’s No Place Like Your Hyggelic Home!

When to Use It

Use these ways for creating Danish happiness when you want a little hygge in your life!

What Do You Think?

What do you think about these ways of creating Danish happiness? Do you use any of the ways to create Danish happiness that we discussed above? Will you add some of them to your life? Please share your thoughts on Danish happiness in the comments below!

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References

¹ The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking