Wiking - The Little Book of Hygge: the Danish Way to Live Well

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First published 2016

Copyright Meik Wiking, 2016

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Lyrics from The Happy Day of Svante by Benny Andersen are from Hjskolesangbogen, translated by Kurt Hansen

Designed by Hampton Associates

ISBN: 978-0-241-28393-6

Hooga? Hhyooguh? Heurgh? It is not important how you choose to pronounce or even spell hygge. To paraphrase one of the greatest philosophers of our time Winnie-the-Pooh when asked how to spell a certain emotion, You dont spell it, you feel it.

However, spelling and pronouncing hygge is the easy part. Explaining exactly what it is, thats the tricky part. Hygge has been called everything from the art of creating intimacy, cosiness of the soul and the absence of annoyance to taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things, cosy togetherness and, my personal favourite, cocoa by candlelight.

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 others silent company or simply just be by yourself enjoying a cup of tea.

One December just before Christmas, I was spending the weekend with some friends at an old cabin. The shortest day of the year was brightened by the blanket of snow covering the surrounding landscape. When the sun set, around four in the afternoon, we would not see it again for seventeen hours, and we headed inside to get the fire going.

We were all tired after hiking and were half asleep, sitting in a semicircle around the fireplace in the cabin, wearing big jumpers and woollen socks. The only sounds you could hear were the stew boiling, the sparks from the fireplace and someone having a sip of their mulled wine. Then one of my friends broke the silence.

Could this be any more hygge? he asked rhetorically.

Yes, one of the girls said after a moment. If there was a storm raging outside.

We all nodded.

I have the best job in the world. I study what makes people happy. At the Happiness Research Institute, which is an independent think-tank focusing on well-being, happiness and quality of life, we explore the causes and effects of human happiness and work towards improving the quality of life of citizens across the world.

We are based in Denmark and, yes, we do have lit candles at the office Monday to Friday and, yes, our office was partly chosen because of the hygge-factor. No fireplace, though. Yet. But we were also founded and are based in Denmark because the country consistently ranks among the happiest nations in the world. Denmark is by no means a perfect utopia, and the country faces challenges and issues like any other country, but I do believe Denmark can be a source of inspiration for how countries can increase the quality of life of their citizens.

Denmarks position as one of the happiest countries in the world has created a lot of media interest. On a weekly basis, I am asked questions like Why are the Danes so happy? and What can we learn from the Danes when it comes to happiness? from journalists from The New York Times, the BBC, the Guardian, the China Daily, and the Washington Post, among others. In addition, delegations of mayors, researchers and policy-makers from all corners of the earth frequently visit the Happiness Research Institute in pursuit of well happiness or at least in pursuit of the reasons for the high levels of happiness, well-being and quality of life people enjoy in Denmark. To many, it is quite the mystery, as besides the horrific weather Danes are also subject to some of the highest tax rates in the world.

Interestingly, there is wide support for the welfare state. The support stems from an awareness of the fact that the welfare model turns our collective wealth into well-being. We are not paying taxes, we are investing in our society. We are purchasing quality of life. The key to understanding the high levels of well-being in Denmark is the welfare models ability to reduce risk, uncertainty and anxiety among its citizens and to prevent extreme unhappiness.

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.

Danes are the happiest people in Europe according to the European Social Survey, but they are also the ones who meet most often with their friends and family and feel the calmest and most peaceful. Therefore, it is with good reason that we see a growing interest in hygge. Journalists are touring Denmark searching for hygge; in the UK, a college is now teaching Danish hygge; and around the world, hygge bakeries, shops and cafs are popping up. But how do you create hygge? How are hygge and happiness linked? And what is hygge exactly? Those are some of the questions this book seeks to answer.

No recipe for hygge is complete without candles. When Danes are asked what they most associate with hygge, an overwhelming 85 per cent will mention candles.

The word for spoilsport in Danish is lyseslukker, which literally means the one who puts out the candles, and this is no coincidence. There is no faster way to get to hygge than to light a few candles or, as they are called in Danish, levende lys, or living lights. The American ambassador to Denmark, Rufus Gifford, said of the Danes love affair with candles: I mean, it is not just in the living room. It is everywhere. In your classrooms, in your boardrooms. As an American, you think, Fire hazard! how can you possibly have an open flame in your classroom? It is kind of an emotional happiness, an emotional cosiness.

The American ambassador is on to something. According to the European Candle Association, Denmark burns more candles per head than anywhere in Europe. Each Dane burns around six kilos of candle wax each year. To put this in context, each Dane consumes around three kilos of bacon per year (yes, bacon consumption per capita is a standard metric in Denmark). The candle consumption is a European record. In fact, Denmark burns almost twice as much candle wax as the runner-up, Austria, with 3.16 kilos per year. However, scented candles are not a big thing. In fact, Asp-Holmblad, Denmarks oldest producer of candles, dont even include scented candles in their product range. Scented candles are considered artificial, and Danes prefer natural and organic products. In fact, Danes rank towards the top of the list in Europe when it comes to buying organic.