Book Review: The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

[Ad-gifted] ‘Hygge is about making the most of what we have in abundance: the everyday.’

This super-cute little hardback book titled The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking is, first as last, giftable, if I may say so. I am not sure if giftable is a word, but like ‘hygge’, it encompasses a kind of comfy feeling… the tactile cover, beautiful pictures and solid weight make this happy book a great choice for a gift and a pleasing addition to any coffee table.

Meik Wiking – and I do hope that surname is pronounced ‘Viking’ – is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Denmark. The people in Denmark are a happy lot and this is the main reason why happiness is researched here. What makes the Danes so happy and can they teach the rest of the world a trick or two here?

Published by Penguin Books, the book is built around the concept of ‘hygge’, a near-untranslatable term encompassing warm, fuzzy feelings, coziness, comfort, wellbeing and happiness. It attempts to measure and define hygge much in the same way that a fiscal institution might apply some measures and guidelines – albeit a little tongue in cheek. Wiking writes with sincerity but keeps it light. I think he was smiling a little as he attempted to herd happiness into graphs such as the Princeton Affect and Time Survey. Can happiness really be defined by a bar chart? Not really, methinks.

The best bits of the book are the hints and tips, the recipes and the how-tos. These remind me a bit of the old Rupert Bear annuals, where you read a story and get to learn some vaguely related origami at the end. I used to love them, and I know that at some point, I am going to try out the mulled wine recipe or the Christmas woven hearts decorations.

Book Review: The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

Did I feel ‘hygge’ reading this book?

I have learnt a few things about the Danish way of life and how they feel about themselves. Danish people value their time, love food (especially sweets and cake), love candles and the naked flame, and don’t want to put too much effort into their appearance… but max on stylish furniture and ambient settings. It is also noted that Danish people form close-knit groups of friends and it can be hard to get included in these circles.

I suppose it depends on the individual lifestyle as to how much you get from this book. I was brought up in a house that might have been the epitome of English ‘hygge’: open log fires, lots of candles every dinnertime, home-cooked meals, sheepskins on the beds to keep out the cold… it wasn’t defined as anything other than country life back then – and there weren’t a lot of sweets either.

I did start to tire of the hyggishness of the word hygge after a bit. And yes, I questioned the idea Wiking mooted that Danes are happy because they pay high taxes and enjoy a great welfare system (Danes pay over 50% tax in some cases, but apparently they are generally better paid than us and the cost of living is about 20% less.). Perhaps more important is the fact that the circa 6 million Danes have significantly more living space in their actual homes than most Europeans.

Denmark is a country with a low population density – less than half that of the UK. It is a colder and darker country than the UK, which feeds into their love of woolly jumpers, snowfall, candles and warm light. And it brought us Lego, which is hands-down one of the best inventions known to man, er, child, and of course, that master of fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen.

I like that we are being taught how to live better by a nation that does it well, and I think we do need to change some things in the British lifestyle. Championing time together, good food and home crafts will always be a winner for me. Yet we live in a country where those few of us who actually have log fires are under threat of being banned, where it is deemed almost rude to leave the office on time, and where the candles we buy mostly either sit as an unburnt decoration until they are dust-ridden or we have fully replaced them with battery-operated safe flames that give no welfare benefit whatsoever.

The Little Book of Hygge might be the gentle prompt many of us have been waiting for. There are real benefits to slowing down, prioritising happiness and appreciating the actual ‘being’ in life. And if that is proving difficult for us Brits under the pressure of work and education timetables, the stark reality of a gas-unheated homes and frozen box meals, take a look at the ‘ten things that will make your home more hygellig’. They are: a nook to curl up in, a fireplace, candles, things made of wood, nature, books! Ceramics, tactile stuff, vintage stuff, and blankets and cushions.

I cannot believe that food didn’t make that list!

How much is the book and how can you buy it?

The hardcover book retails for £12.33 while the kindle edition retails for £5.99 on Amazon. Do check the website for the latest pricing as this might change.

Book Review: The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

About the Author

Meik Wiking has the best job in the world: as the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, he is on a mission to discover what makes people happy. The “Indiana Jones of Smiles” wrote The Little Book of Hygge to better understand why Denmark consistently comes first in global happiness rankings. Following lots of research and insight, he came to the conclusion that hygge is the magic ingredient.

When he’s not studying political science and writing several books and reports on happiness, wellbeing and quality of life, he enjoys photography and playing tennis (quite badly) with friends.