WHEN IT COMES TO HAPPINESS, NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN THE DANES, SWEDES AND NORWEGIANS. JOIN IN WITHOUT HAVING TO TRAVEL, SAYS JENNY STALLARD
THE AUTHOR Jenny Stallard is a writer, coach and podcaster, and founder of wellbeing platform Freelance Feels – find her at freelancefeels.com
Thinking back to a time when the words ‘Nordic’ or ‘Scandi’ didn’t conjure up images of cosy blankets, wellbeing, relaxation and a different form of self-care feels like something of a challenge these days. Hygge is now entrenched in our vocabulary, synonymous with roaring fires, muted natural tones, blankets, wool, and all things cosy from cashmere socks to scarves and steaming mugs of cocoa.
Hygge roughly translates as ‘cosiness’ and is a Danish concept that’s become a worldwide trend – the word actually comes from old Norwegian, and embodies everything comforting, cosy, warm, snuggly… you get the gist. But as Hygge became mainstream, others followed. Enter Lagom, Fika, and even ‘Swedish Death Cleaning’.
Let’s go inside
As the autumn and winter months progress, the nights becoming dark and soulful, the leaves falling from the trees and the frost littering the grass, we light candles, find cosy blankets, light fires and perhaps brew hot chocolate, all in the name of relaxation.
It may sound as if I’m making light of the ‘trend’, but it’s actually something that noticeably shifted during lockdown and the height of the Covid pandemic. Finland topped the World Happiness Report 2021 rankings for happiness, followed by Iceland and Denmark. Sweden was sixth and Norway 8th. The UK? Well, the UK was down the list a little, at 18th. Even during a pandemic, these Nordic countries had the edge when it came to feeling happier.
It’s less of a cliché and more hard fact that travelling north from our shores – to even colder countries, where it could be assumed life is more challenging and less cosy – brings increased relaxation, happiness, calm and positive wellbeing. It’s no fluke, either – these countries have been at the top of the list each year since 2013! The report, which can be found at worldhappiness.report, says: “Clearly, when it comes to the level of average life evaluations, the Nordic states are doing something right, but Nordic exceptionalism isn’t confined to citizens' happiness. No matter whether we look at the state of democracy and political rights, lack of corruption, trust between citizens, felt safety, social cohesion, gender equality, equal distribution of incomes, Human Development Index, or many other global comparisons, one tends to
