A LYKKE LIFE
The six pillars of happiness that keep the whole world smiling
Meik Wiking could be the happiest person I’ve ever met. It’s raining, his favourite independent coffee shop in London is closed and we’ve been forced to seek refuge in a nearby chain, and he’s still smiling.
But then the Dane knows a thing or two about staying chipper. As the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen he is one of the leading experts in global happiness, committed to understanding well-being and quality of life.
Last year his book, The Little Book of Hygge — which looked at the reasons why Denmark is the happiest nation in the world — became an international bestseller, translated into 32 languages.
A year on from Brits skittering to buy cosy throws, candles and pastries, Meik has another Danish word for us, Lykke. And this time the scope is global. The Danish word for happiness, Lykke, takes the focus away from Scandinavia to explore how other countries are leading the way in cultivating happiness.
It was inspired by the letters and emails from people around the world, telling him their happiness stories. “Every culture and country does something well in terms of improving quality of life and there’s a lot of inspiration we can pick up from around the word,” says Meik. “Hygge works really well in Denmark, but what works well in France is the value placed around meal times.”
For the most part, he says his countrymen have been puzzled by the international reaction to Hygge.
“Hygge is just the way we live. Danes see Hygge the way Americans see freedom. It’s something inherently Danish, but Hygge happens everywhere.”
Far from having the monopoly on cosiness and conviviality, Meik says Danes have simply given the rest of the world a word to appreciate what they were already doing.
“A French mother of two told me about how she and her children would regularly spend a Sunday under the duvet on the sofa and called it a lazy afternoon. Now it can be a Hyggely afternoon. It’s about removing the guilt from enjoying the simple pleasures in life.”
Lykke, by comparison, is Meik’s magnum opus, separating happiness into six categories, Togetherness, Money, Health, Freedom, Trust and Kindness, domains that came up as a result of his and his team’s analysis of the World Happiness Report.
Meik is particularly interested in how the way we design cities impacts our behaviour and happiness. While the UK just edges into the top 20 Happiest Countries, Meik feels that our long commutes (particularly those living and working around the capital) and our unequal work/life balance are what hold us back as a country.
On the plus side, apparently we’re leading the way in destigmatising mental health issues (Thanks to Prince Harry speaking out in part), and even our world famous predilection for queues might be a stress buster.
Lykke, he hopes, will give spectrum of tips and ideas around the world.
If he’s passionate about equipping us all with the means to be happier, then it is in part because his own life has mirrored his research. Five years ago Meik was languishing around a seven on the happiness scale, working for another think tank in Copenhagen. “It was a well paid job but I just wasn’t super passionate about it,” he says.
At the same time, he had noticed a global growth in happiness research. “The UN had passed a Happiness Resolution, David Cameron initiated the happiness survey in the UK and I realised this was an exciting area and someone should do something,” says Meik.
Yet, he didn’t have the courage to take the leap himself; not until the loss of his close friend and mentor to cancer at the age of 49.
“Back in 1998 my own mother had died of cancer at 49. I was only 34 and I thought, ‘what if you only us a from have 15 years left?’”
It was the memento mori that pushed him to quit his job and establish the Happiness Research Institute. Today he rates his happiness at a whopping 9/10, and his experience correlates with evidence that self employed people are happier with their lives, even when they work hard and earn less money. “It’s about the sense of control freedom and identity,” says Meik.
For a cynical Brit, such as myself, all this smiling and happiness sounds a little exhausting. Thank God Meik admits to having good days and bad days. “I’m doing quite well in the happiness scale. But I also have to do my tax returns. I’m not smiling when I’m doing those,” he, laughs. “In life you go through happiness and unhappiness. There’s promotions, redundancies, engagements and heartbreaks. It goes up and down for me as well.”
Since Hygge exploded, practising what he preaches has become even more important. Traveling the world as de facto global ambassador for happiness, Meik always makes sure he has a book with him at the airport. To stay in touch with friends, he organises regular supper clubs where they all share the cooking responsibilities. It is, he says, more hyggely that way, and, no one person shoulders the stress of hosting. “We’re all still talking about the time we spent hours making a mountain of sausages from scratch, and they were all absolutely horrible. But we had a really fun evening!” he says.
He hopes people will be encouraged to implement some of Lykke’s ideas into their own lives.
“With a lot of political turmoil globally, it’s nice to look for the good in the world. We tend to overlook that there are lots of people doing good things. First and foremost Lykke is a story of optimism and hope.”