A walk in the woods is the true secret of happiness

. . . and other tips from around the world to help put a smile on your face

LAST year, the world went wild for the Danish concept of ‘hygge’ — the happiness to be found in simple pleasures, such as hunkering down and getting cosy with loved ones while draped in blankets and surrounded by candles.

For that we have to thank Meik Wiking, author of The Little Book Of Hygge and CEO of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.

But now, Meik’s new book, The Little Book Of Lykke (‘lykke’ is Danish for ‘ happiness’) looks further afield, identifying the keys to contentment from around the globe.

Read on to learn what he found — and how you can bring the world’s happiness secrets into your life . . .

DO A GOOD DEED AND YOU’LL FEEL GREAT, TOO

RESEARCHERS have found that the main predictor of how much people help others in cities is how crowded the city is. If there are more people, individuals feel disconnected and are less willing to help others.

But Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, one of the world’s most crowded cities, has been shown to have the kindest people on Earth. There is a theory that Brazilians want to be seen as simpático — or friendly, nice and good-natured.

But being nice contributes to our own happiness, as well as society’s.

Research from the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that the area of our brain that is activated in response to food or pleasure lights up when we think about giving to charity. We are wired to feel good when we do something good.

Whether it’s picking up something that someone else has dropped, giving a banana to a mother with a child who’s screaming he’s hungry, or volunteering in a more structured way, as well as making someone else happier, you’ll get a ‘helper’s high’ yourself.

START YOUR DAY WITH ‘BRAIN BRUSHING’

MINDFULNESS has its roots in Buddhism, the state religion of Bhutan, where the belief is that the human pursuit of everlasting happiness leads to suffering. We feel pain because nothing lasts.

Mindfulness is about being present, right here, right now, and being loving and kind to yourself.

As the Bhutanese focus on Gross National Happiness ( GNH), instead of Gross National Product, the South Asian country is almost a test bed for approaches to improve wellbeing.

One effort is the GNH Curriculum, which tests non-academic ‘ life skills’ in secondary school students. Part of this is a short exercise known as ‘brain brushing’, which happens twice daily in many Bhutanese schools.

It’s so named because comparing it to brushing teeth made it easier for children to understand the point of ‘doing nothing’ for a bit.

Students and teachers start and finish their day by standing up straight, shoulders back, tummies relaxed, their mouths slightly open. They focus on the feeling of their breath coming in and going out for a minute.

Researchers found it increased student wellbeing and improved academic performance.

MAKE A MEAL OUT OF EVERY MEALTIME

THE French word copain and the English ‘ companion’ both originate from the Latin com and

panis, meaning ‘with whom one shares bread’. But how often are your meals with your friends — and how often are they rushed and taken alone?

Food is not taken lightly in France, and that is perhaps most evident in their state schools.

Pupils are served three-course meals that may, for example, consist of a salad for starters, veal marinated with mushrooms and broccoli, and apple tart for dessert — and cheese and bread.

The cloth napkins and silverware reveal the ritual of the meal is almost as key as the food itself.

It is about sitting down and eating — together.

And France still has some of the lowest obesity levels in Europe.

While most countries have official recommendations about how much fruit and vegetables we should eat per day, one of the official recommendations in France is that you should eat with others. That is one thing we could all aspire to do more frequently.

HOW MONEY REALLY CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS

OVER the past two generations, South Korea has gone from being one of the poorest to one of the richest countries in the world.

While grandparents may recall famine, their grandchildren enjoy some of the highest standards of living in the world. The economic growth achieved by South Korea is amazing. However, the country is struggling to convert its newfound wealth into wellbeing.

South Korea ranks 55th in the World Happiness Report of 2017 and it has top ranking when it comes to suicide rates in OECD countries.

The lesson to take from this is that money isn’t the key to happiness, so stop wishing you had more and focus on how to get happy for free.

My top free happiness-generating activities are: reading, writing a gratitude journal, where you note the things for which you’re grateful, and something I call a free fun fellowship — a group of friends who take it in turns to plan free or inexpensive activities.

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD SPIRIT REKINDLED

IN DENMARK, around 50,000 people now live in bofællesskabs, or co-housing schemes ( fællesskab means ‘ community’ and bo means ‘to live’), a concept that originated in Denmark, but which has spread to the rest of Scandinavia and beyond.

Generally, each family has a home with all the traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. But these homes are clustered around shared space, such as a garden and a large communal kitchen and dining area. The families live separately, yet together. How they function differs from scheme to scheme, but often, they regularly eat together, preparing food on a rota, so that when they’re not scheduled to cook, they don’t have to worry about grocery shopping and preparing dinner.

Research suggests that people who live in these sorts of schemes feel happy and safe and have many neighbours they count as friends.

But there’s no need to move to make a community. Simple things, such as encouraging everyone on your street to add their details to a directory in case of emergencies, help foster relationships.

Many streets go even further, establishing book-lending libraries using small cupboards, or a tool sharing scheme where lots of people have access to that drill that you’ll only need once a year.

Some even transform tiny strips of land into community gardens. It all helps to bring people together and make them happier.

TAKE IT ALL IN ON THE SCENIC ROUTE

SHINRIN-YOKU translates to ‘forest bathing’, or taking in the atmosphere of the forest, and refers to soaking up the sights, smells and sounds of a natural setting to promote physiological and psychological health.

The term was coined in 1982 but, today, millions of Japanese walk along 48 ‘forest therapy’ trails to get their dose of what could be called ‘outdoorphins’.

Fans of shinrin-yoku explain that it differs from hiking, as it is about taking everything in and stimulating all the senses, and focuses on the therapeutic aspects.

Professor Qing Li, of the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, has studied the effects of shinrin-yoku and found it reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol and boosts the immune system.

Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Essex have also found that being active in a natural setting boosts our mood.

And technology is making it easier to incorporate nature into our daily lives. Researchers from Yahoo! Labs in the U.S. have developed an algorithm that calculates the most pleasant route to your destination.

So, while the fastest walking route may take you through busy roads, this app could show you how adding just two minutes of travel time might take you through a park or tree-lined street.