Hygge, pronounced “hoo-guh” is a feeling. Defined as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being” – you feel hygge when you feel good.
In fact, you’ve already experienced hygge more often than not without even realizing it. Read a book nestled in your bed? That’s hygge.
Spent some quality time with your dog lounging in the sun? That’s hygge too. Enjoyed a hot cup of cocoa on a wintry morning? Just more of hygge.
Hygge is such a vital part of the Danish way of life that according to Miek Wiking, author of The Little Book of Hygge, and CEO of the Happiness Research Institute based out in Copenhagen, it is –
“A defining feature of our cultural identity and an integral part of the national DNA.”
Well, Denmark was ranked the second happiest country in the world in 2020. So if they swear by hygge, there has to be some substance to it.
Let’s find out how you can practice hygge in your daily life.