A snowy day outside. You’re sitting with a group of your childhood friends in a cabin warmed by a crackling fireplace. You’re lost in laughter and blissful conversation, between sips of warm hot chocolate. Life is good.
Jeez, what a gutsy title…who does this guy think he is?
I once tried to write a book on philosophy, because clearly Vlad fits in with the ranks of Hegel and Kant. I asked a smart friend, and he said, “you don’t need to be the best in the world to write about something, but you need to have spoken to the best.”
Back to happiness: I’m not the happiest person on Earth, and I’m not even sure what that means, but according to research, the people of Denmark are. What’s their secret?
According to Danish researcher Meik Wiking, there are two pieces to happiness:
1) Making enough money not to worry about living expenses.
2) Hygge
According to the Oxford Dictionary, Hygge (pronounced Hugah) is defined as:
A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.
It’s the hot chocolate on a snowy day. It’s the deep conversation with an old friend. The Saturday morning cuddles. Hygge the comfort food for your soul, the thing that has such a warm spiritual draw, that neither the past nor the future hold your brain hostage in that moment.
Like most of life’s great biohacks, brain hacks and longevity tricks, Hygge doesn’t cost a dime. It’s an investment in your inner peace, time spent quieting the monkey mind. Another trick in the utility belt of mindfulness.
Read more at the Happiness Research Institute and listen the Dr Michael Ruscio Interview Meik Wiking on the subject.
Also published on Medium.
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