The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living
Author: Meik Wiking
ISBN-10: 0062658808
ISBN-13: 978-0062658807
 
APA Style Citation
Wiking, M. (2017). The little book of hygge: Danish secrets to happy living. New York, NY: William Morrow.
 
Buy This Book
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GONJFZ2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
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Book Description
What is the secret behind the happiest people on earth? The Danes have consistently ranked at the top of global surveys on happiness. But where does happiness come from? Is it genetics, relationships, health, money, employment, or a sense of purpose? Author Meik Wiking, who works at the Happiness Research Institute based in Denmark, believes one important but perhaps overlooked cultural component is hygge (pronounced hoo-ga). He offers tips to increase hygge. While many are stuck at home, this book might offer just the right inspiration to create a little happiness in your life.
 
Denmark consistently ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world. To be fair, Danes do not have the best weather and they pay some of the highest taxes in the world. However, there is wide support for paying such high taxes because it is seen as an investment in society and quality of life. There is a strong sense of trust between Danes. Perhaps a part of the recipe for happiness that sets Denmark apart from other countries is hygge- a Norwegian word for well-being. Hygge is that coziness and security that brings contentment. While many cultures have a similar term to describe this feeling of coziness, warmth, and togetherness, Danes are obsessed with it and believe it to be uniquely Danish. It is truly a part of their cultural identity. So how does one increase hygge? Candles, fireplaces, blankets, good food, and hanging with friends are just a few ways to build hygge. It doesn’t have to be expensive and it can happen anywhere.
 
Hygge can be achieved in many ways and take on many forms. It can be those slow weekends, the comfy pair of pants you slip into when you get home, the nook where you sit and relax, or a cozy conversation. One area of focus is a healthy work-life balance.  Danes have figured out this balance. Individuals with children usually leave work at 4 p.m. and those without at 5 p.m.  About 78% of Danes socialize with others a minimum of once per week.  Equality is also an important element in hygge. For example, it is important that everyone helps prepare the food, instead of the host working alone in the kitchen. Time spent with others creates an atmosphere filled with warmth and fullness and a release of oxytocin. Basic living standards are essential for happiness. However, once the baseline has been met, happiness is more about the quality of social relationships. The best predictor of whether we are happy or not is our social relationships. In 2008, one study found that an increase in social involvement may produce an increase of life satisfaction equivalent to an extra $110,000 a year. There is a strong correlation that the more satisfied people are with their social relationships, the happier they are in general. We are social creatures. Danes prefer smaller groups of friends. Many believe the best number of people for hygge is 3 to 4. However, one drawback is Danes tend not to readily admit new friends to their friendship circles. On the flip side, hygge is the best thing for introverts. Those that seek smaller groups gain much from the qualities of hygge.
 
Light- Approximately 85% of Danes associate hygge with candles to create that cozy feeling. Each Dane burns an average of 13 pounds of candle wax per year. They also prefer natural and organic products over scented candles. In addition, lamps are carefully placed to create a soothing mood. The lower the temperature of the light, the more hygge. Usually, it is better to have several smaller lamps around the room rather than one big lamp from the ceiling.
 
Food and drink- Nordic cuisine has gained some popularity. Noma, a popular restaurant in Copenhagen, has attracted global attention. At a pop-up location in Japan, one dish consisting of live shrimp covered in ants made headlines. Danes love their meat, confectionery, and coffee; and all of these are directly linked to hygge. Denmark is at the top of the list of sweet-crazed nations, obsessed with cakes and pastries. Hot drinks are also popular. Approximately 86% of Danes associate hygge with their favorite drink of coffee. A common belief is “Live life today like there is no coffee tomorrow.” It is about giving yourself a treat, not indulging in the fancy and expensive. These treats are viewed as the same thing as happiness by the brain’s reward system. We associate a certain food with a feeling of pleasure that leaves us wanting more. When it comes to food, the rule of thumb is the longer a dish takes to cook, the more hygge it is. It is about the process, not the end product. 
 
Clothing- The key to Danish dress code is casual. Scarves are a must and the golden rule is the bigger, the better. In Denmark, everyone wears black, layers, and woolen socks. To experience hygge, it is suggested to link purchases with positive experiences. For example, buy a sweater or nice pair of socks that will now be associated with a special event.
 
Home and Outside the Home- Danes are obsessed with interior design because the home is the heart of hygge.  A wish list for hygge at home may include a nook, fireplace, candles, wood elements, nature, books, ceramics, tactile experiences, vintage pieces, blankets, and cushions.  Having a comfortable home is about relaxation and finding that well-deserved break. Hygge is built on casualness.  Connecting with nature enables you to relax and be present to savor the moment.  Cabins include all the ingredients of hygge, such as the smells, sounds, and simplicity. If you need hygge at work, try organizing a potluck, setting up an office garden, bringing your dog to work, or making the office homier.
 
Year-Round and on the Cheap- The typical season for hygge is fall or winter. However, it can be experienced year-round. It can include orchards, barbecues, community gardens, picnics, or bike rides. Danes love their bikes and cycling. In Copenhagen, 45% cycle to their place of education or employment. It is an easy way to get a bit of exercise, but it also makes people happier. Riding a bike in your daily commute adds 3 to 14 months to your life expectancy.  It’s also an indicator of community and trust.  If a lot of people cycle, you probably live in a healthy neighborhood. Hygge is about being simple and modest. It does not have to be expensive. It is about appreciating the simple pleasures of life. The author offers a list of activities each month to inspire a feeling of coziness and a list of inexpensive activities that surround you.
 
Christmas- The Danish Christmas is first about family and friends. The quality of social relationships has been shown to predict our happiness. Second, are the traditions.  The Christmas menu is usually pork or duck. There is also risalamande, a dish made of whipped cream, boiled rice, and finely chopped almonds topped with hot cherry sauce. Hidden in the bowl is one whole almond.  Whoever finds the almond gets a present and good luck. There are also special decorations, such as woven paper hearts and a Christmas or Advent candle. The candle is painted like a tape measure with dates from December 1st to 24th.  Each day the candle is lit with company and brings the family together. Most TV stations have Advent calendars that count down the days until Christmas. While the preparation for this holiday may sound overwhelming, some stress makes the hygge that follows all that more comforting.
 
Hygge encompasses all of the senses. The taste is familiar and sweet. The sound is silent or soft. The smell is individualized and relates to your past experiences. The sights are of slow movements, such as falling snow. The touch is of old, homemade belongings that take a long time to make. Finally, there is a sixth sense of feeling safe. The author takes the reader back to a Winnie the Pooh quote, “How do you spell love? You don’t spell it...you feel it.” Hygge is about all of the feelings of coziness and warmth wrapped around you.
 
Hygge is everyday happiness. It is about making the most of what we have each and every day. Savoring is about enjoying the moment now and hygge is all about the current moment. Evidence-based studies show that practicing gratitude also has many benefits. Those who are grateful are often happier, more helpful and forgiving, sleep better, recover faster, and are less likely to get stressed. Danes plan for hygge times and reminisce about them afterward. The author leaves us with a quote from Benjamin Franklin “Happiness consists more in the small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happened but seldom to a man in the course of his life.”
 
Other Related Resources
Author’s Websitehttps://www.meikwiking.com/
Author’s Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/meikwiking/?hl=en
What Is Hygge? Everything You Need To Know About The Danish Lifestyle Trend
https://www.countryliving.com/life/a41187/what-is-hygge-things-to-know-about-the-danish-lifestyle-trend/
 
The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-year-of-hygge-the-danish-obsession-with-getting-cozy
 
6 Ways to Practice Hygge, the Danish Secret to Happiness
https://www.health.com/mind-body/hygge
 
Psychological Concepts and Figures
Sigmund Freud
Abraham Maslow
 
Belongingness hypothesis
Cerebral cortex
Correlation
Cultural identity
Dopamine
Evolutionary psychology
Gratitude
Happiness
Health
Introverts
Life satisfaction
Nature
Nucleus accumbens
Oxytocin
Positive emotions 
Senses
Social relationships
Tactile
Well-being

Prognosis: A Memoir of My Brain
Author: Sarah Vallance
ISBN-10: 0525534105
ISBN-13: 978-0525534105
 
APA Style Citation
Vallance, S. (2019). Prognosis: A memoir of my brain. Little A.
 
Buy This Book
https://www.amazon.com/Prognosis-Memoir-Brain-Sarah-Vallance-ebook/dp/B07MDBSVNK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr

​Book Description
Note: This book offers a perspective on traumatic brain injuries. The text mentions profanity, sexual activity, and suicidal thoughts. Please make sure to read before making a recommendation to students.
 
Prognosis: A Memoir of My Brain is a story told by Sarah Vallance of her recovery after falling from a horse, causing a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Her story takes you on a journey through her struggles with memory, employment, relationships, and survival. Sarah told her story so she could remember and record it, while acknowledging far too many individuals with TBIs cannot tell their story. 
 
At the age of 31 Sarah was living in Australia and believed she was invincible. While riding a horse, she was thrown to the ground and hit her head on a rock. After regaining consciousness, she was confused and had a headache but could walk. The left side of her head hurt, but there was no visible mark. She thought she was fine and headed home. The next day she found her reading lamp in the refrigerator, her groceries in the sink, and her toaster in the freezer.
 
Sarah held an important government position, and upon returning to work, her boss noticed her left eye had turned inward slightly and didn't seem to move. He encouraged her to make a doctor's appointment and get a brain scan. She learned that she has a mild TBI, which can be used interchangeably with concussion, and they ran psychometric tests. The tests revealed her IQ was 80 (at age 11, she had an IQ of 127). The doctors sent her on her way and told her to avoid another blow to the head. Immediately she was saddened because she realized she would not be able to finish her PhD. She chose not to return to work. Eventually, she received a disability pension, but it was not much. Luckily, she had savings to help cover the next few months of bills.
 
Life as she once knew it changed for Sarah. Sleep became impossible, and she experienced vivid dreams. She was consumed with grief making her insomnia worse. She also turned to painkillers to help with the pain. Her ability to think was taken from her, and making choices confused her. Her biggest fear was appearing stupid in front of others. Her emotions centered around anger and depression. Rage robbed her of her self-respect. She would not see a specialist for the next nine years. Instead, she turned to drinking. She broke up with her boyfriend, and her challenging relationship with her mother only worsened. 
 
Two months after the accident, she recognized her memory was terrible. She struggled with timing and chronology. She wanted to continue with her PhD but was having problems concentrating. Her thesis was about the influence of culture on administrative practice in Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. She poured over the books in her study and devoted the entire day to interpreting a single paragraph. Before the accident, she would read a book a day, now she settled for a page. Each sentence contained words she did not recognize or understand. Thinking caused her pain, but she continued to work and record the meaning of every word she didn't know into an empty notebook. She had forgotten how to type, and using a computer took forever. She would often write sentences with words that she didn't plan to use. Sarah's brain damage occurred in the language zone where the left parietal lobe met the temporal lobe. She struggled to understand written English for a couple of years after the accident. Each day she copied from her books and conducted what she believed to be important research. This was the reason she locked herself away from the world and stopped seeing her friends. But really, she could not let them see the person she had become. Sarah met someone in the park who was doing a thesis on head injuries and told her about how the brain repairs itself after trauma. After her chance meeting, this was her hope for her brain.
 
The next large chunk of time still remains a mystery for Sarah. While working on her PhD, she decided to travel, however, does not remember much. She remembers her job-hunting experience. She often used two expressions to trick people into thinking she was okay. First, she gave a long serious look or second, a look of mild curiosity.  She had lost the art of conversation. Around 10-12 months after her injury, she accepted the job of policy director with a nonprofit organization in aged care. She was doing well until she was asked to give a presentation and take questions in front of a live audience. She was nervous, spoke too fast, and fumbled for answers. Later she approached her boss with a proposal: I will write the presentations, and you can give them. She learned to adapt and keep her brain injury a secret.
 
Sarah's personality and cognition changed. She found it hard to think, concentrate, and remember. Her charm disappeared along with her humor. Her impulse control vanished, and she had an unexpected side effect of craving sex. She explored her sexuality and drank heavily. Then she met Laura, an extrovert that made conversation easy. After ten weeks, they moved in together. Sarah loved her dogs, as they offered her unconditional positive regard. While Laura liked dogs, she believed they should be outside. These differences festered under the surface. Laura helped push Sarah to finish her PhD. She helped her break the material into small chunks, supported her, and brought her food. It was at Laura's suggestion that Sarah applied for a fellowship to live and study in the United States for a year. The distraction of a new city helped Sarah to forget about her depression and rage. She spent her days wandering the streets and exploring neighborhoods, but struggled to come up with a topic for her research and did not get along with her mentor. She met a friend that suggested that she transfer and finish her coursework under a friendlier mentor. She made the transfer, and at Harvard, she completed her case study for her dissertation.
 
Back in Australia, it had been four years since her accident, and she was starting to feel normal. On paper, no one would suspect that she had a damaged brain. In 1999, she became the HR manager at one of the largest papers in Australia.  In 2000, she earned her PhD. In just five years, she achieved what she once thought was impossible. However, her temper started to become a roadblock. Because she could not control her anger, her relationship with Laura deteriorated. Sarah started to have affairs. In hopes of saving their relationship, she took a new job and moved with Laura to Melbourne. Within a few months, they separated, and Sarah had to put down one another of her beloved dogs.
 
In 2004, Sarah moved to Singapore. She was not ashamed about her sexuality but fiercely guarded the truth about her brain injury. Stigma exists around those with head injuries, such as being viewed as intellectually challenged, violent, unpredictable, and untrustworthy. This time of Sarah's life was marked by loneliness, travel, problems with her mother, and learning that she lost the ability to play violin. Years after her accident, she was still discovering new brain problems. Sarah met Giulia, who was 15 years younger.  Quickly they fall in love, and Sarah shared her secret about her brain disorder. In 2008, Sarah took a job with a big Tobacco Company and moved to Hong Kong. Nine months later, Giulia moved there as well. Life began to resemble normalcy for Sarah. 
 
In 2010, Sarah recognized problems with her memory. She was concerned she had Alzheimer's disease or CTE. She struggled with words and could not spell anymore. Her writing had become awkward. She went to the doctor and had another MRI done. There was no evidence for Alzheimer's disease, but there was significant atrophy around the motor cortex and some atrophy around the posterior parietal region and parieto-occipital cortex. She was told to cut back on alcohol, exercise four times a week, read, write, keep working, and take up a foreign language. She was also advised to keep a positive outlook. Sarah was consumed with her symptoms. She was told that for many smart people, it is hard for others to notice a decline. Frustrated with Sarah's moods and preoccupation with her symptoms, Giulia left her. Sarah retreated from life and stayed at home with her dogs and cats. 
 
In 2013, at the age of 50, Sarah was researching euthanasia and considering ending her life. Soon after, she traveled to Sydney to see her neurologist and have more tests done. The MRI revealed that the brain changes were very slow and only in the area where she had her accident. It did not appear she had dementia, but the doctor wanted to run tests again in four years. Writing saved her brain after her accident, now she needed to get back to writing. Nothing stopped her depression, like helping an animal in need. She rescued a stray dog and named him Scout. Having a puppy helped her think about her life ten years into the future. She wanted to move back to Australia and reconcile her relationship with her mother. However, her mother's health and cognitive abilities were deteriorating, and it was taking a toll on Sarah.  She started to see a psychiatrist who offered her some hope. 
 
Sarah was lonely, so she tried online dating, but it didn't work. Finally, she met Louis, who happened to be a psycho-geriatrician specializing in dementia. Sarah told her the truth, and they fell quickly in love. Louis helped convince her that she did not have dementia. TBIs are complicated, and every TBI is different. Every brain is different. She pointed out Sarah wasted seven years worrying about something that didn't happened. She also helped Sarah navigate the relationship with her mother. In 2017, Louis and Sarah married in New York City. They live in Sydney and lead a simple life. On Sarah's wall is a quote by Norman Cousins: The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside us while we live. Sarah decided to skip her next brain scan and live her life without fear. 
 
Other Related Resources
Author's Website
https://sarahvallance.com/
 
BBC Outlook
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csyfcx
 
Psychological Concepts and Figures
ADHD
Aggression
Alcohol
Alzheimer's disease
Antidepressants
Autobiographical memory
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
Compensation
Concussion
Dementia
Depression
Dysphasia
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Glasgow Coma Scale
Grammar
Impulse control
Insomnia
Introvert
IQ
Morphine
MRI
Musical alexia
Pain
Parietal lobe
Pica
Plasticity
Psychiatrist
Psychometric tests
Retrograde amnesia
Serial memory
Sexuality
Spectroscopy
Suicide
Syntax
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Unconditional positive regard
Visuospatial skills