Beyond hygge: The Atlas of Happiness - Traveling Psychiatrist

Stumbling across The Atlas of Happiness: the global secrets of how to be happy Helen Russell’s latest book, I immediately knew I wanted to read it. On the one hand, I have always been fascinated by maps, geography and traveling. On the other, as a Psychiatrist, I help people in their pursuit of their happiness, and guide them through the long and winding road of life, usually at times when they’re the least happy.

I first came across Russell a couple of years ago during one of my trips to Copenhagen. At that time, according to the United Nations World Happiness Report, Denmark was the happiest country in the world (this year Finland holds the title, with Denmark on the 2^nd place). At the same time, the Danish concept of hygge had taken the world by storm. Keen to learn more about why the Danes are so happy, I read Russell’s The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country

In that book, Russell, a Londoner who had recently moved to rural Jutland, writes about her first year in Denmark. She follows an autobiographical approach, whilst at the same time, she stays loyal to her background as a journalist. Each of the twelve chapters takes place during a different month in the year and focuses on a different theme. For example, January is about hygge and home, March about leisure, and May about traditions. At the end of that year, Russell is no longer a newcomer, whereas, at the end of the book, the reader is no longer ignorant about the Danish society and some of its customs.

The Atlas of Happiness: the global secrets of how to be happy

This book was inspired by the background work that Russell did for ‘The Year of Living Danishly’. However, this time she doesn’t stay in Denmark, but goes beyond hygge, and she travels all around the world. In her own words, ‘the result is a catalogue of cultural customs to give a horizontal perspective on happiness and what it means to live a good life around the world’. She visits thirty countries (or regions), some of which are officially among the happiest on Earth, whereas others fall far behind. For each of these countries, she discusses a concept (or two) originating from there.

In this post, I focus on ten countries/regions from ‘the Atlas of Happiness’. Like Russell, I follow an alphabetical order: Australia, Bhutan, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Greece, Hawaii, Iceland, Norway, and Syria. I discuss concepts from these countries that are closely aligned with my personal and professional values and beliefs.

Australia

I’d recently learned that ‘no worries’, a phrase I use quite a lot, originates from Down Under. According to Russell, this Australian expression ‘epitomizes Aussie culture, summing up a friendly gregariousness, a robust jocularity and a casual optimism’. I couldn’t agree more. These two words, often used as a standard reply, carry a philosophical approach to life, where worrying is neither useful nor helpful. For worries are hypothetical and projected in the future; instead, it is much better (and healthier) to be solution- (rather than problem-) focused, and to be present in the here and now.

Bhutan

There is no way to happiness: happiness is the way

Russell writes that this inspirational proverb is Bhutanese. However, it has also been attributed to Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh. Either way, these few words echo the Buddhist approach to happiness (for Bhutan is a Buddhist country). They also echo the concept of Gross National Happiness, which Russell discusses in the chapter about this small landlocked country. The term ‘Gross National Happiness’ was coined in 1972, when Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the then king of Bhutan, said that ‘Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product’. Nowadays, this philosophy guides the government of this Asian kingdom, and has attracted global interest, as it places the collective happiness of the country’s population at the forefront of the government’s agenda.

On an individual level, however, I believe that happiness is a skill that can be practiced and learned. I also believe that we are all personally responsible for our happiness, irrespectively of the external circumstances and our government’s policies, as long as our basic needs are met (i.e. we are not starving, homeless, or in a war).

China

The Chinese word Xingfu is synonymous to happiness, but specifically refers to ‘a good life that is sufficient, sustainable, and has meaning’. It reminds me of the better-known Japanese concept of ikigai.

Russell tells us that ‘studies show that having a sense of purpose can make us happier and researchers at University College London found that having a sense of meaning might also increase our lifespan’. As a Psychiatrist, I strongly believe that happiness is multi-dimensional, and encompasses both pleasure and purpose. Having purposeful activities (such as work -either paid employment or volunteering- or education) can provide routine and structure in our life; it can also foster our sense of self-worth and increase our self-esteem by helping us gain a sense of achievement and mastery. For this reason, I believe that meaningful and purposeful activities (as well as pleasurable ones) should be an essential ingredient to one’s wellbeing and happiness.

Costa Rica

According to ‘In the Shadow of Happiness’, a recent report published by the Nordic Council of Ministers, there are three dimensions (or strands) of subjective well-being’. These include:

life evaluation (i.e. how happy or satisfied one is with life in general),
affect (how happy they currently feel),
and eudaimonia (how meaningful they perceive their life to be).

In The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People

Dan Buettner explores these three strands in three different countries, which are often heralded as the world’s happiest places: Denmark, Costa Rica (officially the 12th happiest country in the world) and Singapore (the 34th). He explains how the Danes score high on the purpose strand (akin to eudemonia), as well as the pleasure (experienced happiness, akin to affect) and pride (evaluative happiness, akin to life evaluation) ones. For the Singaporeans, happiness is also closely related to purpose, meaning and fulfillment. At the same time, the Gallup World Poll consistently ranks this small Asian country high for life satisfaction. The extraordinary social support, an important part of their culture (and the theme for this year’s International Day of Happiness) partially explains why the Costa Ricans are so happy.

According to Russell, ‘Costa Rica invests more in education and health as a proportion of its Gross Domestic Product than most other OECD countries – including the UK’. Russell also tells us that ‘lifelong learning has been linked to better health and even a better social life’. For me, self-improvement (via reading and learning) is another essential ingredient to one’s wellbeing and happiness.

Denmark

Back to Denmark now, but since everyone now knows about hygge, Russell discusses arbejdsglæde; she tells us that this rather difficult Scandinavian word ‘literally means ‘happiness at work’ – something that’s essential to living the good life for Scandinavians’. She then writes that ‘employee happiness is vital for worker motivation, for delivering great results and for retaining talent. Arbejdsglæde helps make Denmark the fourth most productive country in the world. The balance between engaging work and rewarding play is a major reason Denmark is always dancing around the top of the happiness polls. It’s a eudemonic approach to the good life – but it’s one that works’. This further supports Buettner’s conclusions, as well as my own approach to wellbeing and happiness.

Greece

Having been born and raised in Greece, I have always been familiar with the concept of meraki. But it had not occurred to me that this is quite a unique concept, and specific to my home country, until Russell included it in the ‘Atlas of Happiness’. So, what exactly does this Greek noun mean? The word is actually derived from the Turkish merak (labor of love, to do something with pleasure), and is applied to (often creative or artistic) tasks. Meraki means to do something with passion, with absolute devotion, with undivided attention. It refers to the soul, creativity or love you put into something; the essence of yourself you put into your work.

Hawaii

Hawaii is not an independent country, but the 50th and most recent state to have joined the United States of America (60 years ago, in 1959). An island group located in the central Pacific Ocean, Hawaii is the only state geographically located in Oceania, rather than in America.

Russell tells us that ‘according to Gallup studies, Hawaii residents ranked No1 for the highest wellbeing in the US. Acceptance is a central attribute and this makes for philosophical approach to one’s current circumstances, as well as those past’.

Another Gallup poll has found that this island state had the largest proportion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adults in the US. This comes as little surprise, considering the ancient Hawaiian culture. For example, the concept of aikāne refers to homosexual relationships, widely accepted as a normal part of the ancient Hawaiian society. There’s also the concept of Māhū, referring to a third gender with traditional spiritual and social roles in the pre-colonization Hawaiian society.

It also comes as little surprise that former US President Barack Obama was born in Honolulu.

Iceland

From Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean, Russell takes to the North Atlantic. She writes about Iceland’s motto: þetta reddast (‘it will all work out’). She tells us that ‘when faced with difficulties, Icelanders maintain a belief that things will be OK in the end; no matter how big the problem, a solution will always present itself’. This is reminiscent of the Australian ‘no worries’.

Russell also discusses the Icelandic love for books. She writes that ‘another thing that helps Iceland rank highly on the happiness lists is the fact that they’re big readers. Getting immersed in a book has been proven to improve empathy and even levels of wellbeing’.

Iceland actually publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world. This is closely related to Jólabókaflóðið, which refers to the annual release of new books in Iceland in November. Every year since 1944, newly published books are listed in bókatíðindi, a catalogue distributed to all households for free. This has given rise to the tradition of giving books as presents to friends and family on Christmas Eve, and then spending the rest of the day with a book and hot chocolate. This tradition started almost out of necessity during World War II, when gift-giving options were limited due to restrictions on imports to the country. In fact, ‘Blindur er Bóklaus Maður’ (a man without a book is blind) is a common saying in Iceland.

Norway

It is no secret that Norway is one of my favorite and also one of the happiest countries in the world (3^rd happiest in 2019). Despite this, I hadn’t heard of friluftsliv, until I read the ‘Atlas of Happiness’. Meaning ‘free air life’, this word was coined by the Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen in his 1859 poem ‘On The Heights’, where he describes a man venturing out into the wilderness looking for solitude to clear his mind and plan for the future. According to Russell, friluftsliv describes ‘the value of spending time in remote locations for spiritual and physical wellbeing’. For the Norwegians, friluftsliv is more than a philosophy, but a way of life.

Syria

War-stricken Syria can hardly be considered a happy country these days. Yet, this Middle-Eastern country can still teach us something about happiness. Tarab means ‘musically induced ecstasy or enchantment’ and, according to Russell, ‘is used to describe the heightened emotional effect of certain types of music in Arab culture, especially in Syria’.

Earlier this year, a very close friend of mine attended a Westlife concert at the Manchester Arena. She reflected on the euphoric feeling shared by the people attending the concert, and how music can unite people from different walks of life and help create a moment of shared happiness.

Ironically, it was that very venue where 23 people tragically lost their lives in 2017. 139 people were also wounded; more than half of them were children. The terrorist attack followed an Ariana Grande concert. To add to the irony, Salman Ramadan Abedi, the person responsible for the bombing, was a British Muslim of Libyan ancestry.

Back to ‘the Atlas of Happiness’, Russell mentions that studies have shown that music can have a positive effect on our mood and wellbeing.

Indeed, a number of research studies provide evidence in support for the beneficial role of music (classical, as well as some other types of music) on psychological (as well as physical) symptoms. For example, a systematic review indicated that listening to music might have a beneficial effect on physiological parameters (such as blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate), anxiety, and pain in people with coronary heart disease. Another systematic review concluded that music interventions might have beneficial effects on anxiety, pain, fatigue, and quality of life in patients with cancer.

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