Posted on 11/01/2017
It's a strange thing to come across a word that you've not only never seen before, but you have no idea how to pronounce. Our guess is you know how to do it, though. And once you read about its origins and why it's trending, you'll want to do it even more. Okay, okay, here it is: hyoo—guh or hoo-guh. The closest English equivalent to this Danish word and growing trend is "coziness." Think of comfort foods, familiar friends, sipping something warm by the fireplace. Etymologically, the word's origins are related to the English "hug" and has connotations of gratitude, relaxation, and living in the moment. Among finalists for the Oxford English Dictionary's 2016 word of the year, "hygge" can become more than a fun addition to your Scrabble or Words with Friends game: it can transform your home.
Hygge Basics
Birthed as a sort of antidote to the mundane repetition of daily life, the idea of hygge is to find simple things to celebrate, breaking up the otherwise monotonous days and months. Particularly during a long, dark winter, a warm meal with friends can be especially uplifting. Simple acts like serving a snack on the good china or making home-made bread can transform daily life into something beautiful. It's not as much about a particular lifestyle or design element as it is a recognition of those people, those elements, that moment that makes you feel contented. From daily rituals like making morning coffee or lighting candles in your living room as dusk arrives to special moments shared with those you love, hygge is a way of naming the intimacy and comfort found in life's simplest pleasures.
Health & Hygge
While the focus of hygge could be argued to be quite anti-materialism, it does extend to material things. Fuzzy socks, pastries from a local bakery, a well-loved blanket – these things can enhance your home's hygge factor. In How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life, Signe Johansen calls hygge "healthy hedonism." When it comes to mental and emotional health, some see it as a prescription for SAD; Louisa Thomsen Brits is one of them, and she explains how in her book, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection. Danish doctors even recommend it, along with tea, for treating the common cold.
Hygge & Happiness
Depending on the year, Danes and their Scandinavian neighbors take turns being heralded as some of the happiest people in the world. Regardless of your financial status or locale, you can benefit from their discovery: "The hard-earned lesson of frigid Scandinavian winters is that there's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothes — that all you really need to get through difficult times is shelter and sustenance, kith and kin."
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Sources cited:
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the...
http://hyggehouse.com/hygge