'Hygge', mood and wellbeing – hugging, embracing and relaxed thoughtfulness in pandemic times

Back in March 2018 I wrote a blog post called ‘Wellbeing lessons from living Danishly’. I only mentioned it in passing back then but central to Denmark’s success in achieving consistently high levels of wellbeing is the concept of hygge. If you’re not familiar with this term a good place to start is Meik Wiking’s The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well.  Wiking is the founder of Copenhagen’s Happiness Research Institute. His best-selling Little Book of Hygge offers a few descriptions of this hard-to-define concept: hygge means “cosy togetherness” and “taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things.” Wiking argues that the relatively high level of wellbeing enjoyed consistently by Danes (compared with other nations) is due to their valuing – and putting into practice – the concept of hygge.

Published in 2016, Wiking’s book could not have anticipated the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and its resulting lockdowns on our wellbeing. If “cosy togetherness” is so important to wellbeing it’s no wonder that social distancing and isolation is having a detrimental effect. “Cosy togetherness” is in very short supply at the moment – especially for those who live alone.

Wiking gives an interesting insight into the origins of the term hygge and its connection with close physical contact. It seems the word appeared in written Danish for the first time in the early nineteenth century but is actually Norwegian in origin. According to Wiking the original word in Norwegian means ‘well-being’, but there’s a connection with our English word ‘hug’ - which comes from hugge meaning ‘to embrace’. There’s also an Old Norse word hygga which means ‘to comfort’ and this derives from hugr meaning ‘mood’. And then there’s an Old English word hycgan which means ‘to think, or to consider’. Wiking uses the phrase “relaxed thoughtfulness” in connection with hygge, (which somehow reminds me of Wordsworth’s definition of poetry:  “emotion recollected in tranquility.”) But what does all this delving into Scandinavian etymology tell us? Well, quite a lot. Namely, that it seems there is a centuries-old acknowledgment that hugging, embracing and relaxed thoughtfulness are inextricably linked to our mood and our wellbeing.

Of course, it’s perfectly possible to experience hygge alone and one of Wiking’s descriptions of hygge is that it’s “like a hug without touching.” You can snuggle up by yourself with a blanket, a good book or a favourite TV programme, have a warm drink in a favourite mug and light a few candles – and that can be perfectly hygge.  But there's no doubt many people must be finding it harder to maintain positive mood and a high level of wellbeing without hugs or the comfort of others.

It sometimes seems that, in the pandemic, people are being asked to safeguard their health (and the health of others) at the expense of their own (and others’) wellbeing. If we socially isolate we are certainly less likely to contract the virus and less likely to transmit it but we are also less likely to give and receive the physical and psychological contact that supports our wellbeing. Of course, you can argue that a good level of wellbeing won’t do you much good if you contract a serious or potentially fatal disease but, to paraphrase the World Health Organisation’s classic 1948 definition of health, the absence of coronavirus without physical, mental and social wellbeing cannot truly be said to be a state of health (WHO, 2021). Public wellbeing is understandably losing out to public health at the moment just as, in wartime, children were evacuated from their family homes and, though this may have been traumatic for many children and their parents, at least they avoided being killed by bombs. 

So, is it possible to enjoy the wellbeing benefits of hygge while locked-down and isolated? Well, helpfully, Wiking provides a ‘Hygge Manifesto’, much of which can be adapted to the pandemic situation. There are ten simple points in his manifesto, most of which can be practiced without others entering your household - though not all of them are completely compatible with other public health messages!

1. Atmosphere – Turn down the lights
2. Presence – Be here now. Turn off the phone
3. Pleasure – Coffee, chocolates, cookies and cakes
4. Equality – ‘We’ over ‘me’. Share
5. Gratitude – Take it in. Appreciate what you have
6. Harmony – There’s no need to brag or practice one-upmanship
7. Comfort – Take a break, get comfy and relax
8. Truce – Try to avoid heated discussions or differences of opinion
9. Togetherness – Build relationships and shared narratives
10. Shelter – Enjoy being in your place of peace and security. 

I'm sure you'll agree that, whilst not contradicting government guidance, these injunctions sound a lot more palatable - and a lot more fun - than plain old 'Stay home, stay safe, save lives'. 

Further reading

Wiking, M. (2016) The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well. London: Penguin Random House.

Wordsworth, W. (2006) Preface to The Lyrical Ballads. London: Penguin Books.

World Health Organisation (2021)  Constitution of the World Health Organisation. Available at:  https://apps.who.int/gb/bd/PDF/bd47/EN/constitution-en.pdf?ua=1