The Little Book of Lykke (Happiness)

Meik Wiking har skrivit boken "The Little Book of Lykke - the Danish search for the World´s Happiest people". Meik är CEO på "the Happines Research Institute" i Köpenhamn.  Han har ägnat de senaste åren åt att forska kring lycka. Han konstaterar att i flera undersökningar rankas danskar som världens lyckligaste folk. 

Enligt Meik så kan man dela in lycka i tre dimensioner. Den "hedonistiska lyckan" (affective dimension) fokuserar på hur lycklig du känner dig i nuet, i vardagen dag för dag. Den "övergripande lyckan" (cognitive dimension) fokuserar på hur lycklig du känner dig generellt utifrån den livssituation du har. Det finns även en tredje dimension (eudaimonia) som härstammar från Aristoteles uppfattning av lycka - ett fokus på att du lever ett meningsfullt liv och har hittat ditt syfte. Meik har i denna bok fokuserat mest på den kognitiva övergripande lyckan - "overall happiness".

Meik identifierar att det finns sex faktorer som ligger till grund för ett lyckligt liv. Se min sammanfattning från boken nedan:

- Togetherness -

Believing that you can rely on your friends in times of need.

The capacity of fire and food to bring people together.

9 out of 10 people living in Denmark 

say they happily pay their taxes.

Make the effort to speak to your neighbours.

Encourage your friends and family to have 

tech-free periods during the week.

- Money -

Generally speaking, in richer countries, people are happier.

But, the relationship between money and happiness is complicated

In US: Inequality results in a decrease of happiness for the people.

Pay now, consume later.

Buy experiences and memories, not things.

Your happiness level when you are young 

predicts your income later in life.

Positive people seem more likely to get a degree, 

find a job and be promoted.

- Health -

Good health enables us to play, 

to seek out adventures and pursue happiness.

In the Nordic countries, free health care is available to everyone

In Copenhagen, 45% of all commutes for work are by bike.

Cycling keeps us more active and healthier, 

which in turn keeps us happier

MOVE MORE EACH DAY

practice "forest bathing"

Mindfulness - being present in this moment

Reduce stigma and increase awareness of mental illness

- Freedom -

No people can be truly happy if they do not feel that 

they are choosing the course of their own life.

Work-life balance:

At work, the men will say they can´t make a meeting 

at 4 p.m because they have to pick up their kids. 

That would never happen in London.

 There are three things that take away our freedom at work:

meetings, managers and mails.

People who work from home 

(or live very close to their workplace) are happier

- Trust -

A successful society is one in which people

 have a high level of trust in each other

If we have strong empathetic skills, we are more inclined to 

cooperate than to compete and, when we all cooperate, 

we are more inclined to trust each other.

Elephant mums:
parents who nurture and encourage their children will give

 them the strength to find their own way towards happiness.

In countries with more economic equality, the percentage 

of people agreeing that "most people can be trusted" is higher.

- Kindness -

Find ways to bring happiness to others through acts of kindness

A society cannot be happy unless there is 

a high degree of altruism among its members.

Cooperation is good for the survival of our species, so 

we are wired to feel good when we engage in it.

Find ways you can volunteer to help others. 

Improve your community and develop your sense of purpose.

Start doing little Random Acts of Kindness

www.randomactsofkindness.org

Avslutningsvis, givetvis ett klipp med Meik från Youtube:

Kolla också in Meik´s Ted-Talk, the Dark side of happiness...