{"id":271,"date":"2019-04-04T11:09:04","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T11:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nomadicmatt.com\/?p=167658"},"modified":"2019-04-04T11:09:04","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T11:09:04","slug":"the-atlas-of-happiness-discovering-the-worlds-secret-to-happiness-with-helen-russell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourfunjourney.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/04\/the-atlas-of-happiness-discovering-the-worlds-secret-to-happiness-with-helen-russell\/","title":{"rendered":"The Atlas of Happiness: Discovering the World\u2019s Secret to Happiness with Helen Russell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Best
\nPosted<\/strong>: 4\/4\/2019 | April 4th, 2019<\/p>\n

A few years ago, I read the book The Year of Living Danishly<\/a> by Helen Russell. I think it originally came up as a suggested book on Amazon. I can’t fully remember. But, I stuck it in my queue, ordered it, and it sat on my bookshelf until it was time to read it. I couldn’t put it down. It was funny, well written, interesting, and an insightful look into Danish culture. It was one of my favorite books I read that year. <\/p>\n

Last year, I somehow convinced Helen to speak at TravelCon and got to meet her in person. Now, she has a new book out called The Atlas of Happiness<\/a>. It’s about why people in certain places are happier than others. It’s a phenomenal book (you should get it). Today, Helen shares some of what she learned in researching that book!<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a funny thing: if you\u2019ve been online today for more than a fraction of a second, you may have started to get the sense that the world is A Terrible Place. Even the committed traveler with an open mind could be forgiven for thinking that the outlook is pretty bleak. <\/p>\n

And if you\u2019ve seen the headlines today or been on social media and you\u2019re feeling low as a result, you\u2019re not alone. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to get the idea that the world is becoming more miserable by the minute and that happiness is a luxury in these troubled times. <\/p>\n

But over the past six years, I\u2019ve learned that there are people all around the world finding ways to stay happy, every day. And that happiness is something we\u2019re hardwired to seek out \u2013 wherever we are.<\/p>\n

I started researching happiness in 2013 when I relocated from the UK to Denmark<\/a>. I\u2019d spent 12 years living and working in London<\/a> as a journalist, and I had no intention of leaving, until out of the blue one wet Wednesday, my husband came home and told me he\u2019d been offered his dream job…working for Lego in rural Jutland. I was skeptical to start with \u2014 I had a good career, a nice flat, great friends, close family \u2014 I had a life. <\/p>\n

Okay, so my husband and I both worked long hours, we were tired all the time, and never seemed to be able to see each other very much. We regularly had to bribe ourselves to get through the day and we\u2019d both been ill on and off for the past six months. <\/p>\n

But that was normal, right? <\/p>\n

We thought we were \u2018living the dream.\u2019 I was 33 years old and we\u2019d also been trying for a baby for as long as either of us could remember, enduring years of fertility treatment, but we were always so stressed that it never quite happened. <\/p>\n

So when my husband was offered a job in Denmark<\/a>, this \u2018other life\u2019 possibility was dangled in front of us \u2014 the chance to swap everything we knew for the unknown. Denmark had just been voted the world\u2019s happiest country in the UN\u2019s annual report and I became fascinated by this. How had a tiny country of just 5.5m people managed to pull off the happiest nation on earth title? Was there something in the water? And if we couldn\u2019t get happier in Denmark, where could we get happier? <\/p>\n

During our first visit, we noticed that there was something a bit different about the Danes we met. They didn\u2019t look like us, for starters \u2014 quite apart from the fact that they were all strapping Vikings towering over my 5\u20193\u201d frame \u2014 they looked more relaxed and healthier. They walked more slowly. They took their time to stop and eat together, or talk, or just…breathe. <\/p>\n

And we were impressed. <\/p>\n

My Lego Man husband was sold on the idea and begged me to move, promising we\u2019d relocate for my career next time. And I was so worn out by my hectic London life that I found myself agreeing. I quit my job to go freelance and decided I would give it a year, investigating the Danish happiness phenomenon first hand \u2014 looking at a different area of living each month to find out what Danes did differently. <\/p>\n

From food to family life; work culture to working out; and design to the Danish welfare state \u2014 each month I would throw myself into living \u2018Danishly\u2019 to see if it made me any happier and if I could change the way I lived as a result. I decided I would interview as many Danes, expats, psychologists, scientists, economists, historians, sociologists, politicians, everyone, in fact, to try to uncover the secrets to living Danishly. <\/p>\n

I documented my experiences for two UK newspapers before being asked to write a book: The Year of Living Danishly, Uncovering the Secrets of the World\u2019s Happiest Country<\/a><\/em>. <\/p>\n

Since then, I\u2019ve been humbled and moved to hear from readers from across the globe with wide-ranging life perspectives, but the one constant was a need to share the happiness secrets of their own cultures. Some of the themes that sprung out were universal \u2014 such as social interactions, exercising out of doors and finding a balance in life \u2014 while others were intriguingly unique.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>So I set out to research into unique happiness concepts from around the world, interviewing people internationally until The Atlas of Happiness<\/a><\/em> \u2014 my new book-baby \u2014 was born. It isn\u2019t a compendium of the happiest countries; instead, it\u2019s a look at what\u2019s making people happier in different places. Because if we only look at the countries already coming top of the happiness polls, we miss out on ideas and knowledge from cultures we\u2019re less familiar with. <\/p>\n

Nowhere is perfect. Every country has faults. But I wanted to celebrate the best parts of a country\u2019s culture as well as national characteristics at their finest \u2013 because that\u2019s what we should all be aiming for.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of my favorites:<\/p>\n

Did you know, for example, that in Portuguese there\u2019s something called saudade \u2014 a feeling of longing, melancholy, and nostalgia for a happiness that once was \u2014 or even a happiness you merely hoped for?<\/p>\n

And while Brazil<\/a> may be famous for its carnival spirit, the flipside of this, saudade, is so central to the Brazilian psyche that it\u2019s even been given its own official \u2018day\u2019 on the 30th of January every year. <\/p>\n

Most of us will have experienced a bittersweet pleasure in moments of melancholy \u2014 flicking through old photos, or caring about anyone enough to miss them when they\u2019re gone. <\/p>\n

And scientists have found that this temporary sadness \u2014 counter-intuitively \u2014 makes us happier: providing catharsis; improving our attention to detail; increasing perseverance and promoting generosity. So we should all spend time remembering those we\u2019ve loved and lost \u2014 then practice being a little more grateful for the ones still around. <\/p>\n

Finland<\/a> ranked number one in this year\u2019s UN World Happiness report thanks to a great quality of life, free healthcare, and education funded by high taxes. <\/p>\n

But there\u2019s also something else the Finns enjoy that\u2019s infinitely more exportable: kalsarik\u00e4nnit \u2014 defined as \u2018drinking at home in your underwear with no intention of going out\u2019 \u2014 a pursuit so popular it even has its own emoji, commissioned by The Finnish Foreign Ministry. <\/p>\n

In common with most Scandinavians, Finns aren\u2019t shy about disrobing, and they all have such enviably well-insulated houses that stripping down to their pants is apparently completely okay even when it’s minus 35 degrees outside. What you drink and crucially how much of it you knock back is down to the individual, but it\u2019s a uniquely Finnish form of happiness and mode of relaxation that we can all give a go. <\/p>\n

\"Best<\/p>\n

In Greece<\/a>, they have a concept called meraki that refers to an introspective, precise expression of care, usually applied to a cherished pastime \u2014 and it\u2019s keeping Greeks happy despite turbulent times. This is because having a hobby improves our quality of life according to scientists, and challenging ourselves to do something different also creates new neural pathways in our brain. Having a passion that you take pride can be of extra benefit to those who can\u2019t say the same for their primary occupation. <\/p>\n

Because meraki can make life worthwhile if your 9-5 is more of a daily grind. Many tasks that need to be taken care of on a day-to-day basis aren’t particularly challenging or inspiring \u2013 from filing, to raising purchase orders or even \u2014 dare I say it \u2014 some of the more gruelling aspects of parenting. <\/p>\n

But we can break up the never-ending cycle of mundane work with our own personal challenges \u2014 things that we\u2019re passionate about that we can genuinely look forward to doing. Our meraki. <\/p>\n

Dolce far niente \u2014 or the sweetness of doing nothing \u2014 is a much-treasured concept in Italy<\/a> \u2014 often hashtagged on Instagram accompanying pictures of Italians in hammocks. Okay, so Italy hasn\u2019t exactly topped any happiness rankings in recent years, but the clich\u00e9 of the carefree Italian still exists \u2013 and with good reason. <\/p>\n

Italians do \u2018nothing\u2019 like no other nation and perfecting the art takes style and skill \u2013 because there\u2019s more to it than meets the eye. It\u2019s watching the world go by over coffee and a cornetto. It\u2019s laughing at tourists. Or politicians. And crucially it\u2019s about savoring the moment and really enjoying the present. Many of us search for relaxation by traveling to exotic locations, drinking to oblivion, or trying to blot out the noise of modern life. <\/p>\n

But Italians let the chaos wash over them. Instead of saving up our \u2018fun quota\u2019 for an annual escape, they spread it over the minutes, hours and days throughout the year and \u2018enjoy life\u2019 in all its messy reality.<\/p>\n

One of the happiest countries in the world, the Norwegians must be doing something right. And quite aside from their enviable Scandi-lifestyles and the safety net of all that oil, Norwegians have a secret ace card up their sleeves: a concept called friluftsliv. This roughly translates as \u2018free air life\u2019 and it\u2019s a code of conduct as well as a life goal for most Norwegians \u2013 who like to spend time outdoors and get high, as often as possible. <\/p>\n

Anyone who\u2019s ever visited the country will know that if you meet a Norwegian out in nature, their objective tends to be the highest mountain nearby \u2013 and there\u2019s a saying in Norway<\/a> that \u201cYou must make an effort before you can have pleasure\u2019. <\/p>\n

Most Norwegians believe you have to work for things, to earn them with physical endeavors, battling the elements. Only once you\u2019ve climbed a mountain in the rain and cold, can you truly enjoy your dinner. It\u2019s an old fashioned approach to the good life but numerous studies show that using our bodies and getting out into nature as often as possible boosts mental and physical wellbeing. <\/p>\n

\"Best<\/p>\n

Which is all very well, on paper. But how to apply these principles and all the things I\u2019d learned in real life? Well, I took it slowly \u2014 dolce far niente style. I had to learn not to be the archetypal Londoner, working all hours. Instead, I had to try relaxing once in a while. <\/p>\n

Radical, I know. <\/p>\n

Next, I got on the hobby train. I found my meraki in pottery, in cooking and trying out new recipes, often inspired by the countries I was researching. Some weeks, we ate well. Others, not so much (my husband still hasn\u2019t forgiven me for \u2018Russian month\u2019). I\u2019m not ashamed to say that I\u2019ve done a fair amount of underwear-drinking, too. <\/p>\n

The Finnish concept of kalsarik\u00e4nnit and I are now firm friends. And because I was working less and being more mindful of living well and looking after myself, it was relatively easy to adopt the Norwegian ethos of friluftsliv. <\/p>\n

So now I try to ask myself: what did I do today? What did I climb? Where did I go? But the biggest mind shift was the realization that to be happy, we have to be comfortable being sad sometimes, too. That we\u2019re at our healthiest and happiest when we can reconcile ourselves to all our emotions, good and bad. <\/p>\n

The Portuguese saudade was a game changer for me \u2014 helping me to come to terms with the life I thought I\u2019d have and find a way to move on, without resentment or bitterness. Because when you let go of these things, something pretty amazing can happen.<\/p>\n

By learning from other cultures about happiness, wellbeing and how to stay healthy (and sane), I found a way to be less stressed than I was in my old life. I developed a better understanding of the challenges and subtleties of coming from another culture. My empathy levels went up. I learned to care, more.<\/p>\n

Optimism isn\u2019t frivolous: it\u2019s necessary. You\u2019re travelers. You get this. But we need to spread the word, now, more than ever. Because we only have one world, so it would be really great if we didn\u2019t mess it up. <\/p>\n

Hellen Russell is a British journalist, speaker, and the author of the international bestseller The Year of Living Danishly<\/a>. Her most recent book, The Atlas of Happiness<\/a>, examines the cultural habits and traditions of happiness around the globe. Formerly the editor of marieclaire.co.uk, she now writes for magazines and newspapers around the world, including Stylist, The Times, Grazia, Metro, and The i Newspaper. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks<\/h4>\n

Book Your Flight<\/strong>
\nFind a cheap flight by using Skyscanner<\/a> or Momondo<\/a>. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. <\/p>\n

Book Your Accommodation<\/strong>
\nYou can book your hostel with Hostelworld<\/a> as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com<\/a> as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. <\/p>\n

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance<\/strong>
\nTravel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads<\/a> for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:<\/p>\n