A review by krgreen
The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Helen Russell
4.0
An interesting read. In a similar vein to 'The Happiness Project' and 'Eat, Pray, Love,' this book focuses on a woman's journey to find a better life.
Many of the concepts are not new - being in nature, time spent with family, self-care, a clean environment and exercise are commonly recommended for good mental health. But Helen also investigates the 'hygge' feeling from burning candles, the trust in others when everyone is seen as cared for by the state, eating seasonally and the importance of belonging to clubs.
She shares a lot of research from Danish scholars in various fields, all in the midst of her own journal-like reflections of how dark and lonely the country can be in the winter. I found the mix compelling, pleasing my inner statistics nerd as much as my experience of friends and family with mental health problems.
I would have liked a little more about how the principles she has researched could perhaps be applied to other cultures, although there is a top ten list at the end. Definitely worth reading.
Many of the concepts are not new - being in nature, time spent with family, self-care, a clean environment and exercise are commonly recommended for good mental health. But Helen also investigates the 'hygge' feeling from burning candles, the trust in others when everyone is seen as cared for by the state, eating seasonally and the importance of belonging to clubs.
She shares a lot of research from Danish scholars in various fields, all in the midst of her own journal-like reflections of how dark and lonely the country can be in the winter. I found the mix compelling, pleasing my inner statistics nerd as much as my experience of friends and family with mental health problems.
I would have liked a little more about how the principles she has researched could perhaps be applied to other cultures, although there is a top ten list at the end. Definitely worth reading.