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The AST publishing house published Toru Ville’s book Glugge. Scandinavian Happiness: Drinking Seagulls in Pajamas” is a kind of guide to the philosophy of happiness in the Nordic countries. We read it to finally figure out how lagom differs from sisu and why everyone should adopt the Icelandic gluggavedur.
After the phenomenal success of the Danish concept of simple cozy happiness, the researchers decided to take a closer look at the way of life in other Nordic countries. Such interest is well justified. It would seem that the Finns, Icelanders or Dutch have few reasons for joy: the climate is so-so, half a year it rains, then snows, cold and impenetrable darkness, prices are high, taxes are huge.
But these countries and their people regularly top the list of the happiest in the world. A natural question arises – why are they so satisfied with life? The experts found the answer in the national concepts of happiness, which have been formed over the centuries from healthy outlooks on life, the ability to appreciate simple joys and enjoy what is available.
Each of the concepts has its own characteristics, which are worth a closer look and take note.
Heselehide: Dutch unity
“On cold evenings, a Dutch family gathers together, lights candles and sips freshly brewed coffee, looking out through the washed, spotless window pane. At this time, their souls are filled with heselehide,” explains Toru Ville. This is a social phenomenon. For happiness and comfort in Dutch, the presence of loved ones is mandatory. Holland is a small country where every inch of land has been reclaimed from the sea. Its inhabitants have historically learned to coexist in cramped conditions, not drawing curtains on large windows and respecting each other.
Toru Ville notes that other northern peoples also have special words for an evening with friends. For example, Norwegians have koseli. “The perfect koseli evening includes delicious food, warm colours, the company of good friends, a fireplace or a few lighted candles.” The Germans have the word “gemütlichkait”. It refers to the feeling of satisfaction that one feels when sitting in good company over a delicious treat.
Sisu: Finnish fortitude
The word “sisu” cannot be translated into Russian, but can be described with the phrase: “What must be done will be done.” Roman Schatz, in his book “From Finland with Love”, explains this concept in this way: “Stamina, humble acceptance of difficulties, strength, closed fists, clenched teeth. Sisu is magical, this is the strength that allows you to withstand loads beyond human capabilities. Thanks to the sis, Finns are stubborn and self-sufficient, value social equality and always keep promises. And that is what makes them happy.
In addition to sisu, the Finns have another interesting concept – kalsarikännit. This word, included in a special dictionary of Finnish emotions, issued at the initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, denotes a type of leisure when a person drinks at home alone, dressed in underwear or pajamas, and does not intend to go out to have fun.
Gluggaveður: Icelandic Cozy Bad Weather
“There is no literal translation for this Icelandic concept,” explains Toru Ville. “But literally it means “window weather,” the ability to enjoy bad weather.” In other words, gluggavedur is when you look out the window at rain or snow, and you feel good and calm in a warm room with fragrant tea and cookies.
Lagom: moderation in Swedish
Lagom promotes moderation and the ability to be content with affordable things. Freely translated from Swedish – “not too little, not too much, but just right.” The Swedes themselves say that lagom is a return to the Viking times, when a dish of food and a bowl of drink were passed around and everyone got a fair equal share.
The main idea of the lagom is to maintain a balance between work and leisure, benefit and pleasure, modesty and brightness. “To live in lagom style, you need to stop loading life with unnecessary details,” writes Toru Ville. “To do this, you need to keep track of income and expenses, refuse unnecessary purchases, reduce water and energy consumption, reuse things whenever possible.”
Arbeidstled: happiness from work in Danish
Statistics say that in the Scandinavian countries, 68% of the population is satisfied with their work. For example, in England there are 47% of such people, and in Belgium it is 35%. The Danes rightly believe that since we spend the lion’s share of the time at work, it should give pleasure. Scandinavian wisdom says: a happy person happily goes to work in the morning, and happily returns home in the evening.
And if you do not enjoy work, you need to either learn how to do it, or change jobs. It doesn’t take much to reach arbeidstled. Decide why you work, build relationships with colleagues, radiate positivity, praise other employees, improve and learn new things, take breaks from time to time, even if you are doing something exciting.