The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People

Join the happiness revolution! The author of the New York Times bestseller The Little Book of Hygge offers more inspiration and suggestions for achieving greater happiness and a better quality of life, by practicing Lykke (LOO-ka)—pursuing and finding the good that exists in the world around us every day.

While the Danes are the happiest people on the planet, happiness isn’t exclusively Danish; cultures around the world have their own unique approaches to leading a contented, fulfilled life. For his work at the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, based on his extensive happiness research, Meik Wiking travels the globe from Dubai to Finland, Rio de Janeiro to Bhutan, South Korea to the United States, to discover the secrets of the very happiest people.

In The Little Book of Lykke, Meik identifies the six factors that explain the majority of differences in happiness across the world—togetherness, money, health, freedom, trust, and kindness—and explores what actions we can take to become happier. As he reveals, we can deepen our blissfulness and contentment with little adjustments in our behavior, whether it’s eating like the French (sitting around a table and savoring our time) or dancing the tango like Argentinians in Buenos Aires.

With his trademark warmth and wit, Meik explores the happiness gap for parents, how much money you really need to buy happiness, how we can be healthier without having to go to the gym, how we can learn to build trust and collaboration, how we can help ourselves by helping others, and why our expectations often outweigh our reality. Weaving together original research from the field of positive psychology and personal anecdotes, The Little Book of Lykke is a global roadmap for joy that offers a new approach to achieving everyday happiness that not only improve our own lives, but help us build better communities and a better world.

This global roadmap for joy reveals proven strategies to improve your quality of life:

• Community Building: Learn why togetherness is a cornerstone of contentment and discover practical ways, from Danish cohousing to community gardens, to strengthen your bonds with others.
• Work-Life Balance: Explore the secret to leaving the office at 4 p.m. guilt-free and find the freedom to prioritize time with family and friends.
• Health and Wellness: Find out how to be healthier without hitting the gym by integrating movement into your daily life, the way cyclists do in Copenhagen.
• Acts of Kindness: Uncover the science behind the "helper’s high" and see how simple, kind actions can generate profound happiness for you and those around you.
• Building Trust: See why trust is a superpower for happiness, from leaving babies to sleep outside cafés in Denmark to creating workplaces that thrive on collaboration.

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Lykke (Loo-ka) (n): Happiness

It’s easy to see why Denmark is often called the world’s happiest country. Not only do they have work and life in perfect balance, free higher education, and trains that run on time, but they burn more candles per household than anywhere else.

So nobody knows more about happiness—what the Danes call lykke—than Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and author of the bestselling sensation The Little Book of Hygge. But he believes that, while we can certainly learn a lot from the Danes about finding fulfillment, the keys to happiness are actually buried all around the globe.

In this captivating book, he takes us on a treasure hunt to unlock the doors to the good life. From how we spend our precious time to how we relate to our neighbors and cook dinner, he gathers evidence, stories, and tips from the very happiest corners of the planet. This is the ultimate guide to how we can all find a little more lykke in our lives.

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Praise for The Little Book of Hygge:

“The Little Book of Hygge, which is already a best seller in Britain… is the most engaging of what is becoming a full-fledged lifestyle category.” - New York Times

“Wiking has another Danish word for us: Lykke. And this time the scope is global. Lykke is the Danish word for happiness and Wiking’s new book takes the focus away from Scandinavia to explore how other countries are leading the way in cultivating happiness.” - Telegraph (UK)

“When it comes to living our best lives, there is much to learn from different cultures… The Happiness Research Institute explores global trends of life satisfaction. It’s headed by Meik Wiking, who has collected his findings in The Little Book of Lykke.” - Good Housekeeping, UK

“Comfort, coziness, warmth—that’s what Hygge is. It’s tailor-made for turbulent times, and this guide from Denmark can help you find it.” - People

“The Little Book of Hygge... may just be your passport to bliss.” - Real Simple

“Meik Wiking…[cites] psychological research showing that close social relationships and time spent socializing, eating, and relaxing… tend to be the greatest drivers of joy.” - Elle

“Denmark’s concept of supreme coziness and comfort has taken the world of interiors by storm…But the concept of hygge doesn’t just apply to your home. As I learned in the cute hygge reference book The Little Book of Hygge… you can hygge anything.” - Vogue.com

[Praise for the UK edition]: “Move over Hygge – there’s a new Scandi buzzword about to take the world by storm.” - Mail on Sunday

“[Meik Wiking] is our charming tour guide for this “treasure hunt” in which happiness is the much sought-after prize. Travelling around the world, he learns what works best where and distills these lessons into a lovely life plan that celebrates community spirit.” - S Magazine