Around 2016, hygge was suddenly everywhere. It was shortlisted as a word of the year by both Oxford and Collins dictionaries, and it arrived in English mostly as a shopping list: candles, chunky knits, wool socks, a sheepskin on a chair.
Those things are fine. But they are not what the word means in Denmark, and treating hygge as a look misses the part that actually makes people feel better. This guide is about that part: what hygge really is, what research does and does not say about it, and how to find your own version of it on an ordinary day.
What hygge means
Hygge is a Danish word, usually pronounced roughly "HOO-guh", for a feeling more than a thing: the comfortable, unhurried warmth of a moment where you feel safe, at ease and close to the people around you. Oxford's dictionary describes it as cosiness and comfortable conviviality that brings a feeling of contentment.
Its roots are usually traced to old Norwegian and Old Norse words connected with comfort and consolation, although the exact history is uncertain. In Danish it is used constantly, as a noun, a verb and an adjective. You can have hygge, make it, or describe an evening as hyggelig.
What matters for the rest of this guide: hygge describes an atmosphere you create with other people, or with yourself. Objects can help set it. They cannot make it.
What hygge is not
It is not a style of interior design, and it is not something you can buy. The Danish anthropologist Jeppe Trolle Linnet, who studied hygge among Danish families, describes it as a way of being together that is meant to feel real and equal, in quiet opposition to showy luxury and competition. Expensive or impressive things tend to work against it, because the moment someone is performing, the hygge is gone.
He also points to its shadow side, and it is worth being honest about it. Because hygge depends on everyone being relaxed and agreeable, it can quietly exclude people who do not fit in, or pressure people to keep difficult feelings out of the room. Real hygge has space for a bad day. A forced, perfect evening does not.
What research says about it
No study has shown that hygge makes people happier, and Denmark's high place in world happiness rankings has many likely causes, from trust in each other to the welfare system. It would not be honest to credit a word.
What research does support are the two things hygge is built from.
Savouring small pleasures. Being able to notice and stay with a good moment is linked to being happier, and it seems to be easily undermined. In one study, people who were simply reminded of wealth spent less time savouring a piece of chocolate and enjoyed it less than people who were not. Having access to the best things may make it harder to enjoy the small ones.
Being close to people. A large review of 148 studies, covering more than 300,000 people, found that those with stronger social relationships had about a 50 percent greater likelihood of survival over the study periods. The authors found the size of that effect comparable to well-established risk factors for health. Time spent warmly with others is not a luxury.
The ingredients of hygge
If you strip away the products, hygge comes down to a few simple ingredients.
- Presence. Being in the moment, not half in your phone. A meal where nobody checks a screen feels different.
- Togetherness. A small group, often three or four people, rather than a crowd.
- Comfort. Warm, soft and simple. Good enough, not perfect.
- An unhurried pace. No agenda to get through, no next thing waiting.
- Equality. Nobody impressing anybody. Everyone helps, nobody performs.
- Light. Danes famously prefer low, warm light to a bright ceiling bulb. A lamp and a candle change a room more than you would expect.
How to make hygge part of ordinary days
Hygge is not saved for special evenings. Some of it fits into any day.
- Morning: a warm drink drunk sitting down, before the phone.
- Afternoon: ten minutes outside, alone or with someone, without headphones.
- Evening: a lamp instead of the overhead light, and the phone in another room for an hour.
- With people: a simple meal, cooked together, nothing to prove.
- On your own: a blanket, a book, a window, and no reason to get up.
None of these need anything new. Most need you to stop doing something else for a little while.
Find your own hygge
The most useful version of hygge is your own, not Denmark's. A short exercise to find it:
- Write down five moments from the last month when you felt at peace, even briefly.
- Next to each one, write where you were, who was there and what you were doing.
- Look for what they share. A time of day, a person, being outside, being busy with your hands.
- Keep the list somewhere you will see it. These are your little joys.
- Pick one to bring into this week on purpose, and keep one in reserve for a harder day.
That list matters more than any candle. It is a record of what actually helps you.
Can you hygge alone?
Yes. Danes talk about hygge on your own too: a quiet evening, a long bath, tea and a good book. Solitude can be restful, especially if you spend a lot of your day around other people.
The research above is a gentle reminder not to make it all solitary, though. Some of the most restorative moments are the small, warm ones spent with someone else.
When comfort isn't enough
Comfort helps on a hard day. But there is a difference between resting and retreating. If you have been withdrawing from everything for weeks, if nothing feels enjoyable, not even the things that used to help, or if staying in has started to feel like hiding, that is more than a need for hygge. Talk to your doctor or someone you trust. If you are in danger, our help page lists services that answer day and night.
Doing it with Chirpi
Chirpi borrows from hygge on purpose. In the app, My Hygge keeps a list of your own little joys, up to twelve of them, and each one can become a habit or a planned step for a particular day. If you are not sure what goes on the list, you can find more with Chirpi in a short conversation. You can read more about the ideas behind Chirpi, hygge among them.
Chirpi is coming to iPhone and Android. The first seven days are free, with no card.
What does hygge mean?
Hygge is a Danish word for a feeling of cosy, unhurried comfort and closeness, the warmth of a moment where you feel safe and at ease, often with other people. It describes an atmosphere more than any object.
How do you pronounce hygge?
In English it is usually said roughly "HOO-guh". The Danish pronunciation is a little different, but that is close enough to be understood.
Do you need to buy anything for hygge?
No. Candles and blankets can help set the mood, but hygge comes from presence, warmth and good company. Expensive or impressive things often work against it.
Is hygge only for winter?
No. It is strongly linked to long Danish winters, but a summer evening outside with friends, or a slow breakfast on a quiet morning, can be just as hyggelig.
Can you hygge alone?
Yes. A quiet evening with a book or a warm drink counts. Hygge with other people adds something research links to wellbeing, so it is worth having some of both.
General wellbeing information, not medical advice. If you're struggling, here's where to find help.
Brice founded Chirpi after going through low times himself and watching his family go through them too. He learned that people mostly want to be heard, and to have somewhere to go. Chirpi is built on both.
Sources
- Linnet, J. T. (2011). Money can't buy me hygge: Danish middle-class consumption, egalitarianism, and the sanctity of inner space. Social Analysis, 55(2).
- Quoidbach, J., Dunn, E. W., Petrides, K. V. & Mikolajczak, M. (2010). Money giveth, money taketh away: The dual effect of wealth on happiness. Psychological Science, 21(6), 759-763.
- Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B. & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316.
