I lived in Denmark, Copenhagen in particular, for nearly seven years and I loved it, and I learned a lot from this country like hygge, and loving the change of seasons and hygge, and minimalism and hygge, the gardens and hygge, and rugbrød and hygge. i miss this life. and yes there is no place like home, which is the Philippines. But so was Denmark...for a time. det er et yndigt land. indeed.

Being focused on the negativity in my life, I utterly forgot the qualities of my country - thank you so much, Helen, for reminding me. I shall be more active in appreciating the things that do work, rather than obsess about the things than doesn't.

Dane at a job interview abroad. -“As a Dane, what would you consider as being your greatest weakness?” -“Honesty”. -“Really, I don’t consider honesty being a weakness” -“Well, I really don’t give a fuck what you consider” -“Welcome to the company MrJensen, you’re hired”. 🤝

Helen Russell's ten tips for living more happily no matter where you are (discussed around 00:48:50): 1) Be more trusting. 2) Get more 'hygge' in your life. 3) Move and exercise more. 4) Address the aesthetics - make your home a pleasant place to be, and appreciate your surroundings. 5) Streamline your options - less is more when it comes to choices. 6) Be proud - find something about yourself or your community that you can be proud of. 7) Value family. 8) Equal respect for equal work - no 'men's work/women's work'. 9) Play. 10) Share.

Hygge is a state of mind.. Do something you like doing. Does´nt matter if you do it alone or with someone.. As long as you enjoy doing it and it gives you what you need to feel good in the moment you do it.

Having a rough day, then try and make a cup of coffee/hot choco/tea, possibly some pastry, find a good book and wrap yourself in a blanket and enjoy = Hygge Love from Denmark

I live the danish dream and im a fucking busdriver 🥳🚌 love my country ☀️

I'm half danish and have half serbian roots, but nothing give me the feeling of pride and a smile on my face than saying I'm danish!

I loved the whole ‘please’ topic here, because living in Denmark all of my life, I can so clearly see this one from another perspective. I LOVE England and I go there frequently. Something I notice immediately in England and what I love dearly, is how friendly and polite you are to each other. Danes can be very closed off on the surface almost as if living in their own bubble. Thus many come off as being kinda rude or ignorant towards strangers. I have social anxiety, and going to England is like therapy to me. It’s overwhelming how friendly everyone are towards me. I can go out with a smile and without the constant panic attacks sneaking up on me. Where in Denmark I can’t even do my grocery shopping without facing social anxiety and discomfort. Yes Danes have other words and phrases similar to ‘please’ but most don’t practice it when facing a stranger. It’s true Denmark does a lot of things very well, and it’s by no means or measure a bad place to live, but while you could learn a thing or two from us, Danes could also learn a lot from you.

I lived in Denmark for many years, and here's the big secret to happiness that I discovered: HAPPINESS IS A STATE OF MIND. If you are not happy where you are, you will not be happy anywhere.

Its Funny as a Dane to listen to this, because many of the things she says is something we do, but we just find it normal to do. xD

This was so good..thanks for posting..love from Washington DC

"Eating a home-cooked meal"-every day! I think that this is a huge part of their happiness. In the US, most people eat unhealthy deli, restaurant, processed or frozen food for dinner every day, which are poor sources of essential good mood nutrients: B vitamins, essential brain fats, lysine, and zinc. In addition, these foods contain unhealthy substances, like preservatives, dyes, sugar, and omega 6 fat linoleic acid. Also, the Dane's favorite meat is pork, especially pork liver, and pork and ham are excellent sources of the energy vitamin B1 (pork has more B1 than any other food), essential brain fats, lysine, and zinc. And they eat it with their very traditional bread-sourdough rye-which is very effective at keeping your blood sugar at an even level, which then avoids the sugar lows that are so depressing (as the Danish commenter mentioned after the talk). They top their pork liver sandwiches with fermented beets, another super-healthy food, which actually tastes very good with the liver and rye. I've been eating this way myself for about 6 months now, and I have found that my mood has become pretty consistently happy and buoyant, without the need for caffeine, sugar, chocolate or wine. It's amazing what eating traditional, nourishing foods can do!

Hi Helen, As a dane living abroad for the past 14 years I must say you summed it up pretty good. There hasn't been a 52 weeks paternative leave for decades for both parents. It's only within the last couple of years it has become socially accepted in most workplaces that dad's take time of.

I'm a British expat, living in Denmark. I've been here for 28 years with no intention of moving back. I don't live too far from Lego, also in a small rural town. I, too, moved to Denmark in the winter, sailing to Hamburg and driving up to Denmark on a Saturday afternoon in the january fog. In those days, shops were shut from lunchtime for 3 out of 4 Saturdays, so imagine what I was thinking when I drove through a small town at 3pm on a Saturday and literally didn't see a soul! The only things I really miss are the Welsh mountains, Bonfire night and pickle! We typically have a 37-hour working week, although working in a hospital means that one week I can work 50 hours, but the next only 15 hours. I have zero British friends, a conscious decision, as I initially had a one year locum position, and felt I may as well have stayed in the UK if I had British friends. I learned the language, made Danish friends, and eventually married a Dane. All of this is important to being part of Danish society and, in turn, being happy and lowering stress levels. I don't own a bicycle (my husband owns several), that PH lamp (it's too ubiquitous, which will always put me off, although we do have other less common examples), or a flagpole (that'll be the British stereotypes kicking in)! I do love fastelavns boller (the special buns in february), they're the Danish equivalent of pancakes as they're eaten before Lent. And "hygge" of course - it's about being content with things. Despite paying higher taxes, I do feel that we have a better standard of living, and I do see the value of what our taxes are paying for. As for British things, we do celebrate pancake day, I do bake hot cross buns and mincepies! My husband is addicted to Jaffa cakes and Ginger nuts, and British outlet villages!

From a dane: How lovely you are... and what a nice picture you paint uf us🙂 Thank you very much.

I'm speechless - this was so hopeful as I yearn to meet my personal maslow's heirarchy of needs while being born in America it is IMPOSSIBLE, depsite being a healthcare professional single woman middle aged and worn out, there are no safety nets and depression and anxiety is unavoidable when you don't know how you will pay rent in three months. WOW. I'm sorry I cannot be PROUD of nor dare fly the American flag.

On the other hand, being Danish, "What a lovely note to end on" is just so unmistakably British. I love it :)

I dunno if anyone's gonna see this but i'm danish and i just though i would add a bit about how the government here supports innovation from an early start :) Here when you are done with 9th or 10th grade you can choose to go to a gymnasium and the structure in the danish gymnasiums might be a bit special, because you are already starting to specialize in what you want to do with your life. so we have these different directions you can choose from, if you want to study economics, Technic or science, but almost every gymnasium has a direction dedicated to innovation. there are different competitions and fares and things to do while you are studying to get yourself started and people who choose this direction mostly have an idea of what they want to make or what they want to accomplish so that is just an other way to get people to be innovative and there are of course also different evening classes you can take to inspire or just help you a bit on the way :)

@ 31:50... Danish word; "HYGGE"... *A complete absence of anything annoying or overwhelming; taking pleasure from* *the presence of gentle,soothing things.* ...Great!

Stop making your life about reaching goals then you will be on the road to happiness.

Being a Dane and watching this actually puts many things into perspective. There are still great many things in our every-day lives that we take for granted. But not only that, hearing her talk about simple things we are used to, in another light, is quite interesting. I really enjoyed watching this, and she is really good and entertaining. But as she points out, Danes are incredibly social phobic and we are hard to befriend, even amongst ourselves. Seems that we always need a "reason" to socialise with other people that we don't know, which is really strange since, as she said, we tend to think the best of strangers and are very trusting -- which is pretty much a contradiction. I like how her speech about her experiences puts things into new light and it made me think about many things in our society. :)

Thank you for the nice words about Danes. Makes me very proud to be Danish.

Dear Helen, Education, culture, trust and security are among the main reasons for happiness in Denmark as you mention, but I also wish to remind you of the economic and political STABILITY. I think that happiness is also rooted in the fact that you have a very stable and trustworthy government and the population is not subject to unpleasant surprises and instability in their lives. This I think is a really important point and of course the fact the the culture is to increase quality of life for all and not level down. The INVESTMENT done in education (paying students to study in university for free) is also probably the BEST investment a society can do; it avoids cost and crimes (poverty brings crime and other social expenses to society) with people that have no education and on the other hand well educated people will probably pay back the money in taxes within a short time, i.e. 1-2 years, if well educated and prepared to get a highly paid job. Just a few ideas for your reflection!

The sad thing is, I'm watching this lecture on a Sunday....at work. Living the US, the American Dream lol.

I am Dutch, and have been to Denmark only once, but what you describe about it, sounds quite similar to my country....and ....having lived an expat life in the UK(never felt as lonely) .....it makes me laugh and think back, that adapting to life in the UK was as difficult as you describe....having moved countries a lot, I can tell you that a year is nothing....it is more 2 years ...and than you are uprooted again by the company.....

Really appreciated your comments about, people not talking to you, friendliness, trust, and inner circle of friendship parts of your video. Seems what you experienced happens here in Canada too. Thank you.

It was traditional here in UK not so many years back, to all holiday in the last week of July and the first week of August. I have photos of my parents in holiday camps, by the sea. The shops and factories were mostly all closed, and all kinds of entertainment which encouraged everyone to join in, were arranged. Knobbly knees contests for the men, for example. The arrangement meant people were able to relax during this period, and competitions were strictly for fun. I think that this worked well during periods of austerity, particularly between the 2 world wars.

Great talk and I like the positive twist. You tend to forget those things when you live here after some years. The gentleman's comments at 1hr14min are very insightful and relevant. As an australian, having lived, studied & worked in DK for 12yrs AND being from a very open og social culture, meeting and getting acceptance or a significant circle of Danish friends is an ongoing struggle. One really IS often ignored. What's interesting is that there is a tendency for danes (& other Scandinavians) to 'compartmentalise ones social structure eg. to have "cafe friends", "work friends", "sports club friends", "class friends" ie. you associate within a particular context and my experience is that there rarely is a cross over, at least for adults, when it comes to associating with, non-danes. My experience is that danes who have travelled a lot or lived in other countries seem to be more open and socially adept at letting 'outsiders' in, but again it's within a given context and only to a given extent. It is what it is. Right or wrong or somewhere in between. :-/

1 hour of sunlight a day in the deepest winter ?!? Sorry I live in Copenhagen and it's currently the 7th of december, and we have around 7 maybe even 8 hours of light atm. Sorry we're are a nordic country, but there is still a bit of way to the arctic circle, which is where you would have to go to find those kind of hours of light

Great video ! And Helen is one of the most gorgeous women on the planet !! Go Denmark !!!

20:28 i think this varies a lot place to place in denmark. where i live, a smaller town on western sjælland, strangers often greeet each other on the street and wish each other a good weekend or good morning.

I’m danish and I think that Helen Russell have done a pretty accurate description of what it means to be danish. Well done👍🏻👏🏻 PS. The shortest day (21. Dec) is 6,5-7,5 hours and the longest day (21. June (Sankt Hans)) is more than 17 hours.

Thank you - I am a dane born in Copenhagen - 4 sons, I live abroad and so two of my sons w family, so we consider ourselves global. Be aware about the big city proudness and small town cozyness (which by the way, is the same in most of the world). But great presentation.

Great great great.....Dane!!! But l live in England, a 60 something mum of 2 whose children have flown to greener pastures, good for them, now a single person on minimum wage...listening to how wonderful it is in Denmark....woo hoo...yay let's be happy for the Danes...yay!!!!

As a Dane, I do agree that one of our - I think it may apply to all of Scandinavia - hurdles is that it is hard to get to know us. I've been an exchange student in the US , which did help me to soften my façade. However, I've always been a person that has surrounded myself with people unlike me. I've always been interested in languages and cultures.

I'm sure we're on to something here in Denmark and Scandinavia. But if you look for disadvantages they are not difficult to find. It's not easy to keep it up in a globalised world. I'm pretty sure i live in the best place though. Thanks for the video!

as a dane my self when she started trying to say hygge then sounding like she is saying hooker i was laughing my ass off

I need to add that the word "please" does exist but it is in two words, and often only said by young children when speaking/asking for something to adults, this especially goes for Danes who are born before 1990. Regarding July, even for those of us who work in July, in supermarkets, often find that it is a period where you get bored at work, you leave several hours early, and some days you are even able to decide that you are just gonna sit in the back of the shop, hanging out with your colleagues.

No word for "please". But lots of saying thankyou for everything.

I was in Denmark a few years ago having travelled through Belgium, Holland and Germany.. I know Copenhagen is on the island of Zealand but somehow we got on the wrong ferry (an ancient but beautifully made old ship) Its all quite expensive but my main problem was that it wasn't *foreign* enough. It felt so much like Britain I might just as well not bothered. I regret missing going to Copenhagen though. We went in a camper van and we felt perfectly safe throughout. I'm a type 2 diabetic and get all meds including insulin delivered also and don't pay a penny. I am a pensioner however.

What we Scandinavians see as normal, Americans see as "extreme".

I feel a would like to try living there. Very much. Because I have not traveled much I find it really lovely to see how other country's do things and live. It would be exiting for somebody from England to go and learn from Denmark and bring ideas back. Ho! but they know already, silly me.

so warm hearted, really moving indeed

Richard is on point, truly a man blessed with intelligence. (at 57:39 onwards)

1:06:00 One hour of sunlight? In Denmark? Are you sure you live in Denmark?

Such an interesting video. Thanks. Saludos desde Dinamarca

this is brilliant! only halfway through.

Thank you for the positive view of my country and people. It's interesting to see yourself from the outside. Especially since I have always been passionately interested in other cultures also British. We do share lots of mutual roots actually. But I must say there are also shortcomings in dk and in some ways things has been the opposite of improving the past 10-20years.....going the wrong way. But it is a lot better than many places in a lot of ways for the most people

We danes don't have the word 'please' but we do speak in a kind way. We have several ways to say 'please'.

Wow, Ms. Helen Russell is so spot on - I am quite amazed, very insightful, I am going to buy her book for sure. (A dane :D) (Oh and the pronunciation of "arbejdsglæde" almost brought a tear to my eye, very good!) Sigh, ofc it had to be an american...

One word Helen struggles with - "Arbejdsglæde" (work gladness) - is pronounced here: static.ordnet.dk/mp3/11002/11002291_1.mp3 (from a major Danish dictionary, www.ordnet.dk); that same dictionary doesn't seem to have an on-line pronunciation of "hygge" (cosy), but several compounds of "hygge" are to be found there, like "hyggekrog" (a cosy corner), static.ordnet.dk/mp3/11022/11022051_1.mp3. They're not intrinsically hard words, but they do require listening carefully and shaping one's mouth a bit differently to what one may be used to.

As a Dane it is funny to hear how people from other contries things about us but it also make me a little afraid because Helen is sweet and nice but may not be seeing the "other" Denmark We have people who are poor and homeless and we do not all have design lamps or have as much time with our husbond and kids as Helen has had. yes I am a proud and "kind of happy" but the Denmark everyday life I have and the one Helen have, is absolutly not the same.

Why would we be "religous" when the religion is so foreign? All nordic eclastical rites are actual nordic feasts. Easter? = Pre-Summer feast. Christmas? = Mid-Winter feast..

We lived in Denmark for 2 years. I remembered that kids (8-10 years old) passing us on their way from school would smile and say 'Hi' even though they don't know us. Their parents must be relaxed and trusting. It's a while ago now, hope that's still the case. Also education is free (like a lot of Europe). It's a shame about what we hear about child poverty, student loans etc.. in recent years in the UK.

thank you very much for valuable information

Mostly good advice. I got a kick out of hearing of a shorter work week... When I worked in the UK (1989-1991) I was impressed that the typical work week was about 36 hours and no shops were open on Sundays so we spent time with friends and family.... lots of walks. Denmark has what was once common in the UK and US. Lets get back to simpler more satisfying life.

Women in denmark had the right to divorce as far back as the viking age

12:00 The short work hours, paid sick leave, child’s sick leave, vacation and so on are great. But an other thing is that there are a less formal work structure most places and people can speak their minds. It gives “arbejdsglæde”, and add to the productivity.

Good to know there’s still some beauty in the world

This is so weird. I'm a Dane, and i just randomly stumbled upon this video just now. So i was intrigued and started watching. The weird part is that right now I'm applying for a job at LEGO and for last couple of weeks i feel like i have been bombarded with LEGO. Everywhere i go or whatever i watch, something about LEGO will pop up. And there she is, talking about a job at LEGO. To other people this might not be anything special, but to me, it's mind blowing. what is going on!?

Mother of god... I own one of those lamps... o.o

I'm enjoying her book: A YEAR OF LIVING DANISHLY. I'm partly Dane and all of the UK, etc.

Tak for en fantastisk video, det satte mange ting i perspektiv, som man bare tager for givet, når man lever i Danmark. Thx for a great video

There is a big difference between living in Copenhagen and living in ural Jutland.A bit like living in London and living somewhere in Yorkshire!!!

I am Danish, and it was very interesting for me to learn how a Brit living in Denmark has experienced the Danish mentality and the Danish way of life. I only found out that Helen Russell wasn't actually talking about a hooker, when she put the Danish word "Hygge" up on the screen. ;-)

from a danish perspective this is a nice insight on what it feels like being a foreigner.

thank hellen russell

I'm moving to Denmark soon.....great video.

Excellent.Decency is alive and well in Denmark.

As an over 60 year old Dane I will say this: One of the best explanations for why we Danes are happy. Even if you are far from covering everything - which in fact would probably be completely impossible. Exactly the concept of HYGGE (Google translate it to COZY - but that is being - it is only a part of HYGGE) is hard to explain. But it's the feeling you get inside yourself when you're feeling good. Many people think the following is part of cosiness: The feeling of warmth - also the warmth of the mind of being with friends and family. But you can HYGGE on your own. No family and or friends needed. Yes a lot of things, including the ones you mention. Personally, I think, since we have many things in common with Norway (especially) and Sweden, that it basically originates from the time we were one country. Vikings as someone will probably say. But in each case a common past and understanding.

"Caregiving is as important as breadwinning. Everybody gets that." That sounds great. Let's do that.

Gotta love KZfaq comments sections! There could be a :12 video in which a kind person simply and sincerely says, "I love all of you! Have a wonderful day!" and within three comments, people would be at each other's throats. Man alive! I suppose that the good news for the more aggressively unhappy among you is that life is short and you'll soon be dead! So even if you don't enjoy what's left, there is not much to go. Rejoice accordingly!!! (As for me, however, I am being sneaky about it all and actually CHOOSING to be pleasant. Operative word "choosing"!) Peace, everybody!

well as a dane i can say that all this is true XD side note we have 2 8-seaters with a possiblity of making them 12-seaters :D

Greetings from Canada! :p I am happy when I get treated to a Danish pastry and a coffee! I would love to visit Denmark someday !

Spread the Happiness should be the moto of every Dane and of of every Happy Person!! Happinness and Peace is what this world needs. Giving and Sharing is what Life is all about!! Stay blessed. Rebecca de France where people are wonderful and the food is good too!!:)

We do not only have one hour of daylight, in the winter. I think it's down to eight hours.

Is she not being a bit theatrical about the winter? Denmark is more or less at the same level as the english scottish border. Surely a bit darker then where most of English are living, but far from a blackout.

Hygge (cosyness) is a state of mind. You can do it alone or in groups

We all have something to learn from here... But it important to realized that this happens because a lot of things/systems are put in place... Just to wish that this happened naturally is not enough.

Ultimately sound fundamentals like a trustworthy government is key.

Its seems like the Dane's really understands that Family and a Society that works for all is more important then working and making money so sad America don't understand this.

What an amazing video, totally helped me to consider moving to DK, and I love your dress, would it be too much to ask where you got it? Thank you

Many things she said about Denmark are also true of Finland and Norway and probably Sweden but I have not lived in Sweden. Babies can be left outside safely. When I lived in Denmark, an Australian friend had a baby and as year old she was suggested to be taken to kindergarten and my 2 and 3 year old were also taken to kindergarten.

I think that the description of us Danes being one of the happiest countries in the world somehow got lost in translation. The correct translation in my opinion would be that we are content. Not necessarily happy.

Denmark is so different. Happiness here is true. Been to so many different countries, and they seem so unhappy and stressed out

the way we use "please" in denmark is "bed om", you can directly translate it to "ask for".

Excellent analysis

The Danes themselves have no idea how happy they are until they move to another country and meet corruption and dysfunction for the first time. The Danes are tribes people. Foreigners who come to Denmark are expected to join the tribe, be positive and adopt our lifestyle (bare minimum - get a job and support yourself). Many immigrants dont do this and therefore they are not trusted. It is not easy to adopt another lifestyle/culture and retain your own at the same time - but it can be done - Helen Russel is a brilliant example.

Åh - en køn journalist-kvinde fra London med en mand, der har scoret et topjob hos Lego - she really knows what she's talking about. I enjoyed her 'lecture' and there were lots of things that were true-ish about life in Denmark. (If you live in security in Jutland with a husband making pots of cash working for Lego). But honestly, facts first. She's supposed to be a journalist! 1) Danmark ligger på samme breddegrad, som Skotland (nå, ja - hun er fra London...) - de to lande er værmæssigt ens (Kan ikke helt finde en minus 20 grader rekord for 2015, som hun siger) 2) For engelsktalende er dansk langt fra den 9. sværeste sprog i verden - og at hun kan det ikke efter 3 år i DK siger mere om hendes egne færdigheder end sproget - kender selv araber/albaner/kineser som har bedre fat i det danske sprog efter 2 år end hendes 'hygge' udtalelse. 3) Super kommentar fra den danske kvinde i publikummet - hvor var svaret? 4) PH lamper er flotte - men det siger mere om at folk ingen kreativitet har end noget andet - men ja, design er stort i DK 5) 25 år i DK - men så 'rosy' er det jo ikke - Det er dejligt her, og dansker, generelt. har en fantastisk livstilgang - men a pinch of reality would have been nice :o) Enjoyable for the laughs ;o)

I will be there in a few more days

Very engaging talk!

This video should be shown in history classes all over Denmark. The key word being history. Our politicians have destroyed just about all in a few years

Is there people watching this who inst danish? ;p

How do you move to Denmark

Good video.. :) Hilsen fra Danmark.

I wonder if they understand the difference between happiness and joy. Her idea of happiness seems somewhat superficial and largely predicated on externalities rather than internalities. Joy is much more resilient than happiness, less dependent upon external factors, and arises from within regardless of the circumstances one finds themselves in.

"HYGGE" pronunciation [ˈhygə]

I am Brazilian. Yup, quite a few problems here. Denmark is an amazing county. Great people, helpful - most speak pretty good English. They are just really nice. Not easy to make friends with though but it is amazing. Can we rent your government?

wow doesn't sound at all like the Denmark I've grown up in.....pokiteness and helping eachother was key in my opbringing