I recently finished reading The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People
In The Little Book of Lykke, Meik Wiking, describes six factors that have a measurable effect on happiness worldwide. This means that these six factors can increase or decrease happiness in every country and culture on the planet. The six factors are: togetherness, money, trust, health, freedom, and kindness. You can read more about them in my earlier post.
9 Happiness Tips
For each of the six factors listed above, The Little Book of Lykke suggests several ideas to increase our happiness. Wiking calsl them “happiness tips.” While reading the book, I enjoyed the personal stories and the data was really interesting, but it was the happiness tips that made me turn down the corners of some pages. It was the tips that made me go back and read again, and, ultimately, the tips are why I wrote this post. I’m sharing a few of my favorites below.
Celebrate Neighbor’s Day (Togetherness) –
For the past 12 years, the Dutch have celebrated National Neighbors Day in May. It doesn’t surprise me that the Dutch started this one. After all, they have a proverb that says “It’s better to have a good neighbor than a distant friend.” What if we started celebrating Neighbors Day? Have a block party or an ice cream social. Get out and meet the neighbors. Build your community in positive ways.
Going Tech-Free (Togetherness) –
How many times have you seen this recommendation? Do a digital detox. Set aside specific times to go tech free. Maybe turn it all off on Sunday. No social media, no cell phones, no tech of any kind. Our family has a no tech rule at the dinner table rule. We’ve tried establishing no-tech Sunday, but someone always rebels (what are you looking at me for?). It’s hard to argue that we don’t need a little down time when it comes our tech, but it’s also hard to make it happen.
Save for Things You Want to Buy and Link Them to Milestones (Money) –
Do you remember being a kid and really wanting something? Maybe it was a bike or a new game or the latest book in a series (yes, I’m a book nerd). The waiting for something is part of the happiness in receiving it. Remember the anticipation before Christmas? That excitement can still be there now that we’re a little older.
When my fortieth birthday was looming in the distance, I decided I wanted to take a trip back to the U.K. where I had spent time at university. We had three young children, a mortgage in the Bay Area of California, and I was a stay-at-home mom. The money to travel to London was not just sitting in our bank account. So I started saving. It took 3 years, but I went to London and York for my fortieth. And I got my dad to come with me. He turned 65 that year, so we had two milestones to celebrate. It was awesome!
Linking big purchases to a milestone also links them to memories. Things give us more pleasure when they’re linked to a happy memory. This is the reason we get nostalgic for things from our childhood, or from our children’s childhoods. It’s the reason I have a little box with baby shoes and blankets tucked away on the top shelf of my closet. The memories make me happy.
Buy Experiences, Not Things (Money)-
The older I get, the more this one holds true for me. The U.K. trip was the start of something new for me. In the past several years, my family and I have celebrated birthdays by doing something together. We went to Harry Potter World in Burbank, California for my 45th birthday (not London, but still tons of fun). Another year, we rode the Rocket Boat in the San Francisco Bay and had a great meal in the city. My daughter got in on the act and we went whale watching for her birthday. The memories we make together are some of my favorite things, and they’re not really things at all.
Money Isn’t Always Happiness (Money) –
Wiking uses the example of South Korea to illustrate his point that happiness doesn’t automatically come from having money. This country has gone from being one of the poorest nations to one of the richest in a couple of generations. If money was happiness, South Koreans would be much happier than they are. In fact, the country ranks extremely high in suicides. The U.S. has also continued to accumulate wealth, but seen its happiness scores drop. Wiking says we need to stop thinking wealth and well-being are linked. Having more money does not necessarily bring you more happiness.
There are lots of things we can do for little or no money that increase our happiness. The book lists three. Reading is free if you have a local library. Studies have shown that reading increases our ability to empathize with others and reflect on our own problems, and help us find solutions for them. Wiking calls reading “free therapy.” Create a “Smile File.” Keep a gratitude journal. Write down what made you smile each day. Do something free with friends. Wiking calls this a “free-fun fellowship.” Make a list of free fun things you can do with your friends and family. Then do them! Hiking, picnics, a day at the beach, free days at the zoo or museum are all great ideas to start with.
Everything Doesn’t Have to Be A Competition (Trust)-
Building trust requires cooperation. Too often, we are taught the skills of competition instead of cooperation. Instead, we need to encourage empathy and collaboration. Wiking suggests creating games where cooperation is rewarded. He also encourages us to build empathy in our children. I love his suggestion of a new version of musical chairs. In the old version, there is always someone left without a chair. We played this at my four-year-old’s birthday party (many years ago) and she burst into tears when someone was left without a seat! Wiking says to reward cooperation. See who can fit the most people on one chair. Sounds like fun to me!
Be More Physically Active (Health)-
This is a no-brainer. There are so many ways to be more physically active. Take the stairs. Park at the far side of the lot. Ride your bike. Getting oudoors is always a good way to be more active. Take up gardening, hiking, swimming, or some other active hobby. If you have to sit in an office all day, make sure you get up and walk regularly. Wiking suggests holding walking meetings. Put that in your boss’s suggestion box! Your body and mind will thank you for it.
Find More Free Time (Freedom)-
Wiking lists five ways to free up your schedule. First, cook more than you need. Make your dinners for the whole week over the weekend. It’ll save you time all week long. Second, use your slack time. When you’re waiting during the day, use that time to do something that improves your quality of life. Learn something new. Get a quick walk in, Write in your journal. Next, combine two into one. Instead of choosing between socializing or exercising, do both. I go to the gym with a friend twice a week. We catch up with each other and get our workout in. Fourth, stay clear of time wasters. You know what I mean. Looking up one thing on the internet and then wasting half an hour looking at cute kitty videos. Wiking suggests apps like Freedom to help keep yourself accountable. Lastly, Schedule a start and stop time. When we do this, we often miraculously finish the task quicker. Set yourself a deadline and see how it goes.
Become a Volunteer (Kindness)-
Being a volunteer does as much good for you as it does your community. When you volunteer, you strengthen community ties (togetherness) and build relationships (trust). There is a volunteer opportunity for every interest. Like politics? Join a campaign. Have something you can teach others? Volunteer at a school or local library. Lobe the outdoors? Find a group that hikes and maintains trails. Love exercise? Try being a coach.
I’ve written many posts on kindness and most of them have included volunteerism. One of the very first posts I wrote was on kindness and the science of how it benefits the giver even more than the receiver. My favorite kindness post is from last summer. It’s titled: Have Courage and Be Kind.
These are only the tip of the happiness iceberg that is found in The Little Book of Lykke. There are dozens of other happiness tips that are sure to benefit you and your loved ones, not to mention you community. You can purchase the book through one of the links provided here. I am an Amazon affiliate, See my disclosure page for details. Or you can check it out from your local library (free happiness!). Or you can do what I did, and ask for it as a birthday present. Thanks, Mom!
As always, thanks for reading and please use the social media buttons to share. Sharing is caring!
