5 Scientific Ways Hygge Improves Your Health
Busy Americans are trading in their nights out for sleepy afternoons at home baking sourdough bread — and all it took was a worldwide pandemic. It’s 2021, vaccines are readily available, and now the Western world faces another challenge: finding a new “normal.”
I’m as enthusiastic as anyone to return to in-person yoga classes, live concerts, and those completely unsanitary food buffets we all love (if you don’t, you’re lying).
But time at home has changed the way I think about life.
Simple self-care and hygge practices I implemented during lockdown have greatly improved my quality of life — and they’re backed by science!
What Is Hygge?
If you haven’t been caught in the craze, let me explain.
Hygge is a quality of coziness that makes a person feel content and comfortable. It’s often used as an adjective meaning “cozy and comfortable.”(1)
It’s a series of cozy habits practiced by the Danish — #3 happiest people in the world, by the way — embracing emotional wellbeing through small environmental and lifestyle changes.
Hygge is super versatile and can be adjusted to fit your personal needs and desires. Here are some practices that are typically included in the hygge definition:
- Cultivating a colorful environment that inspires creativity. Being intentional about the decor you place in your home and how it makes you feel.
- Using ample light to cheer up your space — think, twinkle lights and candles.
- Embracing warmth through cozy fires, regular sauna use, and cups of warm coffee or cocoa.
- Physical coziness with fuzzy socks, warm rugs, sweaters, and baskets of blankets.
- Embracing connection and pausing to have real conversations with those around you.
Need more convincing? Hygge not only brings delight but is scientifically proven to increase overall wellness! Here are five reasons you should try hygge for yourself:
1. Hygge Decreases Stress
Reading fiction by the fire can help me de-stress from a long day at work? Say no more.
But it’s true! Improving your environment can do a lot for your mental health. Holding a warm cup of tea, curling up close to read a book under twinkle lights, or warming up in an outdoor sauna.
These practices are associated with increased dopamine, decreased anxiety, and reduction of inflammation and stress hormones like cortisol.
2. With Hygge, You’ll Decrease Screen Time and Embrace Real Connection
Hygge isn’t just about the aesthetic. According to the Danes, the practice also includes deep conversations between friends, connecting with strangers at a local coffee shop, and turning off cell phones to experience the present.
It’s a lifestyle of embracing the people and places right in front of you.
Increased screen time is associated with higher anxiety and reduces productivity and overall satisfaction with life. So why not put that phone away and see what kind of interesting stories your local business owners have to tell?
3. Gratitude Makes You Happier
Do you know about your limbic system? It’s the part of your brain that processes emotional experiences — and it is one of the most powerful untapped resources in the human body.
Studies show that gratitude has a positive impact on the limbic system, and regular gratitude practices can speed up the healing process for individuals struggling with their mental health.
Luckily, hygge has a place for gratitude, too, with regular habits like journaling, prayer, breathing, and focusing on the present. Gratitude is associated with:
- Increased energy
- Cardiovascular health
- Enhanced sleep and mood
Research even suggests that thankfulness can boost your immune system function.
4. Small Improvements Are the Key to Lifelong Success
“Any time you see what looks like a breakthrough, it is always the end result of a long series of little things, done consistently over time.” — Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge
Modern society praises the quick fix. Thirty days to weight loss? Yes, please. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more?
But science suggests that real success is more likely to come from small lifestyle changes that occur over time. Hygge is an enjoyable way to practice building healthy habits that create a ripple effect.
- Decorate your home with bright colors and you’re more likely to keep it clean.
- Add positive affirmations to your morning and you’ll boost your mood for the rest of the day.
- Spend more time reading and you’ll spend less time on your phone.
- Hang out in the sauna for just a few minutes each week and you’ll sweat out toxins and stress.
- Seek out real conversations and you’ll have less time to compare yourself to Instagrammers you’ve never met.
Are small, positive lifestyle adjustments the reason the Danes are so happy? I’d venture to say yes.
5. Hygge Harnesses the Power of Color
When you decorated your home, you may not have considered that the colors you chose could have a great impact on your mental health. Interior designers and brand marketers know that colors matter — and so do the Danes.
By changing or increasing colors in your home, you can boost your mood and tap into important emotions.
Let’s get specific. Here are just a few things color can do:
- White — Invoke feelings of cleanliness and a fresh start.
- Orange — Increase energy and overall happiness.
- Blue — Decreases blood pressure and promotes detox.
- Pink, red — increases thoughts of love and romance.
A simple rule of thumb is to decorate social areas — like your kitchen and living room — with vibrant, bright colors to cultivate joy and energy. For bedrooms, choose cooler tones like blue and purple to help you relax.
It’s important to observe how colors make you feel. Get some flashcards or paint samples and focus on individual colors. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. How do you feel? Joyful, tranquil, anxious, or invigorated? That’s the power of color.
Get Started With Your Own Hygge Practice
Hygge is highly individual. It adjusts to your lifestyle and can easily be added to your regular habits.
As you ease into post-pandemic life, consider how these hygge practices could hold the power to improve your mental and physical health — while making your home look spectacular.
Remember that hygge takes time and it’s okay to begin with just one new habit and built on it over time. What hygge practice will you try this week?
Read On…
(1) Merriam Webster definition of “Hygge”
The Year of Hygge: The Danish Obsession with Being Cozy
Things You Need to Know about Hygge
