The Art of Danish Living: How to Find Happiness In and Out of Work

by Meik Wiking

From the million-copy bestselling author of The Little Book of Hygge, comes a beautifully designed guide on how to get more out of work and live like the happiest people in the world: the Danish.

We often look to the Danish lifestyle as a utopia: they enjoy long summer holidays and the cosiest, hyggelig winters, but their happiness isn’t just limited to their free time. Almost two thirds report high job satisfaction, and 58% say they would continue working even if they won the lottery.

But what exactly are the ingredients of happiness at work?
And how can we live more like that?

Meik Wiking, the world’s favourite happiness expert, is back with more of his wise-yet-simple insightful advice on nurturing a sense of purpose, building trust between you and your manager and enjoying freedom in your role. Backed by his research and designed with his trademark style, this book is sure to improve your happiness this winter and the coming year.

We will spend around a third of our lives at work, so why not feel happier while we do it?

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Lifestyle, Psychology, Philosophy, Denmark

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2024

About the author

Meik Wiking is CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, research associate for Denmark at the World Database of Happiness, and founding member of the Latin American Network for Wellbeing and Quality of Life Policies.

He and his research have been featured in more than five hundred media outlets, including The Washington Post, BBC, Huffington Post, the Times (London), The Guardian, CBS, Monocle, the Atlantic, and PBS News Hour.

He has spoken at TEDx, and his books have been translated into more than fifteen languages.

He lives in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author feels to me, to be a lovely man 💛
An interesting book on how to increase your happiness at work, and at home. The author left an excellent job behind to become the CEO of a happiness institute, with support from his father. This was lovely. In this job he has researched the area of why Denmark have always scored high on happiness scores. They literally have some of the highest job satisfaction levels in Europe. The research learned over the ten years in business at the Happiness Institute forms the basis of this book.

Lots of this advice is for companies, and I fear they would not really go for this (well mine wouldn't). The research is interesting, celebrities/wealthy folk that still keep working have control about what this work will look like.

Sourced from a radio interview, from the author:
“So the book is trying to change that, because we all work, and all jobs have good and bad sides, but we can all do it a little bit better. So I've tried to install a lot of tips, a menu of ideas you can implement at work, both in and outside work.”

Idealistic things if you can manage like quitting if your boss is toxic, wording your email signature stating if your emails are scheduled out of business hours to suit your own flexibility and you don't expect a response outside of theirs. Actionable changes.

Broken down some of the main points. Did you know trust is amazing there? Sleeping babies are left outside of cafes. This goes a long way at work. Can you make small changes to make your job more joyful? Personal time is important, find fulfilment outside of work. Work life balance is resisted here, it needs to be framed as more of helping each other rather resisting. Does money define success? It need not.

I recommend this to workers of all sorts, it made me think, and believe this author is worth listening to.

[Mai H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed THE LITTLE BOOK OF HYGGE, a word I love to say. I romanticize parts of the Scandinavian lifestyle, but with their higher tax rate seems to come a higher level of happiness. Their taxes go to things that matter to the people, like infrastructure, social items, and shared parental leave. Plus the people are hot. Is there a correlation?

Skål 🍺

🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio

[Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the week that I start a new job in which I can have an impact on people’s happiness at work.

I highlighted a ton of good thinking on happiness but I really love this by Bessie Anderson Stanley:

What is Success?

He has achieved success
Who has lived well,
Laughed often, and loved much;

[…]

Who has left the world better than he found it
Whether by an improved poppy
A perfect poem or rescued soul;

Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty or failed to express it


I suppose this isn’t much to do about happiness at work but it speaks to my soul.

I will make my highlights public for happiness at work thoughts.

[Lavins · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Absolutely brilliant!!!! What a fantastic read this was!!!!
And if you're living in N America, this book is offering a huge perspective change from what is the norm here.
I was, more than once, blown away how magnificent things are described to be in Denmark: the level of trust, the flexibility, the job security, the meaning of happiness at work. Absolutely incredible!!!

There are lots of amazing points that can be implemented immediately by anyone living anywhere.

As always, Meik WIking's books are insightful, amazing and funny!!! An absolute treat and delight!

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Това е от книгите, които се четат почти единствено заради красивото оформление и илюстрации. Както и заради корицата - тази конкретно е много красива и стилна.

Колкото до текста - повечето е неща, които знаем, но не прилагаме. Или в някои случаи родните специфики правят не просто неприложими, но опасни - като да ходиш с колело на работа, например. Или как да проявиш творческо мислене в България, където дистанцията на властта е 70% (висока), а не 18% като в Дания (ниска - всеки може да се закача с шефа си, а премиерът ходи с колело на работа).

Но пък картинките са толкова красиви и е чудесна украса за някоя лавица! И не е лошо човек да си припомня общоизвестни факти от време на време.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It’s good for people who are trying to find a good work-life balance, but I also think this would be good for managers to read. Perhaps even a professional development group could discuss this one…

3.5 stars.

Thank you Net Galley & Tantor Audio for this book.

[Book.ishJulie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick thoughts review:
As so much of our life is spent at work, it makes sense to make those hours as enjoyable as possible. So many of these suggestions can be implemented quickly, making each idea extremely valuable! I was pleasantly surprised by the amusement woven throughout this non-fiction, especially compared to Wiking's other books! Read this book if you're contemplating a job change or you're in a leadership role at work!

Audiobook notes: As this was the first book I've read by Wiking that was also not narrated by him, it was a bit of an adjustment. With a less pronounced accent, Nikolas Salmon's narration was clearer and easier to listen to, but ultimately, I missed Wiking reading his own words. Thank you Libro.fm for the complimentary audio copy to read and review.

[Jill Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know why I always get sucked into Meik Wiking’s books; his newest is on finding happiness on the job, and I’m retired, and before that only worked sporadically as a substitute teacher—what could I possibly get out of reading this?
I believe this time I’ve been given a clearer picture of the “comparing apples and oranges” advice Wiking offers for people who do not live in Scandinavia on how to derive more satisfaction, and therefore more personal happiness, from one’s job. First of all, Wiking cites A LOT of examples from workplaces in Denmark. He also sticks with the jobs that are performed in an office, though talks about how he himself worked as a Christmas tree salesman (couldn’t have been full- time work for 11 months out of the year), and sold ice cream at a beach concession stand. He really doesn’t discuss much about people working in service industries, places like schools, hospitals, psychology clinics, retail, restaurants, where you do not have the flexibility of arranging your own hours or having to deal with people who are not your fellow employees or your supervisors.
He Is also somewhat unaware that in parts of the world outside the Scandinavian countries, workforces are made up of various mixes of cultures and cultural values. It is not uncommon in my hometown to have employees who are first-generation Ukrainians, Hmong, Mexican, Somali, and East Indian all working the same shift in a store or a clinic. They all arrive on site with their own sets of values and cultural norms that do not match anyone else’s, nor do most understand the principle of the Law of Jante, which makes the Scandinavian world go around. American workplaces try to accommodate the various cultural needs like prayer times, places to wash, religious holidays, but often fall short due to time and/or space constraints.
There’s also a piece of advice telling his reader that in order to maintain more “non-work time,” it’s essential to live within biking distance of one’s job. In my area, it’s not unusual for businesses to move from one suburb to another for various reasons. My husband worked for a chain drugstore that often assigned him to different stores for emergency coverage—some of them up to 40 miles away. He could certainly bike that distance, but it’s -9F degrees this morning with a breeze from the north. It’s hard to keep air in one’s tires at that temperature (also, Wiking points out, how satisfying it is to “briskly bicycle past everyone else tied up on the roads in rush hour traffic.” If 80% of the population is biking to work or school as claimed, why would there be ANY rush hour auto traffic at all?).
I love a lot of what Wiking says, and it’s nice to imagine a society where everyone works together happily in well-designed offices they bike to, a hot cup
Of coffee in one hand and a cinnamon roll in another, stating for 5 hours then biking home again, but Wiking’s world isn’t anything like what we have to work with in America. For me, it’s like reading “anti-dystopian lit”

[Mikylah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt ironic reading this while sick at home from work, but I really enjoyed the messages throughout this book of finding and bringing joy into work. It has made me rethink how I think about work. I think everyone, no matter how far into their careers they are, should read this. This quote had the biggest impact on the way I now think about work/life: “I dislike the term ‘work-life balance’. Putting the two in opposition to each other implies that work is not part of your life, and that life is the happy, peaceful antidote to your work. But we all know that it’s not that simple.”

[Darcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - I still really liked the book, but the formatting in this felt lazy and unfinished. Lots of excess white space where the previous books usually would've had some cute graphics or cartoons. I also felt like it became a bit repetitive at times. There were a lot of great tips for increasing your happiness in the workplace!

[Sarah Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing riveting, tbh, but a nice little background audiobook for a puzzle. Made me glad that I like my job.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ – Every boss needs to read this! Meik Wiking does it again with his insightful, clever, and inspirational words, this time with a focus on happiness in the work place.

If you love The Little Book of Hygge, you’ll adore this one too!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Whether you feel happy at work, whether you enjoyed yesterday or look forward to tomorrow."

"If your opinions are not heard when decisions are being made, then why should you care about those decisions?"

"I often think that to be rich might mean having a lot of money - but to be wealthy means having a lot of time to live and enjoy your life."

"The biggest threat to capitalism is us feeling happy."

"We also tend to overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a year - or have done in the past year."

"Paid work is essential to make a living but it does not make a life."

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐ 4

Het boek mogen lezen in Denemarken was een privilege en draagt zeker een steentje bij aan de beleving ervan. Dat neem ik al dan niet bewust een beetje mee in mijn beoordeling.

Ik geloof dat dit boek een grote meerwaarde kan hebben, als je het leest wanneer je er zelf nood aan hebt. En voor mij was het een goed moment!

De persoonlijkheid van de schrijver komt er ook duidelijk in voor en is een meerwaarde aan de leeservaring! Meik lijkt mij 'nen toffen' met humor die ik wel kan smaken

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on studies from others and the author, this book looks at ways improving happiness in one's work can improve their overall life happiness. This had a lot of interesting information and some useful tips and was a quick listen on audio. Worth picking up.

[Sam Talkington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Denmark has a very good social safety net. Unfortunately, the logic in this book will never work in the States.

Great book focused on our jobs.

[Jessa Kindel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually enjoyed this one a lot. A random find so I could listen to an audiobook at work but overall a great mindset to have going into my big girl job

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Paid work is essential to make a living but it does not make a life."

But it pays for RETIREMENT!!!!! Read this a little late, I just retired.


3 stars

Happy Reading!

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 star rounded up⭐️
Meik Wiking’s books have always drawn me in, not only because they are visually beautiful but also because they present an idealized, cozy, and almost utopian world. His previous works have been engaging and uplifting, making everyday life feel a little warmer and more intentional.

At first, this book seemed to follow that same pattern—I enjoyed the first half. However, as I read on, my enthusiasm faded, replaced by growing frustration. This is the first time I’ve read one of Wiking’s books and thought, Wow, you are a privileged white man who seems out of touch with what real people experience in the workplace. The book focuses heavily on work, yet much of it feels irrelevant to those outside office-based jobs. As someone working in public healthcare, I found little of value that applied to my reality.

One of the most frustrating aspects was his tendency to oversimplify complex problems. For instance, Wiking suggests people should save money to retire early or build a “Freedom Fund.” He illustrates this with an example of how much the average household wastes on food each month, proposing that if people invested that money instead, they could achieve financial freedom. But this completely ignores the reality of food waste—it’s not as if people are deliberately throwing food away. Avoiding waste is a skill that takes effort and planning, not just a simple decision.

This was just one example of the book’s disconnect from real-world challenges. For someone who presents himself as a scientific researcher, Wiking’s approach in this book felt surprisingly unscientific and illogical. It’s a real disappointment because I’ve genuinely enjoyed his previous work. Unfortunately, this time, his advice felt tone-deaf rather than inspiring.

[Kristopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one, but it felt more like a surface-level collection of obvious advice rather than an insightful exploration of memory and happiness. The book is aesthetically pleasing and has some nice anecdotes, but it leans heavily on repetitive, feel-good concepts without much depth.

As an American, reading about the effortless coziness and collective well-being of Danish/Nordic life just reminded me how far off we are here, especially now. It’s hard to focus on “cherishing little moments” when everything is prohibitively expensive, healthcare is a nightmare, and you are overworked and underpaid. Maybe this book works if you’re already living somewhere that values quality of life, but for me, it just highlighted how much that’s not the case. Then again, perhaps I’m just a depressed American.

[Malinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a lot of value in this book. I appreciate the similarities in some concepts with Psychology of Money in defining success, not always moving the goal post, and the impact of financial freedom. This book expounded upon the later by elaborating potential ways to obtain it and how a level of boldness and flexibility to be and do what you desire can be found with it. The “smile file” mentioned in this is same concept as a mentor taught me with a “love me file” and it re-vitalized for me the why to do this. Additionally, the importance of autonomy/trust, community, and purpose needed in the workplace was discussed. I really like the idea of the “3 meter rule” which means anything within that is your responsibility. As a parent, I want that to apply now in my house!

[Jessica - How Jessica Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a misnomer. It should be How to Work Danishly. Or Working Like a Happy Dane or something.

But this was fantastic! As someone who just left a higher-paying job that made me unhappy for a lower-paying job that is bringing me joy; I really loved seeing how much of the workplace research backs up my choices!

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Meik Wiking’s playful perspective and would very much like to be his friend and coworker at the Happiness Research Institute.

This book (which feels a bit more like a series of magazine articles? Easy to read and very visual) applies more to folks working a more traditional career — as opposed to me, self-employed.
But there is data throughout about the many ways work is tied to our sense of meaning, fulfillment, community, and wellness. I’m not sure my commute can get easier than walking from one room of my house to another, or that there is much community to rely on, but I appreciated what I read nonetheless.

I found the study about people who give up / quit when they see their work getting dismantled particularly eye opening. In the study, people assemble figures for a small amount of money that decreases with each request. The first group of people watches their work get dismantled as they work on the next assembly. The second group does not. The first group quits about halfway into the experiment. The second group works until they are eventually working for free.

The first group watching their work get dismantled became demoralized. This happens when we feel our work doesn’t matter. How we solve that is a genuine challenge and one I personally am struggling with.

[Jacqueline M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this one and liked it more than I thought I would. It was heading for 4 stars, but honestly, the mention of UBI automatically bumped it to 5 stars in my rating system (as it always does). As someone working for a Danish company, I really connected with the cultural insights and could see some of the influence that I hadn't noticed before as far as Danish company culture versus American. Wiking strikes a great balance between acknowledging challenges (like US vs. Denmark differences) and offering practical advice on finding contentment. The anecdotes and charts genuinely inspired me towards my own happiness goals (retiring early and focusing on becoming a small market gardener who teaches others how to garden in urban areas). Best book from him yet on /how/ to live happier. Already recommended it to several folks IRL. Worth the read for sure.

[Michelle Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Meik Wiking’s books of hygge, lykke and Danish living and culture. He founded the Happiness Research Institute, I follow him on Insta and is his writing is quite funny.

This book on the Dane work culture is aspirational and proves why these countries are consistently voted the most happiest. Rather than work/life balance there is a total respect for family * work * life.

Lots of big and small take aways for how to find joy at work; purpose, trust, connection, a flat hierarchy and reframing success. Simple concepts that should be implemented and exemplified by every manager here in the U.S.

The ability to work from home was a start but so much more could be done. We need a cultural shift at work for the betterment of all.

[Marissa Z • Emzee_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you RB Media and Tantor Audio for this audio-ARC!

This was so interesting! I read Meik Wiking’s The Little Book of Hygge in college for a wellness class and it was such a good read so I knew I had to check this out on when I saw it on NetGalley! Yes, I read this as someone who already really enjoys my job and is happy in my role, but I was still able to find a lot of good nuggets in this and will be recommending this to others!

This was a short listen with a ton of research and anecdotes packed in to explain how you can find joy in your current job and how you can look for joy in a future job! Two ideas that popped out to me were the concept of job crafting and the importance of a work best friend. Job crafting is where you create a role or an entire job that is molded to your ability and needs. I feel like I have a good amount of people in my life who have made careers out of job crafting and it has been a success for them. Also, the idea of a work best friend is always so important!! It makes you look forward to going to work and gives you someone to bounce off of during your best and worst of days!

One thing from this book that I plan to implement is a smile file! I’m going to create a folder in my work email where I can store anything that made me smile - someone complementing my work, a project I’m proud of, or goals I achieved!

Overall, I want to get a physical copy of this book because there were so many quotes and anecdotes that I loved, but I have no way to go back and think more about!

[Isabella Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super easy and quick read that accomplished so much! The research and insights the author has combined with his delightful writing tone made the book captivating and helpful, with plenty of practicals along the way. It definitely changed my perspective on workplace practices, good HR, and how to be a better co-worker and leader.

I think anyone can get something significant out of this book!

[Chantal Côté · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book as I keep changing jobs and I am always unhappy so I thought I might change something in How I approach work to make it more satisfactory. Well, it is a complete fail!

Danish people seem to have a complete different approach to living and their relation to work.

Learning how to plan a retire fund to provide you some freedom was not a solution to be happier at work, walking to work is not a viable solution either!

In fact, most of the content relies more on organisations than individuals such as schedules, moments without meetings or emails, etc.

Although I found some facts interesting, it was unfortunately not was I was looking for.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and quick read! Lots of insight into finding purpose in your work and letting go of of your typical definition of success.

[Zulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro es rápido de leer pero es forzar la filosofía hygge a un ámbito que es más complejo. Me gustó mucho más el primer libro del autor (la felicidad de las cosas pequeñas).