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Meik Wiking Books

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“The results of five experiments involving more than a thousand participants showed that reading literary fiction improves our ability to detect and understand other people's emotions. But it can't be any sort of fiction. The researchers distinguished between "popular fiction" (where the author leads you by the hand as a reader) and "literary fiction" (in which you must find your own way and fill in the gaps). Instead of being told why a certain character behaves as they do, you have to figure it out yourself. That way, the book becomes not just a simulation of a social experience, it is a social experience.”

EmpathyLiterary Fiction
Book:The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People
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“My, ludzie, jesteśmy szczęśliwsi, kiedy czujemy się związani z innymi. Oczywiście za tym, co nas uszczęśliwia, musi stać coś więcej niż tylko zaspokojenie tęsknoty za miłością, przyjaźnią i wspólnotą. Na pewno ludzie pragną gdzieś przynależeć, tylko często nie są pewni, jak to osiągnąć.”

PeopleLifeCharacterHappinessSzczęścieLykke
Book:The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People
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“Hyggelige as the Danes may be, there is one serious drawback to being crazy about candles: the soot. Studies show that lighting just one candle fills the air with more microparticles than traffic in a busy street. A study undertaken by the Danish Building Research Institute showed that candles shed more particles indoors than either cigarettes or cooking. Despite Denmark being a highly regulated country, we have yet to see warning labels on candles. Nobody messes with the hygge fanatics.”

HyggeCandles
Book:The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
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“Adults are not supposed to play. We are supposed to stress, have worries and be too busy dealing with life's problems. But according to a study undertaken by Princeton University and led by Alan Krueger, Professor in Economics and Public Affairs there, we are happiest when we are involved in engaging leisure activities.”

HappinessHyggeDanish Living
Book:The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
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“But one of the main reasons why Denmark does so well in international happiness surveys is the welfare state, as it reduces uncertainty, worries and stress in the population. You can say that Denmark is the happiest country in the world or you can say that Denmark is the least unhappy country in the world. The welfare state is really good (not perfect, but good) at reducing extreme unhappiness. Universal and free health care, free university education and relatively generous unemployment benefits go a long way towards reducing unhappiness.”

HappinessWelfare StateHygge
Book:The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
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