Book Love: The Atlas of Happiness by Helen Russell

I found Helen Russell when I read her book, My Year of Living Danishly a couple years ago and enjoyed it so much that I wrote a post about that book.  I like learning how other people spend their lives and how cultural norms can differ so much place to place. So when I saw this book on Goodreads I knew I wanted to read it; not only an author I have enjoyed in the past but also looking at how 29 different countries look at happiness.  Who doesn't want to be happier?  And who doesn't want to unlock the secrets to happiness by taking the best of a whole bunch of different countries?

When my library hold came in I was surprised at how thick this book was and a little intimidated at how long it might take to read.  I aim to finish a book about every 3 days (I just wrote years instead of days...that would be a very different situation) and this looked like it would take a bit to get through!  But then when I did finally crack the cover I was surprised at how readable it was and how quick the pages turned.  So don't let the "Atlas" part of the title be a turnoff, it is a very readable book.

The author (I never know what to call authors...writing their first name makes me feel like I know them in person and calling them "Ms." or "Mr." something just feels oddly formal) looks at 29 different countries and one US state (Hello, Hawaii!) and one or two happiness concepts in each.  She talks to people who grew up in each country (or state) about how this concept affects their countries happiness.

In learning a happiness value in each country I also learned a little bit of how people live in all these countries (and Hawaii).  Of course no book or any sort of research can cover how EVERYONE in a certain place lives, we are all too different.  But this did introduce a whole lot of concepts I was unfamiliar with and how those concepts can exemplify being happy in each country. 

For instance: Hawaii's word is "Aloha" which most people (at least Americans) have probably heard of.   It can mean love, sympathy, kindness, respect, and forgiveness (and is also used as a greeting).  Hawaiian rank as the happiest in the US (um, hello, they live in Hawaii...there is a reason they are so happy) and just "being nice to each other" is apparently something the other 49 states could do a little better (also, I think 95% of the complaints I hear, besides from my children, are about the weather so maybe year-round 75°-85° would remove a lot of bad attitudes).  The Hawaiians have had some hardships (like the white people taking over and trying to eliminate their native culture) but there is still a spirit of kindness.

I was most curious what the mainland United States' word would be and we got "Homeyness" which she described as being exemplified by quilts and homemade items...which isn't quite where I would have gone although I haven't yet thought of a different word.  But I did like that this word seemed largely rooted in the Midwest and "flyover states" when the US can often be reduced, even by people living here, to what is happening in New York, DC, and California.  So it was nice to see the rest of us represented in this book. 

I highly doubt I will get to, someday, travel to all the countries represented here but it was so interesting to read a little about each of their cultures, especially as it pertains to happiness.  I am always looking for little ways to improve my life, in many aspects, and being just a little bit happier by implementing some of these concepts could go a long way.  I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the same!

Goodreads | Amazon

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on a product link, I’ll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.  Thank you for helping support this blog!