A selection of my academic writings and conference presentations on hygge

The basics of hygge: A definition

Five attributes of hygge

I was interviewed by Fodor´s Travel on the deeper meaning of hygge and its value in times of pandemic:  “Americans Have Hygge All Wrong: What Is Hygge and How Can it Be Used to Survive the Covid Pandemic”

My talk “The enjoyment of everyday life: some lessons from Danish Hygge”. Presented at the Guernsey Thrive 2020 conference, under the theme “How to make Guernsey the best place in the world”?

My 2011 article “Money can´t buy me hygge” (citation count) was the first international, peer-reviewed article to analyze hygge in-depth. It was originally a chapter in my Phd on hygge in Danish families (2011). Download it here:

My evening seminar talk on “Counter Culture Coziness” from Riga, Latvia. Presented at The Chomsky Bar – a venue styled as informal and authentic, so in itself suitable for illustrating urban hygge.

A brief LinkedIn essay on the definition of hygge:

Book chapter: A conversation with Jonathan Bean, hygge architecture researcher, on unexplored questions around hygge, and future directions for research. “Perspectives on hygge: The kolonihave discourse”. Download it here:

I have been interviewed by The Economist, The Guardian and other international media, as well as Danish newspapers. I have collected some of that media coverage here:

Hygge at war!  I coauthored with associate professor Birgitte Refslund “Courage and coziness: Soldiers made in Denmark”. A 2016 article on Danish soldiers in Afghanistan: How hygge plays into the way they are perceived by the Danish public, their family back home, and soldiers from other nations of the coalition. Download here:

On how hygge works in urban cafés: My 2014 article “Cozy interiority: The interplay of materiality and sociality in the constitution of cozy 3rd place atmosphere”. It is all about urban ambience and the role of proximity, distance and mutual gazing. Download here:

My work on hygge relates to my interest in the Nordic region and consumer culture. A brief scientific essay can be found here:

Jeg har produceret tre korte dokumentarfilm, der undersøger hyggen

Om hygge og slik af Økologisk Landsforening. Jeg interviewes i podcast nr tre på siden.

“Kraniebrud”. En times interview om hygge på Radio4.

En podcast-samtale om hygge samt hvordan og hvorvidt hygge kan trives mellem mennesker, når den ene er ansat til at pleje den anden. Vi taler blandt andet om intime plejesituationer og hjælpemidler. Produceret af virksomheden ABENA.

Tre korte essays om hygge på K-Forum: