THE HAPPINESS PASSPORT : A DELIGHTFUL REFERENCE BOOK

Whether or not you can afford an overseas holiday, you can still get your Happiness Passport. The Happiness Passport – A world of joyful living in 50 words is a delightful light reference book taking you through dozens of languages and cultures. It arrives amidst the current positive psychology and pursuit of happiness literature.

This global exploration of sayings and inspired illustrations is written by Dr Megan C Hayes, an academic researcher in Psychology, and illustrated by Yelena Brysenkokova, a fine artist and illustrator. The book provides its readers with an ‘internal cwtch’ [Welsh language indicating a warm, safe cuddle or hug].

You don’t have to be a psychologist to appreciate the universality of the chapters’ themes: Home and Environment; Community and Relationships; Character and Soul; Joy and Spirituality; and Balance and Calm. The topics are expanded to include food, caring and connection

You don’t have to be a linguist to be curious about the diversity of the languages. The range is from many of the world’s most common languages to obscure dialects and includes words and sayings.

There is not only a recognisable universality in the emotions behind the words, but a true exploration of the different physical environments and lifestyles which engendered the words. The reader may be inspired to try something different in their lifestyle to add a little joy. For example enjoying a long satisfying meal with friends in a sunny spot and indulging in chatter after in the Spanish sombremesa; or heading outdoors to experience the Norwegian and Swedish friluftsliv.

It recognises that happiness can be bitter sweet and that to cope with life one may need the Finnish sisu. For the pessimists, the notion of saudade [Portuguese] may indicate that the longing for true happiness may represent a desire for something that does not exist. The balance of the book though shows otherwise.

The immediate impact of the almost childlike pastel palate of the book’s cover and its pages and stylised portrayal of people, animals and landscapes is that this book will be easy to read and fun to come back to. Whilst the illustrations may not make everyone ‘happy’, the virtual A5 size of the book fits easily into large hands and at less than 150 pages is readily transportable.

Dr Megan Hayes has a passion for all things related to wellbeing and a personal interest in mental health issues. Her book, Write Yourself Happy, will be published in 2018.

Yelena Bryksenkova has lived and studied in several countries. Her art extends from the love of home and the comfort of everyday objects to more magical themes. She has a solid Instagram presence as well as a diverse range of United States clients for other media.

Enjoy your travels with letters and words of happiness from around the world.
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Megan Hayes. Yelena Bryksenkova The Happiness Passport White Lion Publishing, Quarto 2018 ISBN 978171318027

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