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Small but certain

happiness syndrome

We have long heard that happiness is never too far away.
"Sohwakhaeng (小確幸, a small but certain happiness),""
which is receiving attention as a trending keyword for Korea in 2018,
actually seems to mean the same thing.

'Here, now, everyday life' portrays our lives enjoying little moments of happiness everyday

Sohwakhaeng is a word first introduced by a Japanese bestselling author, Murakami Haruki, in the 1980s and was introduced to
Korea after 30 years since then. It refers to, according to experts, a 'lifestyle that is inevitably pursued by those feeling stressed
and anxious in an economic slump.'
Some say that it is also an alternative approach to life of the young generation today who grew up watching and feeling skeptical
about their parents struggling with the ferocity and inevitable weariness of life.

The emergence of the sohwakhaeng generation who feel the pressure of their future after just 10 years and eventually end up
choosing work-life balance over great success, experience over possession, and individuality over efficiency has completely
changed the value criterion of happiness.

Terms similar to sohwakhaeng are also found in other languages used around the world. 'Au calme' in France, 'hygge' in Denmark
and 'lagom' in Sweden, mean that 'both mind and body are in a calm and relaxing state.'
They all mean that 'both mind and body are in a relaxed state.' This 'relaxedness' is how 'sohwakhaeng' is different from the
'well-being' trend that caused a sensation in Korea a few years ago.
Unlike the past when people struggled and worked hard to achieve a life of 'well-being', sohwakhaeng today is more akin to the
pursuit of happiness in a relaxing and trivial everyday life that can be obtained without having to try too hard.

Movie Little Forest,
provided by: CJ Entertainment

Happiness pursued

in everyday life

The heroine of the movie Little Forest released this
year got tired of the exhausting urban life and
returned home. When asked why she came back,
she answered, "Because I was hungry." As such,
she begins to tend a vegetable garden and cook
all kinds of dishes using her harvest. She shares
those dishes with her friends and slowly regains
the joy of life. Through this character, the audience
soon realizes that the hunger she referred to is the
'emptiness in her heart that kept her from feeling
happy' helping them to feel similarly emotionally
healed by watching her satisfy her hunger for happiness
with small pieces at a time.

Movie Little Forest, provided by: CJ Entertainment

The tvN show Little House in the Forest, which showed
the calm everyday life of certain celebrities, was also
popular among viewers for the same reason. Many people
could relate to the fact that happiness, no matter how small,
was always there around them in their everyday life which
before had seemed so ordinary in comparison.

Shopping for something that gives you mental satisfaction with a relatively small amount of money, going out to eat
something that suits your palate, or drinking coffee at a place where you can also enjoy some culture and dessert are all
part of the new culture that has been created in our lives.

provided by: O’live Young
Health & beauty store
O’live Young rising as a place to
experience a variety of brands
provided by: VIPS
VIPS receiving attention as a new place
for gatherings where you can
enjoy over 20 kinds of beer
provided by: A Twosome Place
presenting
desserts and stores inspired
by the sentiments of Europe

A new perspective

on everyday life

Our everyday lives are full of ordinary events like eating, drinking coffee, shopping, putting on makeup, watching movies and so on. Perhaps we can feel happy in this everyday life because there are various moments and emotions within this seemingly ordinary life when we look at it a little more closely.

'Here, now, everyday life' that portrays our pleasant everyday life

See more episodes of "Here, now, everyday life"

The joy of receiving a delivery that you’ve
been waiting for,
the butterflies in your stomach as you put
on some makeup for a first date,
the delight of receiving an unexpected gift,
the overwhelming sensation of watching
a dramathat touches your heart and makes you
emotionalThese are all emotions that have been
felt at least once
by everyone in their everyday life,
which is why they are ordinary yet
comfortable,
and therefore feel good.

Everyday life, that is

our life

We don’t even have to remind ourselves of Sophocles’s
words, "Today, which I spent in vain, is tomorrow for a man
who died yesterday yet sincerely wanted to sincerely."
All we need to do is fill up each moment of life with
sohwakhaeng, and we will be able to smile in the future as
we look back on our lives.
So, let’s focus on these ordinary little moments, emotions
and stories of everyday life.