Waarom niets doen goed is voor je hoofd
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Curated for beginners
What is “niksen” in Dutch?
Niksen is the Dutch verb for doing nothing on purpose, and around 2019 it briefly became a global wellness export. The New York Times, Time, and Olga Mecking’s book Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing spread the idea that the Dutch had a unique relationship with idleness. The actual word is just niks + -en (“to nothing-verb”). Dutch people use it casually and aren’t always sure when foreigners started treating it as a spiritual practice.
In this clip, mom lies still: “Ik neem eventjes vrij van de gedachten in mijn hoofd.” Her explanation: “Van niets doen raakt mijn hoofd leeg. Dan komt de plek vrij voor nieuwe ideeën.”
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this A2 Dutch listening practice listening practice?
General Dutch frequency
Spoken Dutch frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s A2 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In international wellness coverage of niksen (The New York Times, Time, The Guardian)
- ▸On Olga Mecking and the Dutch lifestyle concept (Olga Mecking, Niksen on Wikipedia, Niksen book)
- ▸In Dutch broadsheet culture columns (NRC, De Volkskrant, De Correspondent)
- ▸In Dutch wellness and parenting press (J/M Ouders, Happinez, Margriet)