Here’s an interesting report about how an entire country’s citizenry made it the happiest country in the world for eight consecutive years. What are the factors that contribute to their feelings? And instead of living unhappily and complaining about things, what might we do – individually and as a nation – to apply those factors to live happier lives ourselves? Comments afterwards.
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How Finland continues its reign
as the happiest country on Earth
By Anna Grazulis
CBS News
September 27, 2025
Finland and the Boston Celtics have almost nothing in common besides one thing: The ability to win big, eight years in a row.
For the Celtics … it was eight consecutive NBA Championships from 1959 to 1966, a feat yet to be replicated.
For Finland … it’s been topping World Happiness charts for the last eight years. The latter could be considered a bigger accomplishment during such uncertain times, but the mystery of Finland’s happiness eludes many, including the Finns themselves.
The World Happiness Report is an annual report published by the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup and the United Nations.
“People were going to the survey and trying
to figure out, what is wrong with the survey,”
… explained Frank Martela, a philosopher and professor.
Martela, who this year published “Stop Chasing Happiness: a pessimist’s guide to a good life,” believes the Finns were skeptical because of the way happiness is measured. He said …
“I guess like one key reason is what they are
actually measuring in this World Happiness Report.”
The report ranks a nation’s happiness based on one question: On a scale of zero to 10, how close is your life to the best possible life? Martela said …
“Which is a different question than, you know, did you
experience joy today, or did you smile or laugh today?”
Meaningful happiness, in the case of the Finns, really comes down to contentment, which begs the question, why are Finns so content?
“The kind of society we have has been able
to take care of the citizens relatively well.”
… Martela explained. Oodi, Helsinki’s Central Library, is an example. The library defines itself as a “living meeting place” offering traditional library services, video gaming spaces, digital studio spaces, 3D-printing services and more, all free and accessible to the public.
“The idea is to make sure everybody has
opportunity to do this kind of thing no
matter how much money you yourself have,”
… Martela said. But the higher taxes that drive a socialistic society are worth it for the Finns.
“There’s more of an idea of society here, I
think, people accept that if you pay taxes,
then you’re getting something in return,”
… explained Tim Bird, who immigrated to Finland from the U.K. more than 40 years ago. Bird was also enthralled with how close he was to the outdoors in Finland. He said …
“This is one of the great things about Helsinki;
you’re never too far from the natural environment.”
Another possible explanation for the country’s happiness could be its citizens’ relationship with temperature. Finland has more saunas per person than the U.S. has passenger cars.
Carita Harju, co-author of “The Power of Hot and Cold,” explained that she uses the sauna every day for health benefits as much as the mental ones. After heating up, she takes a dip in the chilly Baltic Sea. The quick temperature changes release endorphins, but for Harju, it’s about relaxation.
Which brings back around what happiness really means for Finnish people, and why the country has dominated World Happiness charts for nearly a decade. Martela said …
“I guess, like we have been given this unique
life to live, and it would be like quite sad if
you only followed external pressures on doing
things that other people want, like living some-
body else’s dream instead of our own dream.”
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Looking at the print, TV, radio, and social media producers, all seem to follow the mantra, “If it bleeds, it leads.” All want to be read, seen or heard. And our systems tend to respond more quickly to reports of death and destruction than to reports of happy situations, However, I believe we’re all seeking a happy life … as we would define it individually, for ourselves.
Yet, we also live within a family, community and a country. To varying degrees, we’re more comfortable when we fit in with others, so we often act to fit in with the prevailing norms – in clothing, grooming, music preferences, housing preferences, and career and leisure preferences. So…
We are heavily influenced by our human and natural environments. Natural environments, such as a forest walk – what Japanese call “Forest Bathing” – does produce positive feelings. But we may lack the courage to do our own thing when it departs from “what’s normal.” in our human environment That’s one of the challenges summarized in the last paragraph. Acknowledging that changing habits can be difficult, here are some comments from D …
“What was looked at in the study was how close are you living your ideal life. It is a question that each person needs to answer for themselves. The issue is not an easy one to always articulate, but it is crucial to happiness. So, we ask of you, ‘What is your ideal life?’ And then, one must have the courage to live it, whatever it looks like. May you find joy in the journey to your perfect life.”
