Happiness Finn-Tuned

The Finns, with their calm and grim demeanour, don't look it; neither does Finland, with its dark, cold and long winters. But it is the happiest country in the world. How? THE WEEK travels to Finland to understand its mantra for contentment

- Yanita Pratap/Helsinki

Happiness is a journey, not a destination,” said the Buddha, addressing humankind’s eternal quest for happiness. It would take 2,500 years for science to catch up with his wisdom. But in the 21st century, happiness seems to have a destination—Finland. It is the happiest country on earth, and has been for six years in a row.

Located on the northern fringes of Europe, Finland with a population of nearly 56 lakh, is small, dark and cold with long winters. What’s there to be happy about? The only thing the world knew of Finland was Nokia. The Finns are not the easiest to talk to. Summer is beautiful, but danger lurks in the form of mosquitoes the size of fighter jets. Still, Finland tops the United Nation’s Happiness Index.

No one is more surprised by this coveted honour than the Finns, who do not see themselves as the happy, hugging, laughing type. Says philosopher Frank Martela, “When Finland first topped the happiness ranking, we were sceptical. We thought there must be a mistake. Being the happiest doesn’t fit in with our self-image of being calm, unsociable, even melancholic.”

An enduring joke is about two Finns going to a bar for a drink. One says, “Cheers.” The other asks grumpily, “Have we come here to talk or to drink?” Says Merete Mazzarella, writer and professor of literature, “Look inside a Helsinki bus, the Finns look grimmer than most other people.” Choir singing is popular. “It is a good way for us to be social,” she says. “We don’t have to necessarily talk.”