Why are people in Finland the happiest?

By: L. Janer

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Earlier this month, the UN released its annual World Happiness Report and Finland was ranked in 1st place as the happiest country in the world. The survey gathered global polling data from Gallup, an American research-based global performance-management consulting company, and researchers used variables as GDP per capita, healthy-life expectancy, generosity, freedom to make life choices, social support and freedom from corruption to try and explain the contrast amongst the data.

This year’s report was the first of its predecessors to measure immigrants’ happiness, a category in which Finland was also placed first. There is therefore a correlation between happy societies and countries with effective, supportive social systems and institutions, which guarantee immigrants full integration and a good quality of life.

As a country with bitter winters where temperatures are usually around -20°C and low amounts of sunlight, one might not expect Finland to be a happy country overall, much less the happiest nation in the world. Yet these Nordic countries such as Denmark and Norway have consistently been in the top 5 ranks of the World Happiness Report since its first publishing in 2012. Meik Wiking of the Happiness Research Institute of Denmark commented on Finland’s top placement this year: “That Finland is the top scorer is remarkable. GDP per capita in Finland is lower than its neighboring Nordic countries and is much lower than that of the US. The Finns are good at converting wealth into wellbeing.”

And so, what is the Finnish secret to happiness? According to The Economist, it might just be how boring it is: “a Finnish saying sums it up well: ‘Happiness is having your own red summer cottage and a potato field.’” In Finland, and also in Nordic countries in general, citizens pay a particularly high amount in taxes, but the public is accepting and supportive of this because they regard it as “investments in quality of life for all”, says Wiking. These taxes pay for free education and healthcare and also allow for generous parental leave, all of which contribute to this widespread happiness. It guarantees a healthy balance between professional and social life, therefore allocating time for people to engage with their hobbies or whatever interests them.
    
Top 10 happiest countries in 2018:
(2017 ranking in brackets)
1. Finland (5)
2. Norway (1)
3. Denmark (2)
4. Iceland (3)
5. Switzerland (4)
6. Netherlands (6)
7. Canada (7)
8. New Zealand (8)
9. Sweden (10)
10. Australia (9)