A puff piece is the kind of reporting where the subject matter is rooted in opinion more than it is in fact. It’s “news” to bring out the skeptic in you more than the intellect. Puff pieces run rampant on the Web, like this one from a few weeks back: A Nordic nation is the world’s happiest country… Classic clickbait because you just have to know who tops the list, right? So I did click, and promptly learned this piece was more than just puff.
For the ninth year in a row, Finland is in first place in the World Happiness Report (WHR). That’s first place out of 195 countries – again and again and again. By the kind of coincidence I absolutely adore, I blogged about the WHR exactly nine years ago, when the previous year’s report put Finland in fifth place. Then the Finns got even happier – happiest, in fact – and they’ve stood atop the podium ever since.
I’m a skeptic when it comes to a report that measures something as subjective as happiness. Seriously, who am I to judge if you are happy, dopey, grumpy, or bashful (or even one of Snow White’s dwarfs at all)? But nine years in a row of anything is worth investigating. And darned if the WHR isn’t based on brass facts. The WHR only ranks 147 countries (“only”) because they didn’t get survey responses from anyone in the other 48. But those 147 gave thousands of responses on a 0-10 scale; everything from perceptions of freedom and corruption to feelings of life expectancy and generosity. Then the WHR averaged those scores against surveys from the last two years (to remove the impact of global events like COVID). That formula gives us Finland for the win… again.
I fall for the usual shallow trappings of what makes a person happy. Wealth, I thought; Finland must be a rich country. But in the latest list of Countries by Total Private Wealth, Finland comes in a modest 43rd. Then I thought, power. Power makes you happy. Not so again. The World Population Review of Most Powerful Countries ranks Finland 45th. Finally I thought, fame. Who doesn’t want to be famous? Well, the Finns don’t. Seriously, can you name a famous Finn in any capacity? I can think of just two: Alvar Aalto (architect) and Lasse Virén (Olympic runner).
Finland’s keys to happiness are on an entirely different chain. When you flick through them you realize the Finns are focused on anything but wealth, power, and fame. Finland has an excellent healthcare system for both young and old. The same goes for their education options. A low crime rate. A strong culture of giving back to the community. And here’s a relatively new factor: Limits and safeguards on the amount of time young Finns spend on social media, so they’re encouraged to get out of the house. Go figure; a country well on the way to the Artic Circle has a thriving outdoor life.
In a nutshell, Finland is described as “the best place to lose your wallet” (because your wallet will likely be returned to you, contents intact). If only there was room in that same nutshell for America. Nine years ago the U.S. ranked fourteenth on the World Happiness Report. This year? Twenty-third. That’s right, we’re getting sadder by the year on this side of the pond, in no small part – according to the survey – because we’re addicted devoted to our electronic devices and social media. Or maybe we still haven’t learned the wealth-power-fame lesson.
Because you’re dying to know, Afghanistan came in 147th out of 147 on the World Happiness Report. You can probably blame years of “significant geopolitical conflict” for that. But the pattern in the top ten is where you should focus your attention. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and the Netherlands; all coming in right behind Finland. Easy geography tells you these six are close neighbors on the globe. Is there something in the water that makes them all so happy?
The U.S. better take a lesson from the Nordic nations. Happiness beckons, if we’re willing to use the right ingredients in the recipe. I’ve already conceded next year’s WHR trophy to Finland… again (completing a full decade of “happiest”), but maybe the U.S. should just work on getting back into the top twenty. And the pursuit of a higher ranking should start with looking at life as more than just a puff piece.
Some content sourced from the CNN Travel article, “A Nordic nation is the world’s happiest…”, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.
Life In A Word 
Dave, I admire how the Finns live their lives. This is truly living, not like the rest of the world, glued to our devices as though they were another appendage. I just spent a few minutes looking for a follower I had years ago. He was an elderly man who had a blog about photography and travel. He and his wife were world travelers and his blog reflected that hobby. I located his blog, but it was a bit difficult to navigate to find an about page to share with you.
Matti had told me a lot about himself and how people in his country looked at life. He said people in other countries did not know how to relax for one and conceded that not everyone has a Finnish sauna to take the edge off of a long day, nor would they take the time to have a leisurely dinner and after-dinner walk with their loved ones … or by themselves. I enjoyed our few chats we had. He commented on a post I had written about a trip to Finland (albeit brief – one day after a short Baltic Sea Cruise). He sent me several of his posts to read and asked me to comment on them. He spoke and wrote fluently in multiple languages and each post he wrote, he did in multiple languages, painstakingly rewriting them on his own – no Google Translate for him! He told me he read books in different languages to keep up with all the languages he had learned in his lifetime. His last blogpost was December 8, 2020 entitled “Pause” and he explained to me that his wife said he spent too much on his blog and not enough time with her. 🙂 So Matti took a pause and never returned.
(For some reason you weren’t in my Reader today, but this is your regular posting day, so I went to your site. This is the third time in a week this has happened – good thing they are bloggers that regular post on a specific day.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
A wonderful, appropriate story, Linda – thanks for sharing. Sometimes I think we Americans are victims of our circumstances, if not our culture. I was raised by a father who taught his sons to be independent and productive. He found it very hard to “relax”. His version of relaxing was tinkering/fixing things around the house. And now here I am with the same mindset. Case in point: I keep a list of tasks on my phone and tick them off as I go. If I ever ran out of tasks I don’t know what I’d do with myself. But I think that’s your Finnish friend’s point (and strength). We need to intentionally enjoy the world/people around us instead of focusing on things that mean so much less (if anything at all). The Finland and U.S. rankings in the World Happiness Report have me believing the data behind the scores is legitimate. Can you imagine how much “happier” we’d be if we spent a year immersed in the Finnish lifestyle?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, we are a sad lot indeed sometimes Dave. Matti was a kind soul and so full of life, which only goes to show that by taking time out of your day to step away from everything your health will benefit and you will be happy. I wish I knew what happened to him. His site was picture laden and with each post in multiple languages, I can’t imagine it was a free WP site, so … “happy wife, happy life” as the saying goes. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember reading those first Hygge books – here’s a link. where the author Meik Wiking was Danish but he was the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, which studied why those Nordic countries were all so happy. Imagine that for a job! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30045683-the-little-book-of-hygge I think Canada has slipped farther down the list – and we have good social programs like the Nordic countries which I remember being a big factor in people’s happiness over there, as even things like child care and university education were covered by the government, (of course they also pay high income tax but no one seems to mind as they benefited from it). Also their work week was legislated as shorter? 35hours, done by 5pm, no overtime, vacations etc. From what I can remember. And then all the cozy hygge stuff during their long dark winters. (Lately I’m finding the too hot summers make me unhappy, and I used to look forward to summer.) I think we have slipped because the young people all seem so unhappy – I see countries legislating restrictions on social media for under 15 and think it might be a good idea. I don’t remember anyone being unhappy when I was growing up – youth are usually hopeful and optimistic?
I had to search for your blog as it didn’t show up in my Reader?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the reminder on The Little Book of Hygge, Joni. I bought a copy at an (American) spa years ago, read it cover to cover, and promptly put it on a stack of my favorite books on the shelf in my home office. Doesn’t that speak volumes about I’m getting this happiness business wrong? Instead of keeping the book out and available – like a daily guidebook – it sits upstairs and out of sight. Apparently I dismissed the hygge concepts as a novelty. But the Nordic countries get the last laugh, don’t they? Not that they care about one-upping anyone, because they’re perfectly happy focused on their own lifestyle and communities. As I told Linda above, I’d love to spend a year in Finland immersed in the culture. Perhaps some of the hygge might actually stick to me for good.
Not sure what’s going on with WordPress but thanks for letting me know. Linda made the same comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had a brother-in-law who immigrated from Finland. He was a truck driver, lived in a trailer, and did not handle the few resources he had very well, but I have to admit he always seemed happy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Substantial happiness appears to be in Finnish DNA, but not so much in American!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree: comparing happiness levels among people across the globe is a difficult proposition. The expectations of what constitutes happiness surely varies greatly from culture to culture. Finns tend to be more stoic, foregoing complaint (See https://evangelicalfocus.com/european-perspectives/18339/finland-the-happiest-country-again-two-journalists-react.) Many Americans seem given to complaint–at restaurants, in business dealings, about other people, etc. They may enjoy many blessings, but if their steak isn’t cooked just right, they are NOT happy! Perhaps the difference in attitude plays into the survey-responses.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very interesting commentary from both, Nancy. I couldn’t help noting their acknowledgement of a government that openly serves the people, as well as a society where corruption is almost non-existent. Both attributes surely translate to a trust in the culture of the country, which in turn must boost individual happiness and satisfaction in life. Meanwhile you and I read about corruption on a daily basis in America (esp. grand-scale reports from California, which makes me sad for the state I was raised in). Frivolous lawsuits seem to be our rule instead of our exception. Boosting the U.S. position on the WHR is a taller, more involved task than I made it out to be in my post… but nobody’s suggesting it can happen overnight.
LikeLike
Amusing… I don’t things like this can be compared.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can think of just two: Alvar Aalto (architect) and Lasse Virén (Olympic runner). What?! Who can think of any?? What are you, a Jeopardy winner? You looked those up, right? 😛
Poor Afghanistan. And the U.S. probably ranked low because it has all those things you mentioned: wealth, power, fame. I’ve yet to learn those things truly make people happy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I get you. If it wasn’t for my architecture degree and interest in Olympic sports (esp. running) I wouldn’t have a clue who these guys are. Otherwise, no Finns on the brain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s cool that you knew any! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person