For consecutive years, Finland has been chosen as the happiest country in the world. Frank Martela, a Finnish researcher in psychology and philosophy, warns against making the mistake of assuming that Finns are inherently happy. Rather, they work hard to earn the title of the happiest people.

“In fact, it is more accurate to say that Finland is a country with the lowest number of unhappy people in the world.” These are the words of Frank Martela in an interview with Sianbisi. Martela explains in this interview that this admirable behavior of Finns stems from three widespread beliefs in Finnish society that are said to contribute to national happiness. These three beliefs are:

1. Strong sense of social belonging and attachment to others.

2. Doing good deeds for others.

3. Finding a clear goal for yourself.

Martla explains how these three vital concepts are very important for staying in the happiest country in the world and why everyone should try to incorporate them into their daily lives.

Social attachment feeling.

Studies show that being with friends and family can help you overcome any obstacles and difficulties.

Frank Martla says: “Having people around you who care about you and you also care about them, makes you happy. Fortunately, this can even be true in very difficult financial situations.”

Studies also confirm the validity of this issue; that spending quality time with friends and family – regardless of one’s financial and material situation – can greatly improve one’s life.

Doing good deeds.

According to the results of a scientific study conducted in 2023 at Ohio State University, anxiety, depression, and stress can be reduced through small acts of kindness. Based on the findings of this research, even small gestures such as expressing and showing appreciation and encouragement can ultimately lead to feelings of happiness and satisfaction.

Martla believes that “when you help someone, when you have a positive impact on the life or spirit of others, you also feel happiness and a sense of meaningfulness within yourself.” This Finnish psychologist also added: “In times of crisis, there are usually many opportunities to help each other, and this also helps to create a sense of solidarity.”

Being purposeful.

Martla explains that while finding a purpose in life may seem like finding the answer to a million-dollar question for many of us, discovering this answer is also highly valuable for the benefit of society.

According to this researcher, being purposeful also helps us to cope with difficult situations: “In fact, focusing on changing bad conditions is a clear source of purpose that can motivate an individual to take action and help them find meaning in their current situation.”

Experts say that striving to find a purpose in life helps the community.

Sonil Gupta, a visiting researcher at Harvard University, writes in his book “Everyday Dharma: 8 Essential Practices For Finding Success and Joy in Everything You Do”: “Make a list of things that make you happy and then think about the common thread among all of them; do you see a pattern?”

Institutions are important.

The beauty of nature in Finland certainly contributes to its status as a happy country.

Frank Martla knows that “government institutions that perform well” are another important factor that contributes to the high spirit of the country, and he says, “I usually say that governments cannot make people happy, but they can take away many sources of happiness.”

For example, many countries can only dream of having a high-quality and affordable healthcare and education system. But in Finland, not only do such facilities exist, but they have become an expectation from the government. Finns expect their society to function properly, which contributes to their happiness.

Martla adds: “How your country is managed has a great impact on your happiness” and chaos, whether social, political, or economic, is extremely detrimental!

This Finnish philosopher ultimately warns that in such conditions, “no amount of mental awareness, positive thinking, and other common methods” will be able to save the national spirit. (1).

It should be noted that the Gallop polling institute has considered factors such as “hope for life”, “per capita gross domestic product”, “social support for citizens”, “level of corruption in government”, “generosity and care for each other” and “freedom in key life decisions” as the main criteria for selecting the happiest countries. According to the latest results of this poll – which is for the year 2023 – Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand are at the top of the list of the happiest countries in the world. Iran’s rank in this list is 101. (2).

Notes:

1- This article is a translation of a report written by David Landes.

Website.

The New York Post was published on February 14, 2024.

2- The final paragraph of this article is an explanation by the translator.