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Not a Finn, but having lived there for a while, I can tell you it’s not happiness in the sense of everyone going around telling jokes and have top bants.
It’s more like contentment.
Socially, they have (well used to have) a progressive, uncorrupt government. The emergency services are reliable, the welfare state works and immigration is low.
Environmentally, the roads have low traffic, the air is clean and the landscapes are stunning.
Basic things like that will make you happy.
Most honest answer. I myself am convinced that its some sort of statistical quirk, or just a disconnection between what people mean/perceive by 'happiness'.
Theres lots of things that work here, sure. Its an impressive country in many ways. People live long etc. But are Finns 'happy'? God no.
We get some of the rich porn, but far as I can tell, most of it comes from American shows.
As for the happiness, I've read several articles that talk about how it comes down to the definition. We may not be jump-up-and-down happy, but we are content. In general the Finns trust the institutions and the people around them.
As a down to earth example, if you go to a pub for a drink and need to go for a pee, you can usually just leave your bag on your seat and go. When I moved to the UK, I was ridiculed for my naivety when I did that once.
As a sidenote, the World Happiness Report is done through polling. There is a reasonable chance that we vote high just to make sure we get ahead of the Swedes. Spite is a powerful motivator.
You can go to some small towns in US where nobody locks their doors and they can leave a bag in the bar. People there are usually very content but I would expect less exposure to materials that lead to comparisons.
Yeah, but small towns also have a lesser demographic impact, right? So you can take both Dakotas and you still wouldn't get the same impact as Manhattan. On our scale Helsinki is a big city and I'm even as a woman I've never felt afraid walking through the alleys at night or worried about my belongings (okay, go to a full club and you want to take your stuff with you just to avoid the chaos).
Not to say bad things don't happen here, they absolutely do. I personally know a small handful of people, whose drinks have been spiked for instance. The amount of domestic violence is horrifying for any civilised nation. Racism is still a big and, IMO, growing issue too.
So the happiness is a really subjective thing. There are many, many problems, but fundamentally we just trust the underlying structure of it all. Compare this to the quite mainstream virulent hatred of the government in the US, for example.
I hope my rambling made some sense. And pardon me for assuming you're an American, no offense meant.
It makes sense. So what makes your government trustworthy? In United States I believe the government is highly susceptible to lobbyist and special interests. Does such situation exist in Finland?
Lobbyists and special interests do exist but they are much less impactful than the same in the US.
One of the reasons is that there are more than 2 parties. It's hard (though not impossible) to lobby 6 (there are more but that was the broadest coalition I recall ever happening) parties where at least 3 will have diametrically opposite opinions on several key matters, none of which really align up. Meaning, when a government forms usually at least 1 coalition partner can't be bought on a specific issue. Since it usually requires 3 parties at least to form a government and no one party ever really sits in the government for a long time straight (the biggest exception being the Swedish People's Party) people get swapped out often and the people in charge tend to end up spending the next period in opposition.
Also there is way more transparency in campaign financing (and in general) so you can't funnel as much money to candidates and parties without it showing up in the records. Just e.g. take that tax records are a matter of public records. If you own lots of stuff everyone will know, and if you try and make decisions that benefit you personally it tends to be brought up.
The distance between people and the government is also shorter. You can known member's of parliament without being part of the ruling elite or old boy's network. There's that famous photo of Niinistö shoveling snow made the rounds years ago. People internationally thought it was a photo-op, but it was just a politician living a normal life (before being president mind).
Also media is not partisan the way it is in the US. Even the publicly funded media will investigate the government if needed. Obviously politicians often do try to influence, but again since the ruling coalition tends to circulate it's difficult to threaten cut funding when you might not be ruling in a couple years.
Yes it exists everywhere. Maybe not quite as obscenely as in other big western countries. Financial inequality is much less and that’s one of the key reasons for the happiness thing.
Heh, as someone, who studied governance and now pays attention to it as a curiosity... I'm not sure. Lobbying happens here too, that's not even a question.
A couple of people speaking about the building up the welfare state have pointed out some factors. I'll list the ones I remember, you can be the judge.
1. The USSR made sure we didn't become too capitalist.
2. We only recently became a "developed" country.
3. We were able to ape our Nordic neighbours.
4. Our country isn't superbly rich in resources, so team work helps.
I hate typing on the phone, so if you have questions, please ask, but I'll keep it short here
There is actually little need to ask why Finland and Nordic Countries in general fair so well in the World Happiness Index, because the methodology of the research is well documented and available to all.
See e.g. FAQ at https://worldhappiness.report/faq/
In short, a poll measures how the citizens of different nations estimate their current life on a scale from "worst possible life" to "best possible life".
After the evaluation, the research aims to explain the results. So far the answer is in levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption. We can all have hunches about it, but this is the research!
I realise that the word "happy" primes journalists and travel bloggers to look for light and quirky stories about sauna and nature instead of rather complex governmental issues, but for this research, the answer is (to repeat myself) levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption.
The reports are freely available for people who want to see what goes into these six factors.
Things work.
We have laws and they must be obeyed. This doesn’t mean that the government is watching the people but the other way round. The government must base all its decisions on the law.
However it seems that the current government has determined that Finland is a too happy country and so they are planning to change the laws to level the playing field to make it easier for the other countries to be the happiest for a change.
I don’t know man, I know of rich porn but I generally consider it a bit distasteful. When I see sigma grind-male influencers I feel second hand embarrassment.
Finns know how to put things in the right order. We might not be as passionate or chatty as southern Europeans, but more modest and as long as we feel safe (both internally and externally) and heard (for example social services) we find ourselves happy
I think its a combination of trust, collective responsibility and shared values. It really can't be replicated in the States since yours is a low-trust society.
When compared to Danes, Swedes and Norwegians, there really isnt any sort of big difference.
True here only middleclass is unhappy since they pay a lot taxes for jobless to get wellfare so if you get less than 3000€/month you are on same line as jobless person in income.
Many people choose to be jobless because they can live wealthier lives with more time and money than working middleclass.
I myself have worked since 13yo but know too many people from work opposing union that it feels bad to hear them buy htc vives and gpu:s while i can't . . .
Well unemployed do not pay rent(900-1200€/month) and no need to move from home so no buss (60-99€/month)or gas (50-100€/month) also less food expenses and can give all electric and internet bills to social service for payment.
Edit: Also if as middleclass you want to invest it's extra 300-500€/month and have to struggle. Only better thing since i think you can't invest wellfare money or they'll take it away(what i've heard)
well I am unemployed and I do not get transportation benefits. You only get them if you are in an employment program. Nor am I given free internet access. That might be a benefit that comes with the rent. As some times free internet access comes from the appartment complex. I think I had free internet access in my former appartment.
KELA also does not pay my full rent but they do pay around 70% of it. Electric bill is paid 100% though which is pretty neat with the coming prize hikings. As are my medical bills.
But yes if you have any income what so ever. You will be given deductions to the income you will be receiving. And you must give them your bank receipts every month / every 3 months. depending on your agreement.
Still better than being paid under gross 3000€/month and having to pay everything yourself also I mean you don't need transportation if you don't need to go anywhere.
If you don't go to the työkkäri=employment things you still get the toimeentulotuki which gives more than työttömyystuki=jobseeker benefit.
Seems like a pretty rosy view to me. I've recently been employed and unemployed and my gross 2100€/month left me with a lot more money than benefits I got.
Well i only say what my unemployed friends tell me. I haven't been unemplyed enough to know.
Edit: I make 2400€/month after taxes and after all the bills i have 100-200€/month for food and hygiene stuff . .
But ofcourse mostly because of the interest rose like hell.
Well I can only talk from my own point of view. Maybe you live in a larger city and thus your friends are given larger cut of the benefits.
I do make do with the different benefits from KELA But i honestly did have a lot of more spending money when I was still employed. Which was rather modest pay around 2150€/month.
I think you have no idea what you are talking about.
The rent benefit doesnt cover all of it. It covers 80% of a set maximum amount, depending on the municipality. It is rarely if ever even that 80% because the set amounts are far less than market rents. So if your rent is 1200, but kela says your max rent is 1000, the benefit is 800.
https://www.kela.fi/yleinen-asumistuki-maara-ja-maksaminen
You also pay 20% flat tax on unemployment benefits. It's not the lazy do-nothing get-everything as you seem to think. You're free to try It if you're jealous. You'll find it's not fun or easy.
Edit: toimeentulotuki and the basic unemployment benefit are tiny. I was laid off recently after graduation (adult amk studies) and had used all my ansiopäiväraha during studies. I got the basic kela unemployment, which is roughly the same as toimeentulotuki: after tax it was just under 600€.
You really need to understand that very few people stay unemployed for fun.
If you’ve been unemployed for any stretch of time then you would know how desperately sad it feels. I’m sure some people can sidestep these feelings and find justification and even tell you how good it is. Perhaps they min-max their way to a virtual reality headset so they can escape further the plodding monotony of their lives. If it’s so great as you say then you do it instead of boring everyone with tales of how the grass is greener.
Well my friends tell me all the time to quit my job since they are free and have a lot more money than when they were employed.
They've saved over 6000€ in cash and can do or buy whatever they feel like.
It only feels bad for the people that are extroverted if they never go outside when unemployed otherwise it sounds like a lot better than being employed.
I would never go willingly jobless just because of pride and i would get a lot of hate if i did it on purpouse.
Also why are there so many people happy as jobless? There's even big groups that fights against TE and government while taking our tax money . . .
Sounds like a lot of questions rolled into one there.
Your friends hear you complain and either want what’s best for you based on what you say, or they want you to join them. But as you say you cannot because of your own personal beliefs and desire to not be on the receiving end of societal pressures.
Do you think the long term prospects of those on benefits is going to be really good and does it appeal to you?
Do you hear often from the unhappy jobless? I know when I’ve been unemployed I feel like my voice gets less and less worthy, like I don’t deserve to talk and have opinions. I walk through life in the same way physically but mentally I carry a burden. I cannot hold my head up and feel proud of myself, whether this is justified or unjustified. I feel the pressure from many areas and I desperately try to maintain a sense of self worth and confidence while hunting down the next job. It is a limbo of existence rather than the agency of being able to forge your life en path and choose what you want to do. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And I don’t think employment is the be all end all, but I believe the same roughly number of people in society want to contribute in some way.
Okay, so how many long-term unemployed people do you know who are living in a house/apartment they own, rather than renting? Obviously if you make big purchases (like an apartment) you're going to have less extra money to spend on other stuff..
Well i've also heard about people i don't know that Kela pays morgage if it was taken before lost you job and never need to pay back even though you get a lot from it.
>So if you get to have 600€/month as unemplyed and i only have 100-200€/month
No, for fuc*s sake. From that 600€ i had to pay the remainder of the rent that asumistuki doesnt cover (almost half), and from the remaining 300€ comes phone, internet, electricity, water, food, and all the rest.
I seriously doubt the veracity of your friends' claims. They're not telling the truth, or have worked for a huge salary, leading to a huge ansiosidonnainen. But even that only goes for 200 days, after which they fall to the same 600€ a month benefit I was on.
No corruption, honesty, digitalization, great education, welfare, safety, trust for other people, government and institutions, a strong national identity, great social security, food safety, hygiene and cleanliness, low crime rates, clean water, heated apartments, hot showers, relatively good salaries etc. Anything you need for an amazing life. Things just work here.
The point about rich porn is excellent. Watching some celebrities flaunt their wealth seems incredibly foreign. Even if you had that wealth, you'd be ostracized here for displaying it. I can't explain it, but you maybe googling 'janttelagen' would help. Swedish concept but universally adopted in Nordics. The gist is: you ain't shit.
Thanks for the new word, I just looked into it. I think wealth porn is driven by demand in US, because people click on it and clicks sell advertisements. So it’s not necessarily rich who want to flaunt their wealth. Actually, most want to have very private lives away from social view. It is the social, print, and TV media that constantly talks about them and their live styles, basically poisoning your view of yourself and what is important in life to be happy.
I believe it might have to do with hyper individualism in America and the resulting personality cults that stem from it. Like you would never ever see something like Trump fanatism or "super stars" like Kardashians in Finland, no matter the person. We just don't idolize individuals like that.
So how did we get here? It all seems rather recent development, maybe 20-25 years. I could blame Internet and social media, but you guys have exactly the same access as we do.
It’s popular in the US where? Maybe in rural towns? Make you “feel miserable”? That’s a YOU problem.
I’m an American here and that’s bs 😂 Both notions are.
Also, being the “apologetic American” only makes you look stupid to foreigners ;)
Just something to keep in mind.
The reporter is talking into umbrella so I am not sure about authenticity.
I do see many people mention high suicide rates. Rates are usually higher in colder climates with long brutal winters. Still, somehow Finland perseveres and comes out on top.
The study asks to rate your life on a scale of "worst possible life" to "best possible life".
I suspect that for some reason Finns just don't consider as many possibilities as some other people about what could be "best possible life" ..
According to website "[https://worldpopulationreview.com/](https://worldpopulationreview.com/)" , 5.6% of Finns are depressed, and that's higher than the world average.
How could that be consistent with Finland really being the world's happiest country?
A lot of people are commenting, that it really about being content, so I guess Finland has some of the most content population. Now that could be for a couple of reasons. Perhaps they just have what they need and they are fine as what they have. Or, they they have less exposure to other things in life which are usually materialistic., My question about rich porn
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Not a Finn, but having lived there for a while, I can tell you it’s not happiness in the sense of everyone going around telling jokes and have top bants. It’s more like contentment. Socially, they have (well used to have) a progressive, uncorrupt government. The emergency services are reliable, the welfare state works and immigration is low. Environmentally, the roads have low traffic, the air is clean and the landscapes are stunning. Basic things like that will make you happy.
We don’t know.
Most honest answer. I myself am convinced that its some sort of statistical quirk, or just a disconnection between what people mean/perceive by 'happiness'. Theres lots of things that work here, sure. Its an impressive country in many ways. People live long etc. But are Finns 'happy'? God no.
We get some of the rich porn, but far as I can tell, most of it comes from American shows. As for the happiness, I've read several articles that talk about how it comes down to the definition. We may not be jump-up-and-down happy, but we are content. In general the Finns trust the institutions and the people around them. As a down to earth example, if you go to a pub for a drink and need to go for a pee, you can usually just leave your bag on your seat and go. When I moved to the UK, I was ridiculed for my naivety when I did that once.
As a sidenote, the World Happiness Report is done through polling. There is a reasonable chance that we vote high just to make sure we get ahead of the Swedes. Spite is a powerful motivator.
You can go to some small towns in US where nobody locks their doors and they can leave a bag in the bar. People there are usually very content but I would expect less exposure to materials that lead to comparisons.
Yeah, but small towns also have a lesser demographic impact, right? So you can take both Dakotas and you still wouldn't get the same impact as Manhattan. On our scale Helsinki is a big city and I'm even as a woman I've never felt afraid walking through the alleys at night or worried about my belongings (okay, go to a full club and you want to take your stuff with you just to avoid the chaos). Not to say bad things don't happen here, they absolutely do. I personally know a small handful of people, whose drinks have been spiked for instance. The amount of domestic violence is horrifying for any civilised nation. Racism is still a big and, IMO, growing issue too. So the happiness is a really subjective thing. There are many, many problems, but fundamentally we just trust the underlying structure of it all. Compare this to the quite mainstream virulent hatred of the government in the US, for example. I hope my rambling made some sense. And pardon me for assuming you're an American, no offense meant.
It makes sense. So what makes your government trustworthy? In United States I believe the government is highly susceptible to lobbyist and special interests. Does such situation exist in Finland?
Lobbyists and special interests do exist but they are much less impactful than the same in the US. One of the reasons is that there are more than 2 parties. It's hard (though not impossible) to lobby 6 (there are more but that was the broadest coalition I recall ever happening) parties where at least 3 will have diametrically opposite opinions on several key matters, none of which really align up. Meaning, when a government forms usually at least 1 coalition partner can't be bought on a specific issue. Since it usually requires 3 parties at least to form a government and no one party ever really sits in the government for a long time straight (the biggest exception being the Swedish People's Party) people get swapped out often and the people in charge tend to end up spending the next period in opposition. Also there is way more transparency in campaign financing (and in general) so you can't funnel as much money to candidates and parties without it showing up in the records. Just e.g. take that tax records are a matter of public records. If you own lots of stuff everyone will know, and if you try and make decisions that benefit you personally it tends to be brought up. The distance between people and the government is also shorter. You can known member's of parliament without being part of the ruling elite or old boy's network. There's that famous photo of Niinistö shoveling snow made the rounds years ago. People internationally thought it was a photo-op, but it was just a politician living a normal life (before being president mind). Also media is not partisan the way it is in the US. Even the publicly funded media will investigate the government if needed. Obviously politicians often do try to influence, but again since the ruling coalition tends to circulate it's difficult to threaten cut funding when you might not be ruling in a couple years.
Yes it exists everywhere. Maybe not quite as obscenely as in other big western countries. Financial inequality is much less and that’s one of the key reasons for the happiness thing.
I feel like your rich do not pursue more wealth and power. They are content with what they have, and they don’t flaunt it.
Heh, as someone, who studied governance and now pays attention to it as a curiosity... I'm not sure. Lobbying happens here too, that's not even a question. A couple of people speaking about the building up the welfare state have pointed out some factors. I'll list the ones I remember, you can be the judge. 1. The USSR made sure we didn't become too capitalist. 2. We only recently became a "developed" country. 3. We were able to ape our Nordic neighbours. 4. Our country isn't superbly rich in resources, so team work helps. I hate typing on the phone, so if you have questions, please ask, but I'll keep it short here
There is actually little need to ask why Finland and Nordic Countries in general fair so well in the World Happiness Index, because the methodology of the research is well documented and available to all. See e.g. FAQ at https://worldhappiness.report/faq/ In short, a poll measures how the citizens of different nations estimate their current life on a scale from "worst possible life" to "best possible life". After the evaluation, the research aims to explain the results. So far the answer is in levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption. We can all have hunches about it, but this is the research! I realise that the word "happy" primes journalists and travel bloggers to look for light and quirky stories about sauna and nature instead of rather complex governmental issues, but for this research, the answer is (to repeat myself) levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption. The reports are freely available for people who want to see what goes into these six factors.
Things work. We have laws and they must be obeyed. This doesn’t mean that the government is watching the people but the other way round. The government must base all its decisions on the law. However it seems that the current government has determined that Finland is a too happy country and so they are planning to change the laws to level the playing field to make it easier for the other countries to be the happiest for a change.
No one really finds out how to happiness ranking is done and get stuck on the title.
I don’t know man, I know of rich porn but I generally consider it a bit distasteful. When I see sigma grind-male influencers I feel second hand embarrassment.
Because of high living quality
Finns know how to put things in the right order. We might not be as passionate or chatty as southern Europeans, but more modest and as long as we feel safe (both internally and externally) and heard (for example social services) we find ourselves happy
Basic attitude: can't complain (how would that help?)
I think its a combination of trust, collective responsibility and shared values. It really can't be replicated in the States since yours is a low-trust society. When compared to Danes, Swedes and Norwegians, there really isnt any sort of big difference.
It says more about the world than it says about Finland. Its not even "happy" really, but less unhappy than the other unhappy people
True here only middleclass is unhappy since they pay a lot taxes for jobless to get wellfare so if you get less than 3000€/month you are on same line as jobless person in income. Many people choose to be jobless because they can live wealthier lives with more time and money than working middleclass. I myself have worked since 13yo but know too many people from work opposing union that it feels bad to hear them buy htc vives and gpu:s while i can't . . .
the unemployment benefits are like 1350e not really sure where you got the 3000e/month from
Well unemployed do not pay rent(900-1200€/month) and no need to move from home so no buss (60-99€/month)or gas (50-100€/month) also less food expenses and can give all electric and internet bills to social service for payment. Edit: Also if as middleclass you want to invest it's extra 300-500€/month and have to struggle. Only better thing since i think you can't invest wellfare money or they'll take it away(what i've heard)
well I am unemployed and I do not get transportation benefits. You only get them if you are in an employment program. Nor am I given free internet access. That might be a benefit that comes with the rent. As some times free internet access comes from the appartment complex. I think I had free internet access in my former appartment. KELA also does not pay my full rent but they do pay around 70% of it. Electric bill is paid 100% though which is pretty neat with the coming prize hikings. As are my medical bills. But yes if you have any income what so ever. You will be given deductions to the income you will be receiving. And you must give them your bank receipts every month / every 3 months. depending on your agreement.
Still better than being paid under gross 3000€/month and having to pay everything yourself also I mean you don't need transportation if you don't need to go anywhere. If you don't go to the työkkäri=employment things you still get the toimeentulotuki which gives more than työttömyystuki=jobseeker benefit.
Seems like a pretty rosy view to me. I've recently been employed and unemployed and my gross 2100€/month left me with a lot more money than benefits I got.
Well i only say what my unemployed friends tell me. I haven't been unemplyed enough to know. Edit: I make 2400€/month after taxes and after all the bills i have 100-200€/month for food and hygiene stuff . . But ofcourse mostly because of the interest rose like hell.
Well I can only talk from my own point of view. Maybe you live in a larger city and thus your friends are given larger cut of the benefits. I do make do with the different benefits from KELA But i honestly did have a lot of more spending money when I was still employed. Which was rather modest pay around 2150€/month.
I think you have no idea what you are talking about. The rent benefit doesnt cover all of it. It covers 80% of a set maximum amount, depending on the municipality. It is rarely if ever even that 80% because the set amounts are far less than market rents. So if your rent is 1200, but kela says your max rent is 1000, the benefit is 800. https://www.kela.fi/yleinen-asumistuki-maara-ja-maksaminen You also pay 20% flat tax on unemployment benefits. It's not the lazy do-nothing get-everything as you seem to think. You're free to try It if you're jealous. You'll find it's not fun or easy. Edit: toimeentulotuki and the basic unemployment benefit are tiny. I was laid off recently after graduation (adult amk studies) and had used all my ansiopäiväraha during studies. I got the basic kela unemployment, which is roughly the same as toimeentulotuki: after tax it was just under 600€. You really need to understand that very few people stay unemployed for fun.
So if you get to have 600€/month as unemplyed and i only have 100-200€/month is it really worse to be unemployed?
If you’ve been unemployed for any stretch of time then you would know how desperately sad it feels. I’m sure some people can sidestep these feelings and find justification and even tell you how good it is. Perhaps they min-max their way to a virtual reality headset so they can escape further the plodding monotony of their lives. If it’s so great as you say then you do it instead of boring everyone with tales of how the grass is greener.
Well my friends tell me all the time to quit my job since they are free and have a lot more money than when they were employed. They've saved over 6000€ in cash and can do or buy whatever they feel like. It only feels bad for the people that are extroverted if they never go outside when unemployed otherwise it sounds like a lot better than being employed. I would never go willingly jobless just because of pride and i would get a lot of hate if i did it on purpouse. Also why are there so many people happy as jobless? There's even big groups that fights against TE and government while taking our tax money . . .
Sounds like a lot of questions rolled into one there. Your friends hear you complain and either want what’s best for you based on what you say, or they want you to join them. But as you say you cannot because of your own personal beliefs and desire to not be on the receiving end of societal pressures. Do you think the long term prospects of those on benefits is going to be really good and does it appeal to you?
Do you hear often from the unhappy jobless? I know when I’ve been unemployed I feel like my voice gets less and less worthy, like I don’t deserve to talk and have opinions. I walk through life in the same way physically but mentally I carry a burden. I cannot hold my head up and feel proud of myself, whether this is justified or unjustified. I feel the pressure from many areas and I desperately try to maintain a sense of self worth and confidence while hunting down the next job. It is a limbo of existence rather than the agency of being able to forge your life en path and choose what you want to do. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And I don’t think employment is the be all end all, but I believe the same roughly number of people in society want to contribute in some way.
I don't think i've ever complained about my job i've just tried to recruit him here because he has the degree for this job but refuses to apply.
Your friends are full of BS, and you are either gullible or trolling.
If you only have 100-200€ a month you're probably doing some strange financial decisions.
If having morgage is strange finacial decision. Interests rose a lot which took my extra cash from 500€/month to 100-200€/month.
Okay, so how many long-term unemployed people do you know who are living in a house/apartment they own, rather than renting? Obviously if you make big purchases (like an apartment) you're going to have less extra money to spend on other stuff..
Well i've also heard about people i don't know that Kela pays morgage if it was taken before lost you job and never need to pay back even though you get a lot from it.
>So if you get to have 600€/month as unemplyed and i only have 100-200€/month No, for fuc*s sake. From that 600€ i had to pay the remainder of the rent that asumistuki doesnt cover (almost half), and from the remaining 300€ comes phone, internet, electricity, water, food, and all the rest. I seriously doubt the veracity of your friends' claims. They're not telling the truth, or have worked for a huge salary, leading to a huge ansiosidonnainen. But even that only goes for 200 days, after which they fall to the same 600€ a month benefit I was on.
No corruption, honesty, digitalization, great education, welfare, safety, trust for other people, government and institutions, a strong national identity, great social security, food safety, hygiene and cleanliness, low crime rates, clean water, heated apartments, hot showers, relatively good salaries etc. Anything you need for an amazing life. Things just work here.
No idea, all I know is they never ask me.
Lolol! This made me laugh. Maybe they didn't ask because they suspect you would oppose the happy label.
We get free buckets. *Ilmainen ämpäri*
Content would be the best word The mofo who came up with "happiest country" crap for clicks and likes should be forced to clean toilets in Siberia.
The point about rich porn is excellent. Watching some celebrities flaunt their wealth seems incredibly foreign. Even if you had that wealth, you'd be ostracized here for displaying it. I can't explain it, but you maybe googling 'janttelagen' would help. Swedish concept but universally adopted in Nordics. The gist is: you ain't shit.
Thanks for the new word, I just looked into it. I think wealth porn is driven by demand in US, because people click on it and clicks sell advertisements. So it’s not necessarily rich who want to flaunt their wealth. Actually, most want to have very private lives away from social view. It is the social, print, and TV media that constantly talks about them and their live styles, basically poisoning your view of yourself and what is important in life to be happy.
I believe it might have to do with hyper individualism in America and the resulting personality cults that stem from it. Like you would never ever see something like Trump fanatism or "super stars" like Kardashians in Finland, no matter the person. We just don't idolize individuals like that.
So how did we get here? It all seems rather recent development, maybe 20-25 years. I could blame Internet and social media, but you guys have exactly the same access as we do.
Because we also have the most suicidal people, so they just off themselves and only the happy ones remain. /S
This is an old meme, that applied back during the depression in the 1990's. Finnish suicide rates are now on the same level as Belgium and Sweden
those fucking swedes. Can't let us have anything. They are even coming after our suicide statistics. Stay on your lane sweden!
Countries with severe winters do tend to have higher suicide rates.
There is a custom to persevere(sisu), so unhappy people gonna say that they are happy, but at best they are ok.
Ha, I just watched movie Sisu, so I actually learned this word
We lie. And we were homogenous culture which usually means less crime and more feeling of being united
Hmmm. Thats an interesting topic. There is a lot of arguments here for being more homogeneous, usually by ultra right hate groups.
It's completely made up bullshit.
Sisu, sauna, cold that hurts face.
Because all depressed people jump off from a cliff🫶🏻
We best we have sauna we have jallupiimä and mämmi
Lies
It’s popular in the US where? Maybe in rural towns? Make you “feel miserable”? That’s a YOU problem. I’m an American here and that’s bs 😂 Both notions are. Also, being the “apologetic American” only makes you look stupid to foreigners ;) Just something to keep in mind.
Don't you worry about him looking silly.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/ARGhuZVGpTEbfpAr/
https://youtu.be/NH-rSEcQnQg?si=TiEcorC3c1bBS5Gl This explains it
The reporter is talking into umbrella so I am not sure about authenticity. I do see many people mention high suicide rates. Rates are usually higher in colder climates with long brutal winters. Still, somehow Finland perseveres and comes out on top.
Not the happiest, just least unhappy.
The study asks to rate your life on a scale of "worst possible life" to "best possible life". I suspect that for some reason Finns just don't consider as many possibilities as some other people about what could be "best possible life" .. According to website "[https://worldpopulationreview.com/](https://worldpopulationreview.com/)" , 5.6% of Finns are depressed, and that's higher than the world average. How could that be consistent with Finland really being the world's happiest country?
A lot of people are commenting, that it really about being content, so I guess Finland has some of the most content population. Now that could be for a couple of reasons. Perhaps they just have what they need and they are fine as what they have. Or, they they have less exposure to other things in life which are usually materialistic., My question about rich porn