For a number of years various news companies have attempted to rank the world’s happiness country by country. You’ve probably seen the numerous reports that I am referring to. Through the course of this, Finland has either ranked near the top or at the very top. This is great for Finland’s global brand, bringing more attention to this small, but mighty country, but with that it also adds to tourism, research-funding, business interest, etc. Most importantly of all though, is that it is good for the people of Finland to be happy (and know it) and it allows people like me to point out that clearly Finland is doing something(s) better. I love to debate – especially when it involves sharing with people how awesome Finland is!

Meanwhile, overall Americans are definitely not happy either. Happiness is always aspirational here, something to be pursued, but only claimed loudly publicly on social media (because we are taught to believe that, if it isn’t there, it isn’t happening) and is typically not communicated long-term or authentically, in my opinion. As Americans, we work and work some more. We are comfortable being miserable as we slog on telling others about our long work hours and supposed productivity, like they are some kind of marker of achieving the American way – a virtue signal saying “Look at me, I am working so hard! I am an American!”  Meanwhile we have bags under our eyes (or for those with more money, pay for treatments and creams to lessen those bags) and have other very poor health outcomes in comparison to our age and stage counterparts in other fairly well-off countries like Finland. 

I am not saying that ALL Finns are one way or another – I can’t and will not ever claim that here. What I am saying is that all of the Finns I have lived and worked with had a different approach to life than what I was raised to think. While we are constantly in a rush, swimming at full-speed, I have observed that my Finnish friends don’t (for the most part, no one is perfect) participate in the rat race.

They are too busy being content. They are too busy being happy. But really, they are too busy not being busy. Join us!