Finland has been named the World’s Happiest Country for several years in a row now. It’s a nice little win streak.
But if you were to spend some time in Finland and got to know a few Finns, you might start questioning that. Like, wait… these are the happiest people in the world? They don’t exactly seem especially jolly.
Generalizing, of course, but Finnish culture tends to be reserved. And they have a habit of tempering expectations in a way that might seem like pessimism to a lot of other cultures. It’s really different from how I’m used to thinking of happiness. Finns aren’t terribly caught up in futuristic ambitions. Back in the U.S., there’s a constant effort to try and ‘make it,’ to accomplish some big feat.
In Finland, people set their aim toward being just okay. Reaching a state of contentment. Being okay or content is a higher priority than being exuberant.
On one hand, I like that. It keeps you grounded and present. On the other, I dunno. I kind of like riding the highs and lows of a pursuit.