VICE News visited Helsinki to find out if the Finns are actually happier than the rest of the world, and if so, why. WATCH NEXT: Finland Is Giving Citizens $660 A Month For Free As An Experiment - bit.ly/2TYeBA5
I've been in Finland 🇫🇮 2017 at winter time in Helsinki Espoo.. I'm from Croatia Zagreb, and I never seen mucth nice people, here in Croatia is aggressive people and angered..
... Difference between Finland and Croatia is big, because here in Croatia is very hard to find work and when you find paid is to small 500€ per month. Because people go out from Croatia, but my country is beautiful
The dogs are barking, but the caravan is moving on. World economic forum conference in Switzerland Davos ranked Finland the best country 2019. Ha ha Deal with that!
It is possible to have fun in Finland. This is my take on that: "My Girlfriend Learning to Be a Finn - 6 Lessons" th-cam.com/video/75pqh-mkCyw/w-d-xo.html
@@tormendor8585 actually I can understand the differeces between fun momentarily and being happy but I didnt understand how finnish people are fun momentarly? What they do?
I think Finnish people aren't necessarily the "Happiest" people in the world, it's just they don't really feel like they've very much to complain about.
Happiness isn’t about joy. It comes from security and possibilities. Now that we’re in the midst of Covid I’ve noticed that all of my friends who have moved to other countries over the years are moving back. It comes down to security. Finland will take care of you. Even if you lose your job, your house and your dignity. That’s why we’re happy.
What a English Polish French and Swedish speaker van do there? Educator in English but sports lover and also willing to learn anything new.and loing work life and nature. And some people.
@@justanothermind4972 If you mean local natives yes there's Sami people living in Lapland across Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. They are Finno-Ugric people alongside Finns, Estonians and Hungarians. Unless you meant American natives or people from the state of India. I guess there's some number of those as well.
If happiness means that you can walk the streets safely. If you can rely on your food, air and environment being clean. If you know that most around you are honest and trustworthy people who would return your lost wallet to you WITH the cash inside of it. If you can open a newspaper without seeing local news of murders and rapes every day. If you can rest at ease knowing that you can get medical help at any time for almost free. If you can be proud of the president that runs your country. If you can feel equal as a female citizen. If you can meet a fellow Finn and know that when they do smile, that it's 100% genuine and that they are not being fake... then yes - Finns are happy.
Even with all this, most finnish people don't seem to have a sense of joy or in their lives. I'd rather experience highs and lows then continuously be at a state of bland contentment
Happy doesnt mean smiling till your ear tips and faking it to the camera, vice. Happy means freedom as well and honesty and even melancholy can be happy
@@cariekozlov6623 Unhappy people can smile and pretend everything's alright. The thing is when I'm happy, I become more assertive, calm, and have a blank expression on my face, but when I'm sad, usually I go for a more desperate, friendly demeanor, smiling and laughing with people like I'm not on a verge of crying. What you said can be quite ignorant as it appears that you do not experience such human phenomenon. Good day sorry for bad eng.
I am a Finnish person and totally see why we are the happiest country in the world. Put it simply, we have a working country. No corrupt politicians fucking us over (except the last governemnt tried to turn us into USA) working healthcare, social aid, living aid, well paying jobs, freedom (not like in the states or UK you cannot go to every forest if someone oWnS it) fair rents, no psychopaths and serial killers making your daily lives worse, you can walk outside after the dark without the fear of getting attacked, celebrities can go on with their normal lives without people constantly putting paparazzi after them etc. Do I need to state more reasons? Its just simple that when the government drops their military spending and peacocking society model and focuses more to the people of the country, the result is obviously a lot happier country to live in. I would never leave this country and wished more countries were like Finland.
@@hmmmmm3606 more people the more budget you have. Imagine what the US budget would be if they had similar tax rates as nordic countries. You could give each person 500 dollars a month and have extra to get them housing as well.
2 years later you have joined NATO and your military spending has increased, however I completely agree. Finland quite a weird country in that 50% of the people love it and the other 50% hate it, it's quite unusual in that regard I'd say. It's usually just a divide between introverted and extroverted people however.
Yes, I remember one of the MP’s, not the porn star, wanted all foreigners to wear armbands and be relocated to the middle of Finland. You missed that little detail as well as the suicide, divorce and domestic violence rates. Granted, the country functions very well.
Me too. If the weather is always sunny it can be boring. As someone who writes stories, I find sitting in a coffee shop on cloudy rainy days while writing and having a coffee inspiring. Also, I would love to live in a country which is safe where people are content.
That's so true. I remember couple years ago when here was huge debate in social media about the dresses for the Finnish winter sport teams for Olympics and their ugliness. "True scandal" It was like world was gonna end and nightmare and almost like a reason to change minister of culture and sports in this country. I was thinking that all these people had gone mad. First world problems like what to dress when going out... If the problems in daily life and politics are in that level I think everything in generally is fine here then... XD
@Jimmy Strudel The leaching system doesn't work exactly like that, you need to be a student to fully benefit from it. It does give you a crazy amount of stress relieve and confidence though, that if you're a highschool student and both of your parents theoretically disown you, you can still get an apartment without having a job and/or parents, and keep on studying for free and go to a university for free (like everyone else). System's worked out pretty well so far, we'll see how it goes.
No crimes. No racism. No corrupt goverments. No poverty. Social security for everybody. Beautiful girls. Free society. Like come on. You guys should smile all the time, even in extreme winter. You dont know what you got Till is gone, Finland
@@trifulquita15 No crimes? No racism? FREE SOCIETY? there happens a lot of crimes in finland we just dont get caught lmao, also people in finland especially older people can be very racist towards immigrants, which is understandable due to resent events with them. And please explain me how we have a FREE society? what.
I visited Finland during a Baltic cruise. We went into Stockmann department store in Helsinki and other customers helped us find what we were looking for (cloudberry jam). We looked confused and they stopped their own shopping, asked if they could help, and brought us to where we needed to go. So kind. My impression of the Finnish people was very positive. Good folk.
When that Finnish woman said they're "quiet, quite serious and likes to spend time alone", I just wanted to be there in an instant or at least live in a very same place. It's hard to live in a country where introverts have less chances and opportunities.
A lot of people in the Latin American diaspora feel that way since there is a weird social expectation for us to almost be ecstatically happy all of the time.
Don't forget those Chinese as well: always grinning and smiling politely, holding up signs to show their support for the government they love so much. Those safety-nets outside their factories? Oh... that's just to keep people from jumping for joy too much, you know 😅
The guy with the hat who appears in the end has a valid point. Members of a happy society wouldn’t have to aggressively promote their happiness with flamboyant behaviour, therefore at first glance you may think Finnish people are not happy at all.
Ramo Chai When you're used to always having it good, it won't bring you any actual feeling of happiness. It will be your normal. That's also why super rich kids are often so empty and depressed.
Its good only upto a certain level no matter how introverted you are. If its persistent you slowly begin plunging into the depths of emotional insecurity where the only person you can rely on is yourself.
I know Finland quiet well, having worked there many times in the theatre.If this survey had being on " The most genuine people in the world" the Finns would have won hands down. They are a very unpretentious people and very introspective. If you become friends with a Finn, then, ( in my opinion) you have a true friend. gd. Yorkshire, England.
Graham Daw Maybe it’s just such a harsh and sparsely populated area, we didn’t have the luxury of fucking our neighbor up or we’d all not had survived? 😀
I'd have to disagree, the most genuine are the Latin Americans. Only them will invite a stranger to their family house and have dinner with their family and give you room and board for a night free. Europe, Asia, USA, Canada, Finland, France Germany, never. Peru, Mexico, more then once.
Or maybe there is connection. Especially when counting averages. Finland isn't quite as wealthy as Scandinavia. But keeps ranking better on happiness as well as trust in institutions, education, corruption. When 100% of the people are guaranteed housing, healthcare, top education, and all other basic needs that are not free but supported when you're pushing out of poverty like free transportation to school or work, eyeglasses, help relating to disabilities. People aren't celebrating and jumping from happiness but they don't have to worry about many important things.
Jesse you’re correct. Statisticians use things like wealth, health care, crime rates, etc as an indicator of happiness. The problem is, they ignore actual emotional happiness.
It's because in our current day society we tend to describe happiness in capitalistic terms, meaning how good is your quality of life measured in wealth, educationw social security etc. But that isn't what makes you happy, you can still be a depressed sack of shit and have enough money to provide. Finlands suicide numbers don't lie.
I live in Utah in the United States, born and raised, and I'm very happy most of the time. Unfortunately I'm in the minority though. We live in a society where most people base sucess and happiness on achievements and how much money you make. My boyfriend and I both decided not to go to university, and instead work as university janitors. We love it, even though it doesn't make a lot of money, it's enough to pay bills and still have plenty left over to do fun activities. I do struggle with anxiety and depression, but I have a lot of fulfillment and happiness in my life and try to live each day with a good attitude 😊
I'm always happy when I visit Finland. The way of life there is so much better than the UK. Finns have their priorities in order and focus on living well and appreciating what's around them.
As an expat Aussie living in Finland for the past 2.5years I would totally agree with what you said. Finland is a content country not a smiley, giddy, happy one. In general people here are content with what they have, that is a part of their culture. Not to be greedy, not to be a show off, to earn what you own & be satisfied with what you have. I love living here even though I miss the sunny Queensland beaches every single day. I would say I’m “content”. #lovefinland
And as a Finn living in Australia who can't deal with those sunny QLD days, I would swap with you in a second even though I do love Aus, I'd just much rather be in Finland lmao
Honestly, I believe that a person who enjoys just being quiet and spending time alone is genuine more happy (or lets say "content") than a person who seeks acceptance in a group of loud people who must go drinking out every other day and make crazy and wild things.
@@danieldiax697 Finland isn't Scandinavian country. It's Nordic country. Sweden, Nordic and denmark Scandinavian but sweden, Nordic, denmark and Finland are Nordic countries. +Island I don't know what does thoes people do there lol
@@pineapplepie5590 You count the scandinavian countries as Sweden, Denmark and "Nordic"? I suppose you mean Norway. The finns are a different people who comes from the east with a very different language. Swedes, danes and norwegians are the scandinavians who share the same heritage and with very similar languages.
1) Finns are melancholy by nature. Plus usually way too modest. There is a fear, about making other people jealous. It is considered bad taste to flaunt your success. So if you ask someone "Are you happy" they most likely freeze and think for a while. 2) We tend to focus on bad side of things, way too much. Always room to improve, I guess.
Finnish people are total opposite of Indians (south Asia). South Asians shamelessly brag and boast about their personal achievements, money, culture, community and race. I am an Indian. I cringe whenever I am around bragging and boasting Indians. I feel disturbed whenever I am around quiet and arrogant looking Europeans. Many times, I could not make up my mind which behaviour is good or bad. I find extreme behaviours of Indians and Europeans appalling.
@@MrSivansuresh India isn't a part of South East Asia, it's actually South Asia. South East Asia starts with Thailand and further on generally and secondly, this is a video about the Finns and how they express themselves, do you have to bring your own country here just to denigrate it? You're talking about a billion people, are you sure they're all the same? They're all boastful airheads? It's really sad when people demean their own countries and act as if they're a class apart. As another Indian, I completely disagree with you. I've met many hardworking, modest indians, more than enough to give me a balanced picture that not all the citizens of my country feel the same and nor can you say it's a part of our culture. In the very same way, not all Europeans are worthy of admiration and emulation. Don't paint all with the same brush. If you cannot have a balanced opinion of your own nation, how do you expect others not to stereotype you?
@@NC-hu3ti Here comes bragging Indian!😆 Indians could not tolerate slight criticism and always want to brag and boast about themselves. Indians feel very insecure when someone criticizes them. Kiwirk c is one such example. He 'completely disagrees' with me.😂 He left no scope for little bit of agreement between us. He completely disagrees with me.😂
I know a Finn that owns Ferraris and a big house, so he is for sure wealthy, and i can concur to the above statement. He is very modest, he never brags and he is very sarcastic. He focuses on what to improve and he is not "happy" in the way we would think he should be. However, he is a great person, of course. It is hard to describe "happiness" in a sense a Finn would fit in.
@@ayugoslav5554 not necessarily, i like to achieve intrinsic goals without the assumption that it will make me a happier person, cause happiness is a state not lifestyle.sure, i feel happy for while and Im proud of myself for achieving it,but I understand that that happiness wont last and I try not to get attached to it.
@@ayugoslav5554 I don't think you understood. Seeking happiness specifically can make you unhappy, because life tends to be random. If you only seek happiness you will feel like you've failed when sadness finds you. That's why working towards other more meaningfull goals tends to be better, since you can be proud of your achievements even if you didn't become happier for it.
He's from the best school in the country and one can assume he's very smart. I can imagine how he seems to a foreigner who is more used to seeing people present themselves in a specific way according to status.
Finns will most likely answer your question in an honest way. If you ask one 'how are you?', they will most likely think for a moment and then tell if they are fine or not. If they are feeling tired, annoyed or angry - they will tell you that.
As a finn if you ask me how I'm doing, I'll say "fine" because if I say "angry" or "annoyed" you'd most likely want to know why and the last thing I want is to explain to someone why I'm angry or annoyed. Also if some random person asked me that I'd be annoyed fyi.
I Canada everyone expects u to say fine because its generally a retoricle question here, no one gives a shit. The whole Canadian friendly thing is just people being polite but their is a lot of sarcasm.
People ask here "Mitä kuuluu?" Which translates to "What can you hear?", Roughly. We answer to that "Eipä mitään" which means "nothing". Makes sense to us, but not at all to others, lol
I can tell you as a Finnish person, I often think most people here can be melancholy about things, during the winter it can be really cold and restrictive at times but coming home drinking hot coffee and watching Ed Edd n Eddy after a long day of work can put a smile on my face. But seriously, I still don’t know where this nonsense about Finland being the happiest plus on Earth came from. In fact visiting Holland, I thought they were a happy bunch of people they always seem know how to have fun.
Being in Finland makes me happy. I think the Finns are very happy. Happiness is a state of contentment and satisfaction, not necessarily constant nauseating jubilation.
I had the chance to spend one semester studying in Finland (my most favorite country in the world) and I understand why it’s considered one of the happiest countries in the world. Finns are polite, educated, quite respectful. The Finnish government seems to do its work quite well. I felt very safe and welcomed there. Just like the Finns, I appreciate personal space and times alone. So, it was a match! That’s why Suomi will always rank number 1 in my heart 💙🇫🇮
I get it the country where people dance and post their happiness in social media they are doing it bcz they are forced to show their happiness to other people through social media.so it is not happy but in Finland they aren't forced they just live and enjoy the nature talk with the right people.thats what happiness is everybody don't have the same happiness some people says you don't post anything on social media why don't you get out of your hous.how do they know that I don't get out they judge people by their social media they don't know the full story.so thats the key to happiness
I'm Canadian, and I'm often feeling pressured to act more positive and cheerful than I really am... while second-guessing the fronts other people put up to do the same. I don't see myself moving to Finland (I need sunlight) but I long for a culture where people aren't socially obligated to act cheerful
Oh we Finns have emotions, we just don't show it often in public. Come talk to Finns in the summer after a few drinks and you will find emotions 😁 We are just respectful to our surroundings, we don't want to disturb the peace and quiet in public. It's not that we are lacking emotions.
@@TheEsseboy I think the English word for that would be "stoic." Meaning tough or hardened. Which also conveys resiliency. So it's not much about being giddy happy like jumping up and down for joy wch is most Americans' definition of happiness. But more like being resilient and strong enough to withstand suffering, and thus, being more content and at peace and having an inner joy. Do you think my interpretation is correct? I am curious to know. :)
@@TheEsseboy But yes, having said what I said above, as a tropical person, that video of winter in your country would make me totally miserable! lol And as a Filipino, we supposedly rate high on happiness too, even with all the poverty and suffering in my country, which doesn't totally make sense. But I do think it's a cultural thing and a matter of attitude. :)
@@utubefreshie You get used to it, and you feel almost extatic when summer comes :D Though sometimes in summer I miss the winter, it's so calm and everything is so clean in winter.
Finland is the most beautiful place on earth. The quality of life, and ability to enjoy the nature while living in a city is incredible. I love Finns. They are real, genuine, they do not talk just for the sake of talking, they appreciate the space of others, and they have built this country from scratch. Big respect.
FInland is beautiful in it's own way but seriously.....Most beautiful in the world.... It isn't even the most beautiful of the Nordics muchless..but everything's subjective i guess
Overall happiness doesn't mean broad smiles and dancing in the streets on a bleak day....it means that you are safe, content, cared for, not poor, and many other non-visible qualities.
Yes, meanwhile, i’m living in a third world country and as you can see, there are people living in poverty. We have high birth rates, lack of food and money but as you can see, no matter how fake their smile is, they‘re still trying to fight the sadness behind. In finland, I heard that they are very developed, family oriented and has the best education in the world, hence kids do not stress that much. Maybe that’s why they’re called the happiest country in the world. Here in my country, you have to wake up 5 in the morning, and you’ll habe tons of work to do when you get home.
Random finnish guy: **Cried of loss of his loved one** Happiness researcher: "do you trust your government?" Random finnish guy: -Hiks- "What? Umh.., yes?" Happiness researcher: "So you're happy.."
As a person from the other “happiest” country in the world (Paraguay), I would give up in a heartbeat all the positivity for a free healthcare, no corruption, excellent public education, etc. That makes you happy; not to be laughing in misery all day.
^ that’s America for you. Speaking as an American. Fakeness, no healthcare, sheep for citizens/poor education compared to all other OECD countries. I would take “gloomy” Finland over America any day
I as a Finn once travelled to Costa Rica. I was blown away how happy people seemed to be there. Here in Finland everything works which brings a lot of happiness but the mentality is far away from i.e. Costa Ricans.
@@Jimmylenaze Bro if Finland was poor it would have the same population as Alaska. Why do you think nobody lives in the North Pole? The only reason people even move to the Nordic countries is *because* they are safe, stable and rich, not because of the climate lol.
Yeh i traveled to spain, thailand and so on and i feels the fake smiles on people is disgusting. I feel when a fin smiles its genuine and makes u smile aswell. Same thing in usa to. People just seem so fake like actors or some sht
@@Jimmylenaze arrogant? I dont know a single arrogant fin xd all i want is to mind my own business like most fins. But when i see a fake smile or feeling i know it. Its so easy to spot
The reason Finland is the happiest country on Earth 4 years in a row is because of economic equality. They don't have extremes of either rich or poor. Money doesn't buy happiness so rich countries like a America lose out. At the same time Finland doesn't have extreme poverty dragging their average down. They really have achieved the "happy middle."
1. "Journalist" consults expert on happiness. 2. Said expert distinguishes between different senses of happiness. 3. "Journalist" fails to learn anything and at the very end posits that everyone else misunderstands what happiness is. Weak journalism.
Finally! lol Greetings from Finland. We just like to be noticed and say we are the happiest country in the world but honestly it shocked us Finns the most.
Yeah but I lived in France and Germany and I'm amazed by the fact that everybody can speak english, in Germany it's about 40% of the population who can speak that easily in english and in France... Well not even 10%😂.
@@Mokkularock "the propaganda machine" Goddammit are you for real? Just because you disagree with something (which is totally fine), it doesnt mean the other side is a "propaganda machine". Are you psychotic?
I would say that finns aren't any more serious than people from other countries , we just dont like to smile if we dont feel like it or somebody didnt tell a funny joke. Honestly, to me it just seems that here are no fake smiles but once you get to know people they're probably gonna throw jokes and smile when they feel like it and when they have fun.
Finnish people's smiles are always genuine. I was born in Lapland and I live here at the moment. I too, especially after meeting foreigners on the internet, started to think that all of us are so serious and unhappy all the time. But then I moved to study in Washington for two years and all the smiles I constantly received for no apparent reason made me feel uncomfortable, I had to start behaving like this too, or people would consider me rude. I love my home. My family lives in a house by a lake, it takes half an hour to get to "civilization" and as a kid, I hated it. Now I realize, that you can _always_ move, but you can only be born in one place. I can go live where ever tf I want! But whenever the big city gets too much I always have the possibility to return to the quietest, calmest place imaginable. I believe we are happy, if not indeed the happiest.
Gotta love Finland and its people. BTW, do you know the difference between an introvert Finn and an extrovert Finn? The extrovert Finn will look at your shoes when he's talking to you.
Well, buddy, we expect you to behave differently. You don’t have earned the luxury of looking at your shoes. If your children are born here, they inherit it! 😀
At 0:17 the reporter is wondering if Finland would lose its 2018 title as the happiest nation because he just did not quite understand why Finland was happy. Quess what? It is 2024 now, and Finland has been the happiest nation on earth every single year 2018-2024. It is 7 years in a row so far: 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
Finns don't (terribly) mind paying high taxes, yes, but it's not because we're "homogenous" or doing it for "our own" or for some other vaguely racist nonsense. We do it because it benefits us as individuals to pay slightly more tax and receive quality services in return than it does to pay slightly less and end up paying way more out of pocket for everything.
Well in my opinion living in Finland is pretty nice, but the goverment has done some remarkably stupid things that had made things worse in here in many ways.
@@remembertotakeshowerspleas355 We've come to an era where going forward together is less important than ensuring others stay behind, so that's where the everyday race thing and comparison comes from. Atleast in Finland, most of us want to provide to society, which, when everybody has the same rights and duties, ends in more stable and happier society. Educated and financially stable country won't fear the unknown, but rather try to understand it.
@M26 you feel old with 40 already? jeez.. i am 50 now and nothing has changed. (Mitä vittu on sinulle tapahtunut?) i love the winter, if it has snow - with climachange we will see a lot of "black winters" and that will bring suicide rate up guaranteed.
I agree happiness should not be measured by happiness factor there should be separate categories that would give you a better idea to lead to an overall
I think Finns are satisfied and contented, and not unhappy. Which is really great. Happiness is an over rated expectation and unrealistic because it is a feeling that lies on one end of the spectrum which is hard to maintain.
There's some different with language and it's that happiness is called "onnellisuus", it doesn't mean you're happy all the time. Happy means "Iloinen" or "onnellinen", but they have some differents. I think iloinen means you're very happy at the moment and it's not long mood. Onnellinen means things are well and even there's bad things and moments, you're still happy in your heart. It's longtime mood and other people doesn't always see it when them are watching person who are onnellinen. I think I'm onnellinen. I'm not iloinen always, sometimes yes and then I laugh and smile and you can see my smile. But when I don't smile, when I'm alone and just thinking the life and the world and other things, I can still be happy, onnellinen. Onnellinen it's bigger and better mood I think. Hope someone get the meaning
I've never met someone from Finland until recently when was I traveling in South America and met two. It's a small sample but they were pretty fun and happy people :)
Finland is honestly pretty depressing. I am a Finn and I am struggling to have the energy to do daily tasks because of the dark and cold weather, and because of the quiet introverted people.
Given Finland's struggles not that long ago (I have relatives still today who were alive during those times), I find it so nice and comforting that Finland got ranked as the happiest country. Even though it's a bit strange to speak of Finland as a "happy" nation, you can just tell that they are very content with life and don't have to worry so much, and that is enough, they don't need to throw parades or smile all the time to show how "happy" they are. I think we can all learn a thing or two from Finland.
Fair point but happiness and contentment are not the same thing and these surveys should stop misleading about it. The Nordic countries are high on contentment, not happiness. It's also import to note that in Scandinavia at least, contentment is a social imperative. It's not really ok to complain, to have high expectations of yourself or otherwise etc. So the fact that societies (Scandinavia, I haven't lived in Iceland/Finland so can't comment as much) that expect contentment end up high in it isn't really impressive either.
@@baxterandcotton Contentment, satisfaction and overall happiness walk hand in hand. And I don't know how much you know about finns, but they don't typically shy away from complaining the same way swedes do, so that point you made doesn't seem valid to me. Besides, I don't think swedes would "lie" on a survey either, as long as it's anonymous. So I disagree with that.
@@baxterandcotton It's actually pretty normal and accepted to complain. But screeching like a retard is not. And yeah, as a country Finland is pretty humble, but we still have high hopes and goals. Our culture is tad introvert, especially them older folks. But younger people are more open, and willing to show their happiness and/or worries And the fact something is so normal it's not impressive, for me, makes it even more impressive. But yeah, we pretty cool. I hope Finns don't take it for granted how good the things are in this country. And I guess we don't. We respect it & we are happy about it.
That's a good point from the "happiness doctor" about how happiness is actually defined in the research. Happiness seems to be interpreted differently by different cultures which makes it confusing. For some happiness is contentment and living without fear. For some it is smiles and joy. I personally believe that contentment is a more accurate description of happiness, because joyfulnes doesn't sound like a state that can exist long term if you're living in an opressed, corrupted or a 'not-so-well-being' country. People can be all smiles and joy for the tourists in some south-american country, but does that really reflect the 'happiness' the researches are looking for. These 'joyful and happy' people on the surface might fear for their life walking the street everyday or cry themselves to sleep each night. That's why I believe researches put so much weight on contentment and general well-being when measuring happiness. And in that (contentment and well-being) Finns are definitely at the top.
I was born and still living in Greece, a southern Europe country, that if compared to Finland the great and obvious difference between them is the weather. It is understandable that climate alone has an impact to the living conditions and into behavioral shaping. Smiling and chating out in the open when the temperature is close or under zero doesn't seem very practical to me. Southerns tend to be open and talkative and spend more time outside socializing because it is just easy. I meet people all the time, I speak with them for a significant amount of time each day and I smile without thinking of it. It's a mean of communication and of being kind to people. I personally find myself feeling happier on shiny days and when the weather is good. Low temperatures effects my mood and makes me melancholy. But this is an interesting emotion also that I value. It would be really harsh if I had to live in a place like Finland but this does not prevents me of being fascinated by a different country and their people and coulture (and weather!). It is great that Finland's system is working so well for them and it is setting a good example. But I do not understand the comparison between countries or things like annual hapiness reports. Have we got to make even hapiness a contest?
Yep this is true. I'm Belgian living for the past 7 years in Finland and i can tell from experience that weather has a HUGE impact on your daily routine / mood. i for example seem to go in this kind of hibernation mode for like 6 months a year. it's very bad for a numerous of things, social life, physically (getting issues with body because u stay inside way more). Back when i was living in Belgium i used to dislike it because it had many rainy days and only like 1 month winter (which is boring). but now i have experienced 6 months nonstop winter and dark days... i want the warm climate back lol
@@laminebah9374 have you ever seen the countryside of Finland? What about our culture, food, traditions, quality of life, great education system or the spirit of us Finns (sisu)
@@laminebah9374 Why aren't you able to answer that question yourself? Have you been this mad for the last 4 years Finland has been ranked first because you don't know what a basic statistic is based on?
I have lived quite awhile in different countries (including the US) and traveled pretty much, now residing in Finland. To be fair, I haven't been really happy living in Finland, their happiness is quite unique such as going to sauna, reading books, drinking coffee, etc and the Finns are quite distance, really hard to make friend. So if you're used to the kinda lives in busy, crowdy countries, then it might take a longgggg while to adapt. But on other hand, living in Finland gives me the feelings of being secured and safe. I have lived here for almost 2 years now and have never seen any traffic accident, any homeless, never lost anything. The Finns are the most kind and honest so far that I've known, if you come here and lose anything, you would hope to have someone seeing it, they will always return your things to the nearest police station. Low rate of criminal...kids walks to school themselves safely. And there are lots of support from government, giving birth in hospital costs nothing, pay the hospital room only, can sit home take care of your child, government pays you 70% of your income, even father can have up to 9 weeks parental leave with 70% pay also, and children gets free education even if they want to study to Master, besides government gives around $100 monthly until they turn 17 y.o, imagine if you put that to saving and when your kid turns 17, she or he already had like 20G to start her/his dreams or travel the world 🙂 many other supports which can't count. I do think the tax is worth it, life in general is quality. So yes, if you can cope with the winter and loneliness, then Finland is your heaven ☺️
Great accurate description :) I also think making friends as an adult is difficult no matter where you are. Still, I agree that this is a country of introverts.
A large part is not being happy, but rather not being unhappy. Finland's financial situation is that there aren't a lot of people who can't afford basic needs like food, rent, or medicine. The abundance of "9/10 happiness" people is not higher than other countries, just the "2/10 happiness" people are way less here. The suicide rates, rampant alcoholism, and gambling addiction (there are slot machines in every grocery store) are pretty bad in Finland.
"lot of people who can't afford basic needs like food, rent, or medicine" Not true at all. We don't have people living in streets having no home. Avg income just bit less than US. Don't bother to correct your other false claims.
@@Moka66 Learn to read English; I said the opposite. "Finland's financial situation is that there AREN'T a lot of people who can't afford basic needs like food, rent, or medicine. "
@@Chuubii Well, you did kinda throw a double negation, which can often confuse people even if it would be their native language. You could have just said ''''There are a lot of people who can afford...'', but I digress. I think the major thing with Finnish people is that we're often content, and maybe sometimes even TOO content with how things are; we have a government about as efficient and reliable as a Russian car and free health care that has success rate of a scratching card. I think the idea of us being just fine ,as in 7/10 or 6/10, is quite correct, but what really puts it up to 8/10 or even 9/10 is how we're used to things being shitty, so we just deal with it. I especially like how the free health care is advertised as one of the best in the world, but often you get doctors who barely speak Finnish or even English, or are just plain indifferent doctors who want to get rid of you as fast as possible, which both often lead to misdiagnosis and then tell you to come back after a few weeks if you still have problems. This is mainly the reason why I've used public healthcare in 90 % of the time.
As somebody who is from Northern Finland, i can say it varies inside Finland, my family is from Oulu in Northern Ostrobothnia which is one of the regions with the highest unemployment, i can sense people are somewhat less happy up in the North compared to the south, and it's not due to the climate.
Well global warming somewhat if You Go north enough but main reason Are those bastards giving stuff to people in south and taking away from east and north
@@matildas3177 mm the global warming affects first the people in the north. For example fishing is becoming harder and harder because of it. Saami people too live with reindeer raising and fishing and its becoming harder all the time. Also going little bit closer to central finland. All winter based jobs are getting shorter. Its not either good for the environment but it can take it for much longer. And its npt helping when people in the south like sipilä wants to make elctric cars the only cars that finnish people should have. We should first wait for the prizes to lower down. And they just think if they take all the taxes out of cars it will benefit the poor. No thats stupid it will only benefit those who already have the electric car
On Murica everyone thinks they are special and that is the problem for them. In more civilized world like Norway, Finland, Japan etc people work for greater good rather than living in that "im special" kind of bubble.
I think the reporter is underestimating the importance of social benefits and general well being. Surely a lot of people are crippled mentally by their financial or physical insecurities and the pressure due to them.
that's a very European way of thinking. Trust me, some Colombians are happy picking coconuts while their boss owns a nice yacht. A happiness index should be a happiness index, not a social welfare index. Maybe there's something about happiness that eurocentrism can't understand. And that's fine. Go to latin america and study it if you're curious
I'm Canadian and I can't stand spring and summer. I much prefer winter when it gets dark at 5:00pm and there is a lot of snow. It's so much more calm, quiet and peaceful.
Finns are "happy" by default. In other words, they don't have anxiety or worries because of their welfare state, safety net, low corruption, low crime, order, organization.
LOL "wellfare" do u know whats it like to get 200 in hand after paying the rent, then have to pay with that phone bill, electricity and cheap food, yeah so great
I think the key element in Finland's success is the rather generous social welfare system. Like it or not, distributing wealth from individuals to public services like healthcare, education and culture is one of the best things a country can do. Every Nordic country has a high rate of taxation, which seems to work a lot better than the endless belief in individualism. A country that puts society's well-being in front of individual's prosperity is a lot healthier than the endless belief in the "self-made-man"-myth. Things have gone worse in this sector, though, as the politics have become more neo-liberal, and therefore the Finnish society feels a lot more diverged nowadays.
I have a Finnish friend, he likes to tell stories and jokes. When he's telling a story his face is flat but the story itself is hella funny it makes me laugh out loud. Well that's it
I also find that in Finland people tend to base a lot of stuff based off of Trust. Where while I can't find an accurate way to measure it I have found that the Fins I have interacted with tend to base a lot of their relationships on Trust.
I'd say just being content isn't descriptive of us. We are happy, we just don't like showing it to others. The most distinctive behavioral trait of a Finn is that they don't show emotion, but that doesn't mean we don't feel those emotions. Maybe it's because we don't want to seem above others. But if you somehow tear down these emotional barriers, or if you see two finnish friends that have known eachother long enough to open up and talk about their emotions, you'd see that there is true happiness. In fact I'd argue that the overexaggerated, externally very bright stereotypical American happiness is further from "true happiness".
Vice, this video is biased on so many levels and I usually agree with your videos. As an American who has traveled throughout Europe and other continents, I completely understand why Nordic countries are happier. Happiness is about being content, not experiencing ecstasy, materialism and highs. It’s security, honesty, and faith in the system.
Latin America has plenty of happy countries despite being middle income. We are not exactly poor because our GDP per capita averages out to China's. We just take life easier.
Lol I'm from Finland and last winter it was -30°c and we still go to school and live our life and things like that it's not a big deal. Sure it's cold and stuff like that but I've grown here and got used to it. And I'm also grateful for it. Not everyone has 4 beautiful seasons like us. I don't feel "depressed" during winter and darkness. Sometimes I feel more tired but I don't think that Finnish people feel "depressed" and stuff like that. They just use their energy in the daytime and might feel tired but if u would ask all Finnish people that what they think about winter I think they would say positive things and like about it. - A 14-year-old girl from Finland
Finland is the "happiest country" in the world only because all the unhappy people off themselves. Sounds like dark humor, but this country is unbelievably lenient and supportive to people who are willing to do the 9 to 5 grind. The go-getters of the world. Have three kids, get a nice home (preferably with huge mortgate), a car and a dog and the world is your oyster. You get all the benefits and support not only monetarily, but from the people around you as well. Get a PhD in Finland and they'll literally send you around the world on university dime. People, who for one reason or another, (sickness, addiction, depression or unwillingness to conform to "how a person should be") fail to jump through the hoops of society or end up falling through the cracks of the social system are very often left completely alone and ostracized. Mix that with the fact, that 7-9 months of the year it's cold, wet, snowy and dark... Recipe for a fast downward spiral right there.
I never noticed in America until my depression became very bad, and I couldn't always find it in me to smile all the time how much people in America really do expect you to be grinning all the time. I think the reporter is right, content is probably a better word. The society seems very secure. My uncle has been to Finland. Lovely country, strong booze.
It always seems weird to me how they try to quantify unquantifiable concepts by measuring quantifiable things that we regard as good and assume that those things translate directly to more happiness.
@Scott Johnston Things like "happiness" and "spirituality" are different from things like "weight" and "velocity". It's pretty easy to assign a number to how heavy a car is and how fast it is moving, so those are quantifiable concepts. You can't really do the same thing with spirituality. You can't measure how one person is happier than another like you can measure how one box is heavier than another. You can sort of pseudo-quantify "happiness" my measuring other things that we associate with being happy, like how often you have sex or how long your daily commute to work is. But you'd still be assuming "happiness" is a direct function of only those variables you measured and assuming there are no other variables that contribute. People read these surveys and see their home country ranked low on the list of "happy" countries and take it seriously as some real thing that needs to be addressed.
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VICE News visited Helsinki to find out if the Finns are actually happier than the rest of the world, and if so, why.
WATCH NEXT: Finland Is Giving Citizens $660 A Month For Free As An Experiment - bit.ly/2TYeBA5
$660 a month for free...
*moves to Finland *
I've been in Finland 🇫🇮 2017 at winter time in Helsinki Espoo.. I'm from Croatia Zagreb, and I never seen mucth nice people, here in Croatia is aggressive people and angered..
... Difference between Finland and Croatia is big, because here in Croatia is very hard to find work and when you find paid is to small 500€ per month. Because people go out from Croatia, but my country is beautiful
@Christopher Fairfield have you heard economy of scale ? it's easier to fund e.g. healthcare to all in bigger countries
you can't be happy without the Sun.
Finland is low key pissed off about being called happy
nah, its a joke that we arent happy but we are very happy
Like all the suicidal are like *what the shit mate?*
@BLUE DOG I think you're in the wrong thread my friend.
The dogs are barking, but the caravan is moving on.
World economic forum conference in Switzerland Davos ranked Finland the best country 2019.
Ha ha Deal with that!
lol
UN: "Finland is the happiest place on Earth."
The Finnish: "What?"
It is possible to have fun in Finland. This is my take on that:
"My Girlfriend Learning to Be a Finn - 6 Lessons"
th-cam.com/video/75pqh-mkCyw/w-d-xo.html
@@empele10 having fun momentarily and being happy are 2 different things
@Anonymous Man Did you expect me to not realize he is promoting his channel or something?
@@tormendor8585 actually I can understand the differeces between fun momentarily and being happy but I didnt understand how finnish people are fun momentarly? What they do?
@@5ahmet sarcastic jokes and black humor
I think Finnish people aren't necessarily the "Happiest" people in the world, it's just they don't really feel like they've very much to complain about.
Sounds pretty fucking good to me
"Come to Finland, it sucks less here.'
That's why "satisfied" is the more correct term.
This is exactly how it is..
Maybe they are content
Happiness isn’t about joy. It comes from security and possibilities. Now that we’re in the midst of Covid I’ve noticed that all of my friends who have moved to other countries over the years are moving back. It comes down to security. Finland will take care of you. Even if you lose your job, your house and your dignity. That’s why we’re happy.
That’s a very good point sir
👍
What a English Polish French and Swedish speaker van do there? Educator in English but sports lover and also willing to learn anything new.and loing work life and nature. And some people.
@@justanothermind4972 If you mean local natives yes there's Sami people living in Lapland across Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. They are Finno-Ugric people alongside Finns, Estonians and Hungarians.
Unless you meant American natives or people from the state of India. I guess there's some number of those as well.
Bs, happiness is not having things without working, happiness is earning things and being better that is why socialism fails everytime
If happiness means that you can walk the streets safely. If you can rely on your food, air and environment being clean. If you know that most around you are honest and trustworthy people who would return your lost wallet to you WITH the cash inside of it. If you can open a newspaper without seeing local news of murders and rapes every day. If you can rest at ease knowing that you can get medical help at any time for almost free. If you can be proud of the president that runs your country. If you can feel equal as a female citizen. If you can meet a fellow Finn and know that when they do smile, that it's 100% genuine and that they are not being fake... then yes - Finns are happy.
Even with all this, most finnish people don't seem to have a sense of joy or in their lives. I'd rather experience highs and lows then continuously be at a state of bland contentment
finnish people are very nice and they are honest.
@@jamilehkamali2349 How do you know? Did you interact with each of them?
Refugees. will ruin it like Sweden
😂 brainwashed!
Happy doesnt mean smiling till your ear tips and faking it to the camera, vice. Happy means freedom as well and honesty and even melancholy can be happy
No, you guys are not happy just stupid
Happy doesn’t mean smiling. Of course, but Let’s see how many people can smile when they are unhappy!
1 or 2, or 3?
Oh too many!
@Tom Powers don't go to his level.of edginess; he'll bring you down with him
@@cariekozlov6623 Unhappy people can smile and pretend everything's alright. The thing is when I'm happy, I become more assertive, calm, and have a blank expression on my face, but when I'm sad, usually I go for a more desperate, friendly demeanor, smiling and laughing with people like I'm not on a verge of crying. What you said can be quite ignorant as it appears that you do not experience such human phenomenon. Good day sorry for bad eng.
indeed
That guy going "ehhh" after being asked "are you happy" is my spirit animal.
Haha mine too :3
Quirkie
that doesn't even make sense
the true answer to everything
He's your spirit guy, to be correct.
I am a Finnish person and totally see why we are the happiest country in the world. Put it simply, we have a working country. No corrupt politicians fucking us over (except the last governemnt tried to turn us into USA) working healthcare, social aid, living aid, well paying jobs, freedom (not like in the states or UK you cannot go to every forest if someone oWnS it) fair rents, no psychopaths and serial killers making your daily lives worse, you can walk outside after the dark without the fear of getting attacked, celebrities can go on with their normal lives without people constantly putting paparazzi after them etc. Do I need to state more reasons? Its just simple that when the government drops their military spending and peacocking society model and focuses more to the people of the country, the result is obviously a lot happier country to live in. I would never leave this country and wished more countries were like Finland.
That is genenuinly one of the best systems to govern a country and true definition of democracy
You don't have 350 million+ population.
@@hmmmmm3606 more people the more budget you have. Imagine what the US budget would be if they had similar tax rates as nordic countries. You could give each person 500 dollars a month and have extra to get them housing as well.
2 years later you have joined NATO and your military spending has increased, however I completely agree. Finland quite a weird country in that 50% of the people love it and the other 50% hate it, it's quite unusual in that regard I'd say. It's usually just a divide between introverted and extroverted people however.
Yes, I remember one of the MP’s, not the porn star, wanted all foreigners to wear armbands and be relocated to the middle of Finland. You missed that little detail as well as the suicide, divorce and domestic violence rates. Granted, the country functions very well.
As a person who loves dark, cloudy, cold weather, "depressing" weather as some people say, this is my dream. I find it peaceful.
Not for me🤢
Ankku it doesnt look depressing in summer trust me its fucking beautiful
Me too. If the weather is always sunny it can be boring. As someone who writes stories, I find sitting in a coffee shop on cloudy rainy days while writing and having a coffee inspiring. Also, I would love to live in a country which is safe where people are content.
I also liked that weather when i lived in Cyprus. I still like it, however i feel some strange depressed feeling when there is no constant sunlight.
That is a phrase of someone who lives in a sunny weather and dreams about the winter cloudy cold.
Finland is number 1 on not having things to really whine about.
That's so true. I remember couple years ago when here was huge debate in social media about the dresses for the Finnish winter sport teams for Olympics and their ugliness. "True scandal" It was like world was gonna end and nightmare and almost like a reason to change minister of culture and sports in this country. I was thinking that all these people had gone mad. First world problems like what to dress when going out... If the problems in daily life and politics are in that level I think everything in generally is fine here then... XD
@@wiltzu81 yes. Ridiculous.
But they still whine 😂
@Jimmy Strudel haha right me too
@Jimmy Strudel The leaching system doesn't work exactly like that, you need to be a student to fully benefit from it. It does give you a crazy amount of stress relieve and confidence though, that if you're a highschool student and both of your parents theoretically disown you, you can still get an apartment without having a job and/or parents, and keep on studying for free and go to a university for free (like everyone else). System's worked out pretty well so far, we'll see how it goes.
No fake smiling in finland. might seem unfriendly Place at first, but you'll get "it" when you've been here for a while.
No crimes. No racism. No corrupt goverments. No poverty. Social security for everybody. Beautiful girls. Free society. Like come on. You guys should smile all the time, even in extreme winter. You dont know what you got Till is gone, Finland
This is on point. I'm finnish and when I smile, I smile for a reason and it's genuine. Fake smiles are for fake ppl.
@@trifulquita15 all white.
@@trifulquita15 delete that no racism part. Finland is one of the most racist countries in EU
@@trifulquita15 No crimes? No racism? FREE SOCIETY? there happens a lot of crimes in finland we just dont get caught lmao, also people in finland especially older people can be very racist towards immigrants, which is understandable due to resent events with them. And please explain me how we have a FREE society? what.
I visited Finland during a Baltic cruise. We went into Stockmann department store in Helsinki and other customers helped us find what we were looking for (cloudberry jam). We looked confused and they stopped their own shopping, asked if they could help, and brought us to where we needed to go. So kind. My impression of the Finnish people was very positive. Good folk.
So true! Finns look reserved but they truly come alive when they're helping you, so friendly, so kind.
You’re so naive. Try to call a neighbour if you need something
I would fly to Finland just for the Cloudberry jam, and Cloudberry liqueur, Lakka!!😋😃
When that Finnish woman said they're "quiet, quite serious and likes to spend time alone", I just wanted to be there in an instant or at least live in a very same place. It's hard to live in a country where introverts have less chances and opportunities.
A lot of people in the Latin American diaspora feel that way since there is a weird social expectation for us to almost be ecstatically happy all of the time.
I feel you
Same here
I am also an Introvert.
Their is no meaning of being introvert; u must be able to express urself
Finland: Pretending to be sad
Greece: Pretending to be happy
Poland: Kurwa Mać
North Korea should be on top 1 cuz I always find them smiling,happy chanting their leader's name
not brainwashed or forced to do so hence getting killed
Don't forget those Chinese as well: always grinning and smiling politely, holding up signs to show their support for the government they love so much.
Those safety-nets outside their factories? Oh... that's just to keep people from jumping for joy too much, you know 😅
@TheAfrikaKorps Aye, comrade! Life is great! I found a potato today and me ahnd my family we ate it all in a min haha! :)
@@vinterkrigett Your duty was to sacrifice this potato to Motherland and the Party, you American spy
@Stefan Kovacevic Nah, I don't know about Japan and SK, but the news stories a few years back were all about China, I'm sure.
The guy with the hat who appears in the end has a valid point. Members of a happy society wouldn’t have to aggressively promote their happiness with flamboyant behaviour, therefore at first glance you may think Finnish people are not happy at all.
We are happy, we just don't smile to strangers that often 😄
@@olli2074 Definition of stranger: everybody, including me
Ramo Chai When you're used to always having it good, it won't bring you any actual feeling of happiness. It will be your normal. That's also why super rich kids are often so empty and depressed.
@Guldalder People don't fake it here.
Ramo Chai but they are not being flamboyant...
“We are quite quiet. We are quite serious, we like to spend time alone.” It’s a country full of me’s!! Definitely going to visit soon.
Its good only upto a certain level no matter how introverted you are. If its persistent you slowly begin plunging into the depths of emotional insecurity where the only person you can rely on is yourself.
@@asimanayak304 “depths of emotional insecurity” Been there, done that. Although I see ur point.
Youre more than welcome ❤️🇫🇮
I know Finland quiet well, having worked there many times in the theatre.If this survey had being on " The most genuine people in the world" the Finns would have won hands down. They are a very unpretentious people and very introspective. If you become friends with a Finn, then, ( in my opinion) you have a true friend. gd. Yorkshire, England.
Graham Daw Maybe it’s just such a harsh and sparsely populated area, we didn’t have the luxury of fucking our neighbor up or we’d all not had survived? 😀
If you have Finnish friend you do not need enemy you already got one as a Finnish friend.
I'd have to disagree, the most genuine are the Latin Americans. Only them will invite a stranger to their family house and have dinner with their family and give you room and board for a night free.
Europe, Asia, USA, Canada, Finland, France Germany, never.
Peru, Mexico, more then once.
@@Frank71 we Latin Americans can be in general open to the people but i wouldnt say by any means that we are genuine. At least not in my country.
Frank E Most Middle Eastern people would probably do the same, if not more 😊
Maybe they're confusing happiness with wealth and quality of living
Or maybe there is connection. Especially when counting averages.
Finland isn't quite as wealthy as Scandinavia. But keeps ranking better on happiness as well as trust in institutions, education, corruption.
When 100% of the people are guaranteed housing, healthcare, top education, and all other basic needs that are not free but supported when you're pushing out of poverty like free transportation to school or work, eyeglasses, help relating to disabilities.
People aren't celebrating and jumping from happiness but they don't have to worry about many important things.
Those things two makes me happy. I'm a Finn, so I don't know is that just our own thing.
Jesse you’re correct. Statisticians use things like wealth, health care, crime rates, etc as an indicator of happiness. The problem is, they ignore actual emotional happiness.
It's because in our current day society we tend to describe happiness in capitalistic terms, meaning how good is your quality of life measured in wealth, educationw social security etc. But that isn't what makes you happy, you can still be a depressed sack of shit and have enough money to provide. Finlands suicide numbers don't lie.
@@superduperfreakyDj ^
Why don't people understand that happiness is in fact largely related to satisfaction.... loved this.
Satisfaction means you've taken care of your desires. Happiness means you've a pleasant state of mind. There is a distinction.
I live in Utah in the United States, born and raised, and I'm very happy most of the time. Unfortunately I'm in the minority though. We live in a society where most people base sucess and happiness on achievements and how much money you make. My boyfriend and I both decided not to go to university, and instead work as university janitors. We love it, even though it doesn't make a lot of money, it's enough to pay bills and still have plenty left over to do fun activities. I do struggle with anxiety and depression, but I have a lot of fulfillment and happiness in my life and try to live each day with a good attitude 😊
@@nipunroy8370 but constant unsatisfaction leads to high rates of anger . Why are the most dangerous countries the most dangerous countries ?
I'm always happy when I visit Finland. The way of life there is so much better than the UK. Finns have their priorities in order and focus on living well and appreciating what's around them.
I'm an introvert I would love to live here
same
Same
Naw just stay where you at your gonna bring the depression to them
@@shrek19yearsago78 Introverted and depression are two different things but nice try drama queen.
@@MrItsjustmeok your also gonna bring an attitude to them
Finnish summer is coming and everyone's gonna have a good time and lots of beer.
CANT WAIT
I HATE summer, its too hot and there are bugs everywhere
Tomi Vuori TOO HOT?
@@jallu_3 when it gets over 0 degrees celsius it's getting too hot
@@TomiVuori That's EXACTLY me!
As an expat Aussie living in Finland for the past 2.5years I would totally agree with what you said. Finland is a content country not a smiley, giddy, happy one. In general people here are content with what they have, that is a part of their culture. Not to be greedy, not to be a show off, to earn what you own & be satisfied with what you have.
I love living here even though I miss the sunny Queensland beaches every single day. I would say I’m “content”. #lovefinland
Do you miss fraser anning?
If you San you are nos happy...then they are going to kick your ass
Amelia Dash How about the few summer days you get here?
And as a Finn living in Australia who can't deal with those sunny QLD days, I would swap with you in a second even though I do love Aus, I'd just much rather be in Finland lmao
Bryn Jackson yes quite different
Honestly, I believe that a person who enjoys just being quiet and spending time alone is genuine more happy (or lets say "content") than a person who seeks acceptance in a group of loud people who must go drinking out every other day and make crazy and wild things.
The whole Scandinavian region is introverted. True content or happiness comes when you are alone with yourself. That's why they are termed happy.
Finland is not Scandinavia tho.
@@jyrkimaansiirrotoy1836 can you talk more about that??
@@danieldiax697 Finland isn't Scandinavian country. It's Nordic country. Sweden, Nordic and denmark Scandinavian but sweden, Nordic, denmark and Finland are Nordic countries. +Island I don't know what does thoes people do there lol
@@pineapplepie5590 You count the scandinavian countries as Sweden, Denmark and "Nordic"? I suppose you mean Norway. The finns are a different people who comes from the east with a very different language. Swedes, danes and norwegians are the scandinavians who share the same heritage and with very similar languages.
@@Moja421 yes, i am from finland so i know. Autocorrect reped my norway xd
1) Finns are melancholy by nature. Plus usually way too modest. There is a fear, about making other people jealous. It is considered bad taste to flaunt your success. So if you ask someone "Are you happy" they most likely freeze and think for a while.
2) We tend to focus on bad side of things, way too much. Always room to improve, I guess.
That’s actually a very good point! Didn’t even realize how much Finns hate bragging about stuff
Finnish people are total opposite of Indians (south Asia). South Asians shamelessly brag and boast about their personal achievements, money, culture, community and race. I am an Indian. I cringe whenever I am around bragging and boasting Indians. I feel disturbed whenever I am around quiet and arrogant looking Europeans. Many times, I could not make up my mind which behaviour is good or bad. I find extreme behaviours of Indians and Europeans appalling.
@@MrSivansuresh India isn't a part of South East Asia, it's actually South Asia. South East Asia starts with Thailand and further on generally and secondly, this is a video about the Finns and how they express themselves, do you have to bring your own country here just to denigrate it? You're talking about a billion people, are you sure they're all the same? They're all boastful airheads? It's really sad when people demean their own countries and act as if they're a class apart.
As another Indian, I completely disagree with you. I've met many hardworking, modest indians, more than enough to give me a balanced picture that not all the citizens of my country feel the same and nor can you say it's a part of our culture. In the very same way, not all Europeans are worthy of admiration and emulation. Don't paint all with the same brush. If you cannot have a balanced opinion of your own nation, how do you expect others not to stereotype you?
@@NC-hu3ti Here comes bragging Indian!😆 Indians could not tolerate slight criticism and always want to brag and boast about themselves. Indians feel very insecure when someone criticizes them. Kiwirk c is one such example. He 'completely disagrees' with me.😂 He left no scope for little bit of agreement between us. He completely disagrees with me.😂
I know a Finn that owns Ferraris and a big house, so he is for sure wealthy, and i can concur to the above statement. He is very modest, he never brags and he is very sarcastic. He focuses on what to improve and he is not "happy" in the way we would think he should be. However, he is a great person, of course. It is hard to describe "happiness" in a sense a Finn would fit in.
Seeking happiness makes people unhappier, that's why being grateful for what you have is better Imo.
Not always but can decently happen
You're lacking ambition
@@ayugoslav5554 not necessarily, i like to achieve intrinsic goals without the assumption that it will make me a happier person, cause happiness is a state not lifestyle.sure, i feel happy for while and Im proud of myself for achieving it,but I understand that that happiness wont last and I try not to get attached to it.
@@ayugoslav5554 I don't think you understood. Seeking happiness specifically can make you unhappy, because life tends to be random. If you only seek happiness you will feel like you've failed when sadness finds you. That's why working towards other more meaningfull goals tends to be better, since you can be proud of your achievements even if you didn't become happier for it.
@@weirdairportdude7215 being grateful is making you happy
They're the most content and satisfied people. They're being treated the best.
They are content people!
The finnish happiness researcher looks like he plays keyboard in a symphonic metal band on weekends
He might just do that
That's exactly what a happy country means.
He's from the best school in the country and one can assume he's very smart. I can imagine how he seems to a foreigner who is more used to seeing people present themselves in a specific way according to status.
@@Bnelen Dare to be different :)
There are many Finns who look like they play keyboard in a symphonic metal band on weekends, it's perfectly fine
I am a finn and I feel happy. Doesn't matter if it is summer or winter. I enjoy all the seasons here.
Same
@J S How do you know? Are you some stalker or something 🤔
You must live in the north. Winter in Helsinki is awful with all that wet snow and dirty snow
Is it true ur country is boring and racist
Suomalaisen starter pack
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-pysy aina mahollisimman kaukana muista
Finns will most likely answer your question in an honest way. If you ask one 'how are you?', they will most likely think for a moment and then tell if they are fine or not. If they are feeling tired, annoyed or angry - they will tell you that.
As a finn if you ask me how I'm doing, I'll say "fine" because if I say "angry" or "annoyed" you'd most likely want to know why and the last thing I want is to explain to someone why I'm angry or annoyed. Also if some random person asked me that I'd be annoyed fyi.
I Canada everyone expects u to say fine because its generally a retoricle question here, no one gives a shit.
The whole Canadian friendly thing is just people being polite but their is a lot of sarcasm.
@@tiCajfy Yeah if the question is asked by someone you personally don't know. No-one asks how you're doing if they don't know you, why would they?
It‘s like that everywhere across Europe because we‘re not fake-friendly lol
People ask here "Mitä kuuluu?" Which translates to "What can you hear?", Roughly. We answer to that "Eipä mitään" which means "nothing". Makes sense to us, but not at all to others, lol
I can tell you as a Finnish person, I often think most people here can be melancholy about things, during the winter it can be really cold and restrictive at times but coming home drinking hot coffee and watching Ed Edd n Eddy after a long day of work can put a smile on my face.
But seriously, I still don’t know where this nonsense about Finland being the happiest plus on Earth came from. In fact visiting Holland, I thought they were a happy bunch of people they always seem know how to have fun.
Can't stand the cold, i would be the saddest Finnish person
Yeah you'd probably Finnish last 😊😊
I'm my country people love cold because they can smoke free cocaine falling down from the sky 😎✌🏼🅱️🔥💯🤗❤👽🙏
Wubba lubba dub dub!
Rick Sanchez Same!
You are an alcoholic who can travel through multiple universe, what do you know!
Finns are happy, happy being alone😄
Save all your vacation time for winter and go south of the equator for a month or two.
King Zack facebook and social media != not alone.
Lol😅
Being in Finland makes me happy. I think the Finns are very happy. Happiness is a state of contentment and satisfaction, not necessarily constant nauseating jubilation.
What are you doing in Finland?
How is the sex there?
3:00 Finland is not close at all to the leaders for positive emotions
macho tony too cold pinkies shrinks.
Spoken like a true Stoic. Lol.
The secret to happiness is realistic expectations, something much of the Anglophone world threw out years ago.
I think their's a difference between "Satisfaction" and "Happiness".
Satisfied man is more happy than any other
Happiness can't be explained logically
@@hanadikadayunan5648 is satisfication explained logically ,actually, they r same , one coin with two sides
Exactly!
Scandinavian welfare + Latin American weather = BLISS :)
Norway made both lists. With enough money you can holiday anywhere
They're obviously staying long enough. Living in the prettiest country in the world probably helps making staying at home bearable even when its cold.
Latin American weather sucks, your balls are always down 🙄🙄😤😤
Castor Chua No black people in Norway
I think you just described communism
I had the chance to spend one semester studying in Finland (my most favorite country in the world) and I understand why it’s considered one of the happiest countries in the world. Finns are polite, educated, quite respectful. The Finnish government seems to do its work quite well. I felt very safe and welcomed there. Just like the Finns, I appreciate personal space and times alone. So, it was a match! That’s why Suomi will always rank number 1 in my heart 💙🇫🇮
Hello and how are you doing today ?...
Be real finland was the other country youve ever been to
@@F6FHELLCAT12 been to 20 countries, my dear...
You’re beautiful :)
I get it the country where people dance and post their happiness in social media they are doing it bcz they are forced to show their happiness to other people through social media.so it is not happy but in Finland they aren't forced they just live and enjoy the nature talk with the right people.thats what happiness is everybody don't have the same happiness some people says you don't post anything on social media why don't you get out of your hous.how do they know that I don't get out they judge people by their social media they don't know the full story.so thats the key to happiness
I'm Canadian, and I'm often feeling pressured to act more positive and cheerful than I really am... while second-guessing the fronts other people put up to do the same. I don't see myself moving to Finland (I need sunlight) but I long for a culture where people aren't socially obligated to act cheerful
In Finland being depressed is just normal. Coming from a depressed Finn
What sunlight, Canadian?
@@AatiNiiranen lets be friends 😕
Yeah, what's the difference? I'm pretty sure you're used to long winters
Agreed
If you have no emotions whatsoever you can't really be unhappy
But you can’t be happy either
Oh we Finns have emotions, we just don't show it often in public. Come talk to Finns in the summer after a few drinks and you will find emotions 😁 We are just respectful to our surroundings, we don't want to disturb the peace and quiet in public. It's not that we are lacking emotions.
@@TheEsseboy I think the English word for that would be "stoic." Meaning tough or hardened. Which also conveys resiliency. So it's not much about being giddy happy like jumping up and down for joy wch is most Americans' definition of happiness. But more like being resilient and strong enough to withstand suffering, and thus, being more content and at peace and having an inner joy. Do you think my interpretation is correct? I am curious to know. :)
@@TheEsseboy But yes, having said what I said above, as a tropical person, that video of winter in your country would make me totally miserable! lol And as a Filipino, we supposedly rate high on happiness too, even with all the poverty and suffering in my country, which doesn't totally make sense. But I do think it's a cultural thing and a matter of attitude. :)
@@utubefreshie You get used to it, and you feel almost extatic when summer comes :D Though sometimes in summer I miss the winter, it's so calm and everything is so clean in winter.
Finland is the most beautiful place on earth. The quality of life, and ability to enjoy the nature while living in a city is incredible. I love Finns. They are real, genuine, they do not talk just for the sake of talking, they appreciate the space of others, and they have built this country from scratch. Big respect.
FInland is beautiful in it's own way but seriously.....Most beautiful in the world.... It isn't even the most beautiful of the Nordics muchless..but everything's subjective i guess
Don’t spread lies
Lapland sucks
@@Elisa-xx2xp you have never been in finland 🤣🤣
@@gatonegro6980 Yes I live here. My dad is A Finn duh.
Overall happiness doesn't mean broad smiles and dancing in the streets on a bleak day....it means that you are safe, content, cared for, not poor, and many other non-visible qualities.
Yes, meanwhile, i’m living in a third world country and as you can see, there are people living in poverty. We have high birth rates, lack of food and money but as you can see, no matter how fake their smile is, they‘re still trying to fight the sadness behind. In finland, I heard that they are very developed, family oriented and has the best education in the world, hence kids do not stress that much. Maybe that’s why they’re called the happiest country in the world. Here in my country, you have to wake up 5 in the morning, and you’ll habe tons of work to do when you get home.
Random finnish guy: **Cried of loss of his loved one**
Happiness researcher: "do you trust your government?"
Random finnish guy: -Hiks- "What? Umh.., yes?"
Happiness researcher: "So you're happy.."
As a person from the other “happiest” country in the world (Paraguay), I would give up in a heartbeat all the positivity for a free healthcare, no corruption, excellent public education, etc. That makes you happy; not to be laughing in misery all day.
Don't say "no corruption" etc. Every govt. is corrupt in different degrees.
@Gibbon I believe you.
If you want free Healthcare then more tax money will be taken out from your pocket.
I've always loved Latin American culture, and have always wanted to travel there! Greetings from a Nigerian 🇳🇬🇳🇬♥️
@@danielcuahuey1332 Yea...I mean imagine all of the country contributing free healthcare for everyone...what a crazy idea.
So putting up fake as smiles and dying on the inside is more happy than being content, according to this video
Yeahhh And thats called acting happy not HAPPY
^ that’s America for you. Speaking as an American. Fakeness, no healthcare, sheep for citizens/poor education compared to all other OECD countries. I would take “gloomy” Finland over America any day
foreigners explaining finnland will always be a shit show.
Are u describing North Koreans?
No. They differentiated that by the last third of the video. You should've finished watching it
I as a Finn once travelled to Costa Rica. I was blown away how happy people seemed to be there. Here in Finland everything works which brings a lot of happiness but the mentality is far away from i.e. Costa Ricans.
exactly; if finns were as poor as the costa ricans they wouldnt be as "happy"
@@Jimmylenaze Bro if Finland was poor it would have the same population as Alaska. Why do you think nobody lives in the North Pole? The only reason people even move to the Nordic countries is *because* they are safe, stable and rich, not because of the climate lol.
Yeh i traveled to spain, thailand and so on and i feels the fake smiles on people is disgusting. I feel when a fin smiles its genuine and makes u smile aswell. Same thing in usa to. People just seem so fake like actors or some sht
@@IsoGameguy u probably were in a big city instead of a little town and maybe they fake smiled because u yourself have arrogant vibes
@@Jimmylenaze arrogant? I dont know a single arrogant fin xd all i want is to mind my own business like most fins. But when i see a fake smile or feeling i know it. Its so easy to spot
Well, it's 2021, and this is the fourth year in a row Finland is named the happiest country in the world.
The reason Finland is the happiest country on Earth 4 years in a row is because of economic equality. They don't have extremes of either rich or poor. Money doesn't buy happiness so rich countries like a America lose out. At the same time Finland doesn't have extreme poverty dragging their average down. They really have achieved the "happy middle."
1. "Journalist" consults expert on happiness.
2. Said expert distinguishes between different senses of happiness.
3. "Journalist" fails to learn anything and at the very end posits that everyone else misunderstands what happiness is.
Weak journalism.
*Vice journalism
Finally! lol Greetings from Finland. We just like to be noticed and say we are the happiest country in the world but honestly it shocked us Finns the most.
Probably because it's actually the least unhappy, not most happy.
Yeah but I lived in France and Germany and I'm amazed by the fact that everybody can speak english, in Germany it's about 40% of the population who can speak that easily in english and in France... Well not even 10%😂.
niemands rose well considering we’ve got better education than France I’m not surprised
Bayern München nope it’s because u have American bases and were American satellite for half a century.
😂 😂 😂 😂
Finland also placed #1 for 2019.
Really?
up to end of the march
oh my God
yeah thats what the propaganda machine keeps telling us but for some reason it dont seem to show in finnish people.
@@Mokkularock "the propaganda machine"
Goddammit are you for real? Just because you disagree with something (which is totally fine), it doesnt mean the other side is a "propaganda machine".
Are you psychotic?
I would say that finns aren't any more serious than people from other countries , we just dont like to smile if we dont feel like it or somebody didnt tell a funny joke. Honestly, to me it just seems that here are no fake smiles but once you get to know people they're probably gonna throw jokes and smile when they feel like it and when they have fun.
yeah there is no social obligation to be extremely polite or to act happier than we are. You can just be a decent human being and that is enough!
Finnish people's smiles are always genuine. I was born in Lapland and I live here at the moment. I too, especially after meeting foreigners on the internet, started to think that all of us are so serious and unhappy all the time. But then I moved to study in Washington for two years and all the smiles I constantly received for no apparent reason made me feel uncomfortable, I had to start behaving like this too, or people would consider me rude.
I love my home. My family lives in a house by a lake, it takes half an hour to get to "civilization" and as a kid, I hated it. Now I realize, that you can _always_ move, but you can only be born in one place. I can go live where ever tf I want! But whenever the big city gets too much I always have the possibility to return to the quietest, calmest place imaginable. I believe we are happy, if not indeed the happiest.
Janita oma maa mansikka muu maa mustikka
think that one guy was a leprechaun
Bah lol 😂
🤭🤣
I thought it was just me.
I was gonna say Willy Wonka.
Or high on coke
Gotta love Finland and its people. BTW, do you know the difference between an introvert Finn and an extrovert Finn?
The extrovert Finn will look at your shoes when he's talking to you.
dont do us like that 😭😭😭
Well, buddy, we expect you to behave differently. You don’t have earned the luxury of looking at your shoes. If your children are born here, they inherit it! 😀
Except women who are human being too. Scandinavian countries are not safe for women. Then why you guys still call it a safe happy peaceful place!!
@@baheejtsk7314 not safe for women? what?..
@Lin Jiajin The joke was that an introvert Finn looks down at his own shoes when talking to you, the extrovert Finn will look at *your* shoes.
At 0:17 the reporter is wondering if Finland would lose its 2018 title as the happiest nation because he just did not quite understand why Finland was happy. Quess what? It is 2024 now, and Finland has been the happiest nation on earth every single year 2018-2024. It is 7 years in a row so far: 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
Wrong word, "Finnish people feel the most financially secure in the world"
Result of a small homogeneous middle class population which doesn't minds paying high taxes for its own.
Finns don't (terribly) mind paying high taxes, yes, but it's not because we're "homogenous" or doing it for "our own" or for some other vaguely racist nonsense. We do it because it benefits us as individuals to pay slightly more tax and receive quality services in return than it does to pay slightly less and end up paying way more out of pocket for everything.
Well in my opinion living in Finland is pretty nice, but the goverment has done some remarkably stupid things that had made things worse in here in many ways.
@@Yoarashi It always amazes me how these people manage to make everything about race.
@@remembertotakeshowerspleas355 We've come to an era where going forward together is less important than ensuring others stay behind, so that's where the everyday race thing and comparison comes from.
Atleast in Finland, most of us want to provide to society, which, when everybody has the same rights and duties, ends in more stable and happier society.
Educated and financially stable country won't fear the unknown, but rather try to understand it.
Finss is not a show off country, maybe you should ask "how are you today?"
LOL....the most useless interviews ever...Going on the streets on a cold winter day and asking then whether they are now happy or not!
Totally agree
@M26 you feel old with 40 already? jeez.. i am 50 now and nothing has changed.
(Mitä vittu on sinulle tapahtunut?)
i love the winter, if it has snow - with climachange we will see a lot of "black winters"
and that will bring suicide rate up guaranteed.
he also asked them in the swimming pool though
It's been my dream to live in a place like this, love the weather
@@gatonegro6980 It us racists to Arabs only
@@justenjoy9545 imagine being so tapped in the head u hate a whole race 💀
And Finland keeps slaying the World Happiness Report for another year. The only ones sad about it are the Finns. xD
Normal Finnish mentality:
"Hey I heard that you won in lottery."
"Nah. Got only 6 right and won 20k."
And The third year as well.
Seven years now.
I agree happiness should not be measured by happiness factor there should be separate categories that would give you a better idea to lead to an overall
LMAOOO the thimbnail is my mental state right now 😂
Ivan Cervera I checked! And damn I hope things get better!
😂😂😂😂😂
Go have conversation
The woman in this pictures is acting and purposelly filmed.
I think Finns are satisfied and contented, and not unhappy. Which is really great. Happiness is an over rated expectation and unrealistic because it is a feeling that lies on one end of the spectrum which is hard to maintain.
1:13 we're quite serious!
Shows a serious women... I'm sold
Lol
Finns do not pretend anything.
Also they cannot value all The goodness what they have got
There's some different with language and it's that happiness is called "onnellisuus", it doesn't mean you're happy all the time. Happy means "Iloinen" or "onnellinen", but they have some differents. I think iloinen means you're very happy at the moment and it's not long mood. Onnellinen means things are well and even there's bad things and moments, you're still happy in your heart. It's longtime mood and other people doesn't always see it when them are watching person who are onnellinen. I think I'm onnellinen. I'm not iloinen always, sometimes yes and then I laugh and smile and you can see my smile. But when I don't smile, when I'm alone and just thinking the life and the world and other things, I can still be happy, onnellinen. Onnellinen it's bigger and better mood I think.
Hope someone get the meaning
Beautiful explanation thank you.
Love this explanation 💓
I've never met someone from Finland until recently when was I traveling in South America and met two. It's a small sample but they were pretty fun and happy people :)
Finns abroad are bit more open and wild than in their home country. We tend to let lose when we get out of our introverted sovial circles.
Finland is honestly pretty depressing. I am a Finn and I am struggling to have the energy to do daily tasks because of the dark and cold weather, and because of the quiet introverted people.
Google the most depressed countries. Finland is far from the top.
If those studies are as nonsense as the "happniess" studies then what use are they?@@butterflies655
Given Finland's struggles not that long ago (I have relatives still today who were alive during those times), I find it so nice and comforting that Finland got ranked as the happiest country. Even though it's a bit strange to speak of Finland as a "happy" nation, you can just tell that they are very content with life and don't have to worry so much, and that is enough, they don't need to throw parades or smile all the time to show how "happy" they are. I think we can all learn a thing or two from Finland.
Fair point but happiness and contentment are not the same thing and these surveys should stop misleading about it. The Nordic countries are high on contentment, not happiness. It's also import to note that in Scandinavia at least, contentment is a social imperative. It's not really ok to complain, to have high expectations of yourself or otherwise etc. So the fact that societies (Scandinavia, I haven't lived in Iceland/Finland so can't comment as much) that expect contentment end up high in it isn't really impressive either.
@@baxterandcotton Contentment, satisfaction and overall happiness walk hand in hand. And I don't know how much you know about finns, but they don't typically shy away from complaining the same way swedes do, so that point you made doesn't seem valid to me. Besides, I don't think swedes would "lie" on a survey either, as long as it's anonymous. So I disagree with that.
@@baxterandcotton It's actually pretty normal and accepted to complain. But screeching like a retard is not. And yeah, as a country Finland is pretty humble, but we still have high hopes and goals. Our culture is tad introvert, especially them older folks. But younger people are more open, and willing to show their happiness and/or worries
And the fact something is so normal it's not impressive, for me, makes it even more impressive.
But yeah, we pretty cool. I hope Finns don't take it for granted how good the things are in this country.
And I guess we don't. We respect it & we are happy about it.
That's a good point from the "happiness doctor" about how happiness is actually defined in the research. Happiness seems to be interpreted differently by different cultures which makes it confusing. For some happiness is contentment and living without fear. For some it is smiles and joy.
I personally believe that contentment is a more accurate description of happiness, because joyfulnes doesn't sound like a state that can exist long term if you're living in an opressed, corrupted or a 'not-so-well-being' country. People can be all smiles and joy for the tourists in some south-american country, but does that really reflect the 'happiness' the researches are looking for. These 'joyful and happy' people on the surface might fear for their life walking the street everyday or cry themselves to sleep each night.
That's why I believe researches put so much weight on contentment and general well-being when measuring happiness. And in that (contentment and well-being) Finns are definitely at the top.
I was born and still living in Greece, a southern Europe country, that if compared to Finland the great and obvious difference between them is the weather. It is understandable that climate alone has an impact to the living conditions and into behavioral shaping. Smiling and chating out in the open when the temperature is close or under zero doesn't seem very practical to me. Southerns tend to be open and talkative and spend more time outside socializing because it is just easy. I meet people all the time, I speak with them for a significant amount of time each day and I smile without thinking of it. It's a mean of communication and of being kind to people.
I personally find myself feeling happier on shiny days and when the weather is good. Low temperatures effects my mood and makes me melancholy. But this is an interesting emotion also that I value. It would be really harsh if I had to live in a place like Finland but this does not prevents me of being fascinated by a different country and their people and coulture (and weather!). It is great that Finland's system is working so well for them and it is setting a good example. But I do not understand the comparison between countries or things like annual hapiness reports. Have we got to make even hapiness a contest?
Yep this is true. I'm Belgian living for the past 7 years in Finland and i can tell from experience that weather has a HUGE impact on your daily routine / mood. i for example seem to go in this kind of hibernation mode for like 6 months a year. it's very bad for a numerous of things, social life, physically (getting issues with body because u stay inside way more). Back when i was living in Belgium i used to dislike it because it had many rainy days and only like 1 month winter (which is boring). but now i have experienced 6 months nonstop winter and dark days... i want the warm climate back lol
That's a good point. I don't think happiness should be a contest either.
I'm here after Finland is the happiest country in the world consecutive 4 times.
its fake bro
@@laminebah9374 elaborate.
@@noo-dl Those statistics /ranking are fake lol .Happiest countries based on what?The country looks incredibly dull and boring
@@laminebah9374 have you ever seen the countryside of Finland? What about our culture, food, traditions, quality of life, great education system or the spirit of us Finns (sisu)
@@laminebah9374 Why aren't you able to answer that question yourself? Have you been this mad for the last 4 years Finland has been ranked first because you don't know what a basic statistic is based on?
Idk what it is but you can like almost immediately tell a person is Nordic by looking at them
I have lived quite awhile in different countries (including the US) and traveled pretty much, now residing in Finland. To be fair, I haven't been really happy living in Finland, their happiness is quite unique such as going to sauna, reading books, drinking coffee, etc and the Finns are quite distance, really hard to make friend. So if you're used to the kinda lives in busy, crowdy countries, then it might take a longgggg while to adapt. But on other hand, living in Finland gives me the feelings of being secured and safe. I have lived here for almost 2 years now and have never seen any traffic accident, any homeless, never lost anything. The Finns are the most kind and honest so far that I've known, if you come here and lose anything, you would hope to have someone seeing it, they will always return your things to the nearest police station. Low rate of criminal...kids walks to school themselves safely. And there are lots of support from government, giving birth in hospital costs nothing, pay the hospital room only, can sit home take care of your child, government pays you 70% of your income, even father can have up to 9 weeks parental leave with 70% pay also, and children gets free education even if they want to study to Master, besides government gives around $100 monthly until they turn 17 y.o, imagine if you put that to saving and when your kid turns 17, she or he already had like 20G to start her/his dreams or travel the world 🙂 many other supports which can't count. I do think the tax is worth it, life in general is quality. So yes, if you can cope with the winter and loneliness, then Finland is your heaven ☺️
Great accurate description :) I also think making friends as an adult is difficult no matter where you are. Still, I agree that this is a country of introverts.
The developed world... they have education, healthcare, running water, electricity... and can't have friends.
I am happy living in Åland/Finland, only in summer time tough, winters we spend on happy Tenerife.
Probably the life everyone wants
Norway is like finland but 100x times better, stronger, smarter. True vikings.
A large part is not being happy, but rather not being unhappy. Finland's financial situation is that there aren't a lot of people who can't afford basic needs like food, rent, or medicine. The abundance of "9/10 happiness" people is not higher than other countries, just the "2/10 happiness" people are way less here.
The suicide rates, rampant alcoholism, and gambling addiction (there are slot machines in every grocery store) are pretty bad in Finland.
"lot of people who can't afford basic needs like food, rent, or medicine" Not true at all. We don't have people living in streets having no home. Avg income just bit less than US. Don't bother to correct your other false claims.
DONT BELIEVE THIS GUY I LIVE IN FINLAND AND ALMOST NONE OF THIS IS TRUE ( Chuubii )
@@Moka66 Learn to read English; I said the opposite.
"Finland's financial situation is that there AREN'T a lot of people who can't afford basic needs like food, rent, or medicine. "
@@Chuubii Well, you did kinda throw a double negation, which can often confuse people even if it would be their native language. You could have just said ''''There are a lot of people who can afford...'', but I digress.
I think the major thing with Finnish people is that we're often content, and maybe sometimes even TOO content with how things are; we have a government about as efficient and reliable as a Russian car and free health care that has success rate of a scratching card.
I think the idea of us being just fine ,as in 7/10 or 6/10, is quite correct, but what really puts it up to 8/10 or even 9/10 is how we're used to things being shitty, so we just deal with it.
I especially like how the free health care is advertised as one of the best in the world, but often you get doctors who barely speak Finnish or even English, or are just plain indifferent doctors who want to get rid of you as fast as possible, which both often lead to misdiagnosis and then tell you to come back after a few weeks if you still have problems. This is mainly the reason why I've used public healthcare in 90 % of the time.
0:33 I like that old dude’s answer ‘uummm...’
Think that one dude starred in A Clockwork Orange. Not sure tho lmk
I'm singing in the rain
Venezuela?? lol just proves you cant have it all! Chavez gave it a really good shot...
😂😂😂
Wellywellywellywell..
Contentment is what 'happiness' truly is. Contentment is what everyone is searching for.
As somebody who is from Northern Finland, i can say it varies inside Finland, my family is from Oulu in Northern Ostrobothnia which is one of the regions with the highest unemployment, i can sense people are somewhat less happy up in the North compared to the south, and it's not due to the climate.
Well global warming somewhat if You Go north enough but main reason Are those bastards giving stuff to people in south and taking away from east and north
@@herramirtsaaja9032 How would the global warming effect the unemployment rates or general happiness?
@@matildas3177 mm the global warming affects first the people in the north. For example fishing is becoming harder and harder because of it. Saami people too live with reindeer raising and fishing and its becoming harder all the time. Also going little bit closer to central finland. All winter based jobs are getting shorter. Its not either good for the environment but it can take it for much longer. And its npt helping when people in the south like sipilä wants to make elctric cars the only cars that finnish people should have. We should first wait for the prizes to lower down. And they just think if they take all the taxes out of cars it will benefit the poor. No thats stupid it will only benefit those who already have the electric car
At least they're drama free, out here in America nothing but non-content people. Everyone expects more, everyone wants to be famous for nothing.
What a STUPID comment!
What a great comment. Indeed, high expectations breed suffering
On Murica everyone thinks they are special and that is the problem for them. In more civilized world like Norway, Finland, Japan etc people work for greater good rather than living in that "im special" kind of bubble.
But Americans don't understand it so sorry for them.
don't forget that in america they all expect to become rich, they just need a good idea and pull themselves by the bootstraps with hard work and.....
I think the reporter is underestimating the importance of social benefits and general well being. Surely a lot of people are crippled mentally by their financial or physical insecurities and the pressure due to them.
that's a very European way of thinking. Trust me, some Colombians are happy picking coconuts while their boss owns a nice yacht.
A happiness index should be a happiness index, not a social welfare index. Maybe there's something about happiness that eurocentrism can't understand. And that's fine. Go to latin america and study it if you're curious
@@wihenao I am not a European and I don't think you read the comment carefully.
But that is a result of a higher taxes on a predominantly middle class homogeneous population that doesn't minds paying for its own ppl.
@@wihenao
It's the word happiness that's the Problem. You can't quite translate in right
@@baranzadeoglu7203 you should be happy even if you are poor
I'm Canadian and I can't stand spring and summer. I much prefer winter when it gets dark at 5:00pm and there is a lot of snow. It's so much more calm, quiet and peaceful.
Same here.
Finns are "happy" by default. In other words, they don't have anxiety or worries because of their welfare state, safety net, low corruption, low crime, order, organization.
LOL "wellfare" do u know whats it like to get 200 in hand after paying the rent, then have to pay with that phone bill, electricity and cheap food, yeah so great
lmao look at this dude
@@latev9973 What! I have more than that.
I think the key element in Finland's success is the rather generous social welfare system. Like it or not, distributing wealth from individuals to public services like healthcare, education and culture is one of the best things a country can do. Every Nordic country has a high rate of taxation, which seems to work a lot better than the endless belief in individualism. A country that puts society's well-being in front of individual's prosperity is a lot healthier than the endless belief in the "self-made-man"-myth. Things have gone worse in this sector, though, as the politics have become more neo-liberal, and therefore the Finnish society feels a lot more diverged nowadays.
They are probably happier coz it’s quiet. I’d be happy too if my surroundings were so peaceful.
I have a Finnish friend, he likes to tell stories and jokes. When he's telling a story his face is flat but the story itself is hella funny it makes me laugh out loud.
Well that's it
I also find that in Finland people tend to base a lot of stuff based off of Trust. Where while I can't find an accurate way to measure it I have found that the Fins I have interacted with tend to base a lot of their relationships on Trust.
trust and honor are the two sides of the same coin.
abuse the trust, lose your honor
I'd say just being content isn't descriptive of us. We are happy, we just don't like showing it to others. The most distinctive behavioral trait of a Finn is that they don't show emotion, but that doesn't mean we don't feel those emotions. Maybe it's because we don't want to seem above others. But if you somehow tear down these emotional barriers, or if you see two finnish friends that have known eachother long enough to open up and talk about their emotions, you'd see that there is true happiness. In fact I'd argue that the overexaggerated, externally very bright stereotypical American happiness is further from "true happiness".
Vice, this video is biased on so many levels and I usually agree with your videos. As an American who has traveled throughout Europe and other continents, I completely understand why Nordic countries are happier. Happiness is about being content, not experiencing ecstasy, materialism and highs. It’s security, honesty, and faith in the system.
We're not all serious or introverted, we just don't go around wearing a fake smile all day long.
Happiness is a terrible definition for a development index. Good job VICE
Isn't they what they said
Latin America has plenty of happy countries despite being middle income. We are not exactly poor because our GDP per capita averages out to China's. We just take life easier.
Oh no, you're wrong. Being number one in happiness does not mean being the champion of joy. Happiness is not joy.
Lol I'm from Finland and last winter it was -30°c and we still go to school and live our life and things like that it's not a big deal. Sure it's cold and stuff like that but I've grown here and got used to it. And I'm also grateful for it. Not everyone has 4 beautiful seasons like us. I don't feel "depressed" during winter and darkness. Sometimes I feel more tired but I don't think that Finnish people feel "depressed" and stuff like that. They just use their energy in the daytime and might feel tired but if u would ask all Finnish people that what they think about winter I think they would say positive things and like about it.
- A 14-year-old girl from Finland
Finland is the "happiest country" in the world only because all the unhappy people off themselves. Sounds like dark humor, but this country is unbelievably lenient and supportive to people who are willing to do the 9 to 5 grind. The go-getters of the world. Have three kids, get a nice home (preferably with huge mortgate), a car and a dog and the world is your oyster. You get all the benefits and support not only monetarily, but from the people around you as well. Get a PhD in Finland and they'll literally send you around the world on university dime. People, who for one reason or another, (sickness, addiction, depression or unwillingness to conform to "how a person should be") fail to jump through the hoops of society or end up falling through the cracks of the social system are very often left completely alone and ostracized. Mix that with the fact, that 7-9 months of the year it's cold, wet, snowy and dark... Recipe for a fast downward spiral right there.
7-9 months cold, wet, snowy and dark. Not in the central and southern part of Finland.
I never noticed in America until my depression became very bad, and I couldn't always find it in me to smile all the time how much people in America really do expect you to be grinning all the time. I think the reporter is right, content is probably a better word. The society seems very secure. My uncle has been to Finland. Lovely country, strong booze.
It always seems weird to me how they try to quantify unquantifiable concepts by measuring quantifiable things that we regard as good and assume that those things translate directly to more happiness.
@Scott Johnston
Things like "happiness" and "spirituality" are different from things like "weight" and "velocity". It's pretty easy to assign a number to how heavy a car is and how fast it is moving, so those are quantifiable concepts. You can't really do the same thing with spirituality. You can't measure how one person is happier than another like you can measure how one box is heavier than another.
You can sort of pseudo-quantify "happiness" my measuring other things that we associate with being happy, like how often you have sex or how long your daily commute to work is. But you'd still be assuming "happiness" is a direct function of only those variables you measured and assuming there are no other variables that contribute.
People read these surveys and see their home country ranked low on the list of "happy" countries and take it seriously as some real thing that needs to be addressed.
My dream is to live in Finland because I love snow i love cold weather i love dark weather i love everything that is in finland.
Wow. Same for me too. 👍
Same! I was born in the wrong country 😭😭
Ditto that my brother/sister
u love everything that I hate here
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