As an Australian who lived in Finland for about 3 years, I think the 'Happiness' index measure isn't really the right word. It should really be called the 'Contentedness Index', Finns are definitely the most content people on Earth, they're okay with things just being okay. Adopting that mindset really improved my life and I'm very thankful I got to live in Finland for a couple years.
This. Content. Not happy. We also have pretty high suicide rates and there's a lot of things inside our social culture that don't work and can make people miserable. Some of those things are changing though and I really hope a new generation would take up the reigns already.. Oh, and bureaucracy here is a torture machine.
"This is the happiest? Can you imagine how miserable the rest of the world must be?" This is excatly what we finns are actually thinking. Spot on :D Thank you!
@@mokisanWell if you are thinking of moving to Finland there are couple things to keep in mind: - everything is expensive becose high taxes, so either be really rich or have a stable job. - The language is super hard to learn but you should be relatively fine with english, especially with younger people. - It’s not always cold in Finland. summer’s have lately reached even 30 degrees celcius thanks to global warming. More average summer temperature is about 20 degrees though. And how to move to Finland? Well buy plane tickets, duh.
For an individual Finn, the secret is this. - be quiet - consume alcohol even if you fail or win in life - eat sausages - go to sauna twice a week (double the sauna in summer) - enjoy the nature - embrace the coldness of winter - embrace traditions and don't forget your own culture
@@icanusesakurasforeheadasap4304 But the poverty in Finland is a bit different. There is not really homeless people the same way as in other countries (atleast middle and south Europe. Not sure about other nordic countries). Government usually takes care of homeless poeple in Finland and offers help to them. We might get appartment or money from government when we dont have money but in Finland everything is expensive and many poeple are lining to bread lines (where u get a little bit of food for free if you are not doing good money wise at the moment). So there is quite a lot poverty, its just different poverty. And again example we have free school so people usually get the chance to go there even though their family is poor. And there is free meal in school. Poverty just gives a problems in the family example and free time with hobbies.
i studied in Helsinki for a while, which at the time held the world’s highest suicide rate. I asked one of my professors how Finland could be the happiest country while this was true at the same time, and he responded “oh, it’s quite simple! you see, all the sad people are gone by the time we do the surveys”
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country.....
The suicide rates have gone down from what it was in the end of last millenia, but it is true that our young population is not feeling good. Especially the pandemic took many important years away from them, time when you experience generational things like graduations, going to universities, bond with other people finding your friends for life or a partner. Things you can't get back really. Isolation is a poison.
I'm from Finland and this video is incredibly well-researched, so thank you very much. The only thing I would clarify is that the income tax rate of 56,5% is only for the highest income class, having a gross salary of literally a million euros per year. Finnish income tax (for salary) is very progressive, with the national median salary having a tax rate of 26%, and if you are for instance a student working a job for 2-3 months during the summer leave, you only get taxed a few percent.
@@renanvinicius6036 That's true, but the system does work in Finland. Without free education and healthcare I would definitely not have a degree, and would probably be too sick to work. But instead I am educated and working, and paying those high taxes and thus contributing back into society. Obviously most rich people don't like to pay high taxes, but not a lot of them understand that their tax money also contributes to a better and safer society, where you don't need to spend money on private security and building gated communities. And BTW private education in Finland isn't really even a thing, and specialized healthcare is pretty much always higher quality in Finland (private clinics are small and don't do a lot), so even the rich benefit from our welfare system.
@@astroturd bro, you are like paying half of what you make in taxes and is expensive to live not only in Finland, but Nordic countries as a whole, the minimum you would have to demand is what you have got, nothing is for FREE you are paying for this, it seems obvious, but the way you guys portray public systems is wrong, and it opens up the way to populist cretin politicians to explore this and find ways to do what they like the most, spend your money with unnecessary stuff and make their image good because they are "taking care" of you. Please just stop it, I even prefere some public systems rather than private, but abusive taxes and people saying things are for free, I honestly cannot take it.
I think it’s easier to live up to your potential in Finland than most countries. It doesn’t matter if you come from a poor or a rich family, quality education is available to everyone and you don’t have to be in debt for the rest of your life in order to get your education. Also money is usually not a huge issue in general for people. You don’t have to be on a sigma grindset working two jobs and have 0 vacations in order to live a satisfying life.
It's also important to note that Finland is a first world country, that has access to wealth and resources since the european colonialism from the 19th century. Compared to say, South Sudan, they have it easier
@@vortexdaidadename me one Finnish colony. As a matter of fact Finland had to live under the Swedish flag in the 19th century. They were a European colony, not coloniser.
I recently went to Finland to visit family for the first time. They live in a city of 4000 people. It was so North we were in the North Pole territory, at -30 degrees Celsius. And yet, it was the happiest days I have ever spent. With only 3 hours of light and barely any distractions (malls or cinemas, etc), the sense of community and respect was HUGE. I was constantly impressed by their trust. They leave bikes untied and stores unattended, asking to simply grab what you need and leave the money. It is the only place I have ever felt safe at night. I remember asking a bunch of construction workers if I could ride with them to the village as I was very tired from my hike. Now that I think about it, I would have never gotten in a truck full of men in any other place. People say they are cold, but in reality they are incredibly open minded, they have a deep connection to nature and spread kindness around. Here we tend to be impressed by nudity, but in Finland they treat it as something natural and beautiful. Going out of the sauna half naked and jumping into a pile of snow outside is something I never imagined myself doing. The local fish store woman would gift me leftover raw fish to eat with bread, as she simply wanted me to enjoy her delicious food. All in all I felt free, I felt loved, I felt healthy and I felt like I belonged. ❤
Having grown up in the Arctic (Finland is not even partially on the North Pole) in a very similar town, possibly even the very same one, I have to disagree with the things you said about respect and community and belonging. Northern Finns in general are superficially nice to tourists and artificially play up the stereotype of progressive and nature-loving folk, because the tourism industry is p much everyone's livelihood, and tourists wouldn't come back with more money if they knew how the folk in that area really feel about them. Underneath that surface-level civility, northern Lapland is a deeply conservative and racist area, even in the context of Finland being one of the most racist countries in the EU. If you were to actually stay instead of visit, you would have to fit a very narrow mold to be accepted. Low availability of public services like law enforcement means northerners tend to follow their own little rules with their own little nepotistic in-groups. Lapland doesn't have shit like sundown towns, you're not likely to get chased out at gunpoint, but anyone who stands out in any way is made to feel unwelcome and unsafe: immigrants, people of color, queer ppl, disabled and neurodivergent ppl... Non-Christians, leftists... Even Finns from the cities and the south are ostracized to an extent. Sometimes simply being eccentric is enough. And you don't even have to actually BE any one of these things, it's enough for a single person to assume or lie, and the rumor will travel and mutate along the grapevine faster than light until even complete strangers claim to know your business better than you do yourself... Meanwhile, wifebeaters, rapists, pedophiles etc. are public secrets and allowed to keep doing what they do out of a sick sense of maintaining appearances. In the woods, no one can hear you scream. Lovely place to visit, but deeply miserable area in terms of "belonging".
Open minded, we finns? Hm... I've lived here for 40 years now, and I'd say I'm probably the most open-minded fella in my blood family line I've met, maybe one of the most open-minded folks here I've met too. Geez... compared to me, most people here are dogmatic conservatives who follow the rules and religion despite whether they really believe in it or not, just to fit in. Thank you for the great comment, it's great to know that we might be so open-minded compared to other nations. I never thought of it that way, never really noticed it too much, but hm... I suppose you're right.
@@Yoarashi I didn't visit as a tourist. My family lives there. We are not originally from Finland and the locals have been very kind to us. Maybe this is true for you, but for me it has always been wonderful
Here in Norway (and this is probably a thing everywhere in the world that has long dark winters), we have something called “winter depression”. Basically a period during winter (duh) where everyone suddenly feel very depressed. And the theory is that it’s due to the lack of sun. The fact that the days become shorter and nights becoming longer results in people feeling more depressed. The moment summer comes around, everyone is just a lot more happier and livelier. So yeh, those cold climates is definitely not the reason we’re happy.
I think that instead of calling Finland the happiest country, they are the most content. They’re not smiling and laughing, or in a joyful bliss… but they are content with what they have and their quality of life. As Norwegian with Finn roots and Finn friends, I feel especially the Norwegians in the north relate to the Finns. And tbh, despite already living in a country that’s said to be one of the best to live in.. I really want to live in Finland, I just gotta learn Finnish first 😅
i wanna live in finland too, and im also trying to learn the language. though i think i would every now and then like to take a train or drive too norway or parts of sweeden for that nice mountain scenery. i dont have any finn roots at all, much less any scandinavian roots, but i do have one really close friend who lives there
A finn here. Even though my life hasn't been easy and all that happy because of deppression and a crippling addiction to hard drugs, I can't imagine any other country (except other nordics) where i would have gotten through it alive. Because of the decisions of my government i got professional help like detox, rehab, psychiatric help and social welfare fast and for free and for that i am eternally grateful that i was born in this country. Im clean and studying now and when i graduate and get a job i'll be happy to pay those high taxes so that others in my situation may also get the help they need :)
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin Not necessarily. Many other countries also have high suicide rates and similar problems among people. In many countries, it can also be unclear how many people have, for example, depression if extensive help is not offered or it is not talked about. It's not a bad thing that many go to therapy (for a variety of reasons), it might just show that the offered help is answered, making people happier. The happiest country trope is a little misleading, because obviously it doesn't entail every aspect of living, mearly the surface level: space, government support, salary, work culture, healthsystem, education, and so on.
When I was a kid in elementary school, we were always told that "it's like winning in lottery to be born in Finland". Back then I was very naive thinking that things were like this everywhere else. And I completely agree on the trust aspect. It's the main pillar on which our whole country is built upon.
@@Jusuuw Probably considered racist now. I was definitely told that exact phrase many times in elementary school. Then as a rebellious teen I thought it was just "trite nationalism". Now I realize it's true.
@@Piaapo Come Turkey and see how disorganisation works. Statistics all over the place no planning at all, people just go with the vibe. Traffic,city schemes are just a mess. Politics change every day. There is a disaster every 3 months. There is terorism,immigrants and depressed violent people. You can die tommorrow or you can lose all of your money in one day thats how unpredictable and unplanned it is. And there are worse countries than us can you imagine.
it's just that the criteria they use in these statistics don't really reflect our subjective reality/feelings. If I had to guess which European country has most overall satisfaction in their day-to-day life, I would say Spain.
We were in Finland for 1 month this year and we want to move from Germany to Finland in a few years. Ppl are honest, mostly chilled and don’t set high expectations. I think they learned to take life as it is while being so close to the extreme nature, with all pros and cons.
@@Texan_christian1132 Yeah, that's why everyone wants to move to Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans.
As someone who is Canadian and lives in Canada but has Finnish parents on both sides and visited Finland many times, I have some insight into why they may be the happiest country. Like you said, it is trust, but to be more specific it is that you will be cared for as an individual no matter what. Even if you do nothing, abuse drugs, don't work, whatever; you still receive the same free healthcare, education, mental health treatment, place to live, and training to become something. It really makes you believe in your country and countryman. The trust factor also comes in how they speak. I've been to other parts of Europe and NA/SA, and everyone spoke the same way except in Finland. They say as much as possible in as few words as possible. It makes them impossible to lie to. Too many words or too few details, they will know you are lying, and ask question until everything is clear. It is almost like they subconsciously interrogating you, like you are always talking to your parents. I have never felt this way anywhere else, but every time I return to Finland I remember I'm speaking to icemen. It's not that you have to speak carefully, it's that you have to speak sufficiently.
@@holoholopainen1627 Definitely my Fin is dog shit, but even where people only spoke Spanish, or in Holland, or in Sweden, it was not the same. I am not blaming anyone, every people is different. I love visiting Finland, but every time I go it is jarring. Of course not everyone in a country is the same either, but even though my relatives lived in NA and speak good english it is always something I notice when I visit them. I have no issue with it, I appreciate their honesty. It is refreshing when you live so close to the US.
@@MrNommerzThis video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin remember that everyone lives in their own little bubble.. I myself have some mental problems but in finland it doesnt matter that you have.. everyone is equal here.
My mom is 100% Finn and I was raised mostly by her and my grandpa and I think one part I don't think you covered was the culture of Sisu and to keep your feelings to yourself. My dad's side of the family is all French and the cultures couldn't be more different. French culture is very outgoing flamboyant and dramatic and when they have a problem or criticism they make sure everyone knows and it's always someone else's fault, and it's seems as being sophisticated to not be happy, where as in Finnish culture it's very quite, reserved and stoic and it's normal to say your happy and looked down if your complaining and blaming it on other people.
"quiet, reserved, and stoic" So Finnish people don't have culture, is this what I'm gathering?
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Yes, it seems that when the survey was on going, the finnish went for the humility answer and said they are happy, but this culture and the suicide rate points to something darker.
Finnish people will not say they are happy if they aren't. It's more that they just tend not to complain. In other countries the culture of having to be outwardly happy always and just answering "fine", "good" etc. instead of saying the truth when asked how you are is much more prevalent. This Finnish way of not pretending to be happy is said to be better when you are sad or depressed, because you don't feel like you are the only one not feeling good.
I think Finnish culture is changing for an even healthier direction with our current generation and the following (I was born in the 90's). The youngsters are more emotionally expressive and empathetic, but not at the expence of being overtly loud, emotional or flamboyant. Most are ambitious and take their life seriously, though not forgetting to have fun. Although I see more and more people just being tired and burned out by work and school. We are a heavily responsibility-oriented culture I think our definition of happiness is quite modest and minimal. We like to be frugal and satisfied with little. As long as we have a roof on top of us, warm food and drinks, our basic needs satisfied, Finns would often say they are content and happy with their life, even if otherwise you woild say they are constantly sad or depressed.
@ What you're describing is more akin to latin America than Finland. That's where you'll find the happiest and least happiest people since they aren't actually the happiest but they have a culture of saying they're the happiest. If you ask a Finn whether they're happy or not, they'll just feel fine and satisfied. That's because Finns don't have to deal corruption, feeling unsafe, being poor, etc. which simply isn't true for most of the world, at least not the same extent as in the nordics.
I'm Finnish and this is a very well researched video, one of the best about Finland that I've seen. There are only two things that I want to comment: 1) At 8:24 the Finnish bear is shown with Starbucks coffee. Hey. Don't be stupid. Starbucks coffee tastes like piss compared to Finnish coffee so we don't drink it. We are statistically the biggest coffee drinkers in the world, so we know what good coffee is like. There are only two Starbucks coffee shops in Finland and one of them is at the Helsinki airport, because it's the international travelers who go there. Finnish people know better than that. 2) On a more serious note, I don't think that the wood industry is dying down, they are just moving to different types of products. There is not as much need for writing paper or printing paper nowadays as there used to be, but people don't stop needing toilet paper or tissue paper for blowing their noses. The demand for packaging materials is rising, especially biodegradable cardboard boxes, so I don't think that our forestry business is going to end anytime soon. It isn't as important as it used to be, but it isn't going to disappear either. Especially because wood is the sort of renewable material that grows back, so that we aren't going to run out of it as long as we take good care of our forests. It's about finding new uses for it, and there are a LOT of people innovating about that.
@@Texan_christian1132 I can’t tell if you’re being serious or being a troll, so I’m just going to ignore you after I type this comment, but if you are actually serious, you’re actually fucking stupid. As an American, we have high rates of poverty, crime is everywhere, power is concentrated in the top 1% of the population, gun violence is rampant, our health is declining because of terrible food quality designed to make a quick buck instead of actually giving the people healthy options, we’re overworked to high hell, political violence is on the rise, corruption is getting worse, everything is getting more expensive while the average worker’s salary has stayed roughly stagnant, healthcare costs an arm and a leg, you have to go into debt to complete your education, we disregard and disrespect nature on such a grand scale and at such a cultural level that it’s actually sad, we carelessly pollute far more than most of the rest of the world, we spend way too much on the goddamn military and way too little on the people themselves, we as a culture care far more about transactional value and what other people have done and can do for us rather than on the actual value of the person themselves, we tax the poor and cut taxes for the rich, the level of education in America is steadily declining, need I go on? Need I fucking go on? Or are you going to somehow stay brainwashed into thinking that America is the best country in the world like every other American? Because if you are, then congratulations. You’re being the blindly patriotic and blissfully ignorant standup citizen that the corporations want you to be so they can continue to take advantage of you. I hope you’re fucking happy with that
I lived in Jyvaskyla as an exchange student for a while and i have to say Finland is a beautiful country with great nature and public facilities. In that period i visited many places and I absolutely fell in love with the country. The one thing I, and literally every other exchange student, had problems with was the lack of daylight. At the shortest days we only had a couple hours of daylight. Not sunlight, we did not see the sun for weeks at a time. From asking around we all had problems with our biological clock and we did start feeling a bit more "down".
Yup I always get ’seasonal depression’ from the darkness. It makes me feel tired all the time and that life’s hardships are two times worse even though they really aren’t.
I dont think so since milk isnt really nutritious nor good for anything except for sweets. Also high milk consumption causes digestive problems,parasites(They like milk a lot),low calcium(since milk has high potasium and calcium binds calcium) plus high iodine inside causes throid damage especially people with throid autoimmun idseases such as hasimato,graves etc. So keeping cow milk consumption is a good idea.
That's just because Nordics are the least lactose intolerant in the world. Its like the worlds lamest x-man superpower. The andeans have superior oxygen metabolism and we can drink milk.
Nokia is a good representation of Finland. It was very secure. Literally indestructible. Nokia 3310 is a legend. Nokia was my first phone and although now I have a smartphone, my almost 20 years old Nokia still works.
Same! I just lost the original adapter, otherwise I think my Nokia 3310 would still work. And I kind of miss it despite all the innovations that smartphones put into our pockets :)
As a Finn. Something to learn from us is that you NEVER talk/Drink alcohol in the monday The rest of comment this me is is yapping koska i vodka drank ⬜⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦 ⬜⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ SPOILER ALERT: Imagine a flag with yellow cross and a red background, never wont happen or be anything Finland related
They should change the name of the "happiness" survey into "contentment" because thats fundamentally whats at play here, Finnish people are content because they feel safe knowing they can TRUST people around them and the government to help them out if things go badly. The safety that arrises from that knowledge is also what creates said trust in thew first place.
@@ilayohana3150 Because they are not the same thing...? Happiness usually entails smiling and cheerfulness that can be seen on the outside of a person, its also generally more of a short term feeling of a specific moment. Contentment is more about inner peace and feeling satisfied with your life to some extent and is not necessarilly easy to detect from just looking at someone.
@Tyrgalon nope. That's just the childish concept that you have in your mind. A content person could be jumping and smiling while a happy person doesn't. Contentment is just a type of happiness. If you're content you're probably happy.
@@ilayohana3150 Your subjective oppinion carries no weight on the universal understanding of the meaning of these two DIFFERENT words. "While happiness is typically characterized by a more intense and fleeting emotion, contentment is a longer-lasting, stable sense of peace and satisfaction."
As a Finn, one of the less talked about things that make me happy, is that I can really trust not only the ones in power e.g. the police, but also average people. If I lose my wallet in the city, I'm almost certain someone's going to return it. And in general people just seem to trust strangers easier than in the US (besides from Helsinki)
Thats another world to me.. Im a German-Born Brazilian and i cant trust literally no one here, its 99% chances of them not returning, plus using my numbers to do banking-type theft. Its everyone on their own for survival on South America, this place will NEVER turn out good and work out.
So I just came back from Finland and it is really interesting to be in a country with almost the same population as yours (Singapore) yet be so many more times larger. There is a lot of natural beauty to be seen in Finland, and it's really one of the countries I wouldn't mind living in, the cold notwithstanding. Though staying for nearly a week north of the Arctic circle in the deepest part of winter will make you worship the mysterious glowing sky orb when you return home. That's the one thing I don't miss about Finland.
12:10 Finland doesn't use wood to make electricity, it's energy consumption not electricity consumption. The reason why 30% of Finland's energy is from wood sources is due to heating, most of the houses are old and don't have modern electric heaters or air conditioning. Also wood is cheap and self-sufficient.
Wood chips are an increasingly common way to replace coal, oil and peat fired powerplants from the district heating systems. As you mentioned, wood is often burned in a fire place, especially during the winter in buildings that are not connected to district heating systems, and use electricity (direct or heat pump) for heating. The idea being, that burning some wood once a day can significantly lower your electricity bill. Sauna is also a thing, and it is traditionally heated with wood.
It does. Finland uses trees crust produced as a byproduct in the wood industry as fuel producing electricity and district heating. For example in Oulun Energia.
@@plasmakitten4261 Not everyone is doing that themselves, though many people like me do cut the firewood for fireplaces and saunas from their own property. Other people choose to pay companies to do effectively the same thing at an industrial scale. Amount of wood in the forests and the annual growth rate are difficult to estimate, but it's safe to say that the annual growth rate is around 100 million m^3, so as long as the amount harvested is equal or smaller than that, wood is self-sufficient on the country-level.
I live in russia, it's just mindblowing how these two countries are different. We don't have any trust in the government, neighbors, society. And every time it's proved a reasonable strategy. You just don't feel safe , you can rely only on your immediate family . Total corruption, horrors of war, tyrany, low incomes and poverty, absolute indifference from everyone , the feeling that you're outcast to the rest of the world
About the wood burning as energy.: Not too many large plants use wood in heat/electricity production but it is very common in household use. It is quite often the "secondary" system to heat OR to cut down heating expenses during cold times. Firewood has typically a very good availabilty. It also brings some security in winter, that you can use 2 systems for heating.
Wood burning, however, is both horribly inefficient and bad for the environment & occupants. It seems Finland, like much of Europe, was over reliant on Russian gas.
@@Pan_ZNatural Gas made up around 5% of the Finnish energy mix pre Ukraine and 3% post Ukraine, so we definitely aren't over reliant on that. I think we just replaced the little gas that some industries need with LNG via the baltic link. Very few places use gas. Most buildings are warmed by district heating or ground heat. 3 biggest electricity generation methods in 2022 were Renewables at around 42% Nuclear at around 21% and Oil at just under 20% . We are still Net energy importers though and import around 3% of our electricity from other countries in the European electricity grid (Mainly Sweden) rather than using more polluting power plants like coal or oil. We do have excess capacity though so incase of peaking European demand or high import costs those powerplants can switch on. Also Finland has the most forest cover percentage of any European country and it actually went up last year. By law you must replant trees when you cut them down for industry unless you have explicit permission. Many ordinary people own parts of industrial forests and let bigger companies handle the logging and collect a nice paycheck every 20 or so years. And summerhouses, which most Finnish families have, are usually somewhat old fashioned and may be heated with wood. I have no idea what all the "Wood related fuels" cover though as it's not explained on the narional statistics page. Kind of surprising it is that big but unfortunately we don't get a lot of wind and also we meed to upgrade the western energy grid to handle the fluxuating loads from wind energy before we can add more. Wood fireplaces are banned in cities though, not that pollution is a problem here.
Since forestry is still one of the largest industries (paper is dead, but cardboard is doing better than ever, lumber is always needed) in Finland, it generates a lot of energy biomass as a by-product (black liquor, sawdust and wood chips, treebark, branches and tops, sometimes stumps) which make up most of the wood material that is burned for energy. I think that most (if not all) pulp mills also generate electricity, for their own use but they also sell it to the power grid. Private households with fire places actually make a rather small portion of the energy generated by wood burning.
Not the most accurate video about our country but it was entertaining. We did receive some money from the US during all of the marshall aid stuff, but it was kept hidden. Tar was also a pretty big export, I believe mainly to England for their ships. Also just because we are labeled happy, it doesn't mean that we are actually happy. My social studies / history teacher once said that Finland is not the happiest country, but instead the most satisfied one. Also the depression part was not only tied to the Soviet Union collapsing even though it was one of the reasons (it started before that). Banks just gave out a lot of bad loans. Aaaand Nato is definetly not the only source of defense for Finland. We have a very functioning defence force.
@@n1ckster055 still fit for purpose given the capability the Russians are displaying in Ukraine. The Finns have the best intelligence on Russia's capabilities and know they can defend themselves against Russia minus the nukes. Even for the nukes, they are quite prepared with enough well-equipped bunkers to shelter their entire population and some change while their forces defend against subsequent land invasion.
@@hydrolifetech7911 yeah, they are prepared, but they stand no chance. They are much smaller than Ukraine and have way less people. Their capital is also more exposed and very close to the Russian border.
@@Handle0108 I'd say there's a chance. ~80% of Finland is forest and we also have a lot of lakes. In the worst case scenario we have around 1 million people who have gone through military training.
As a finn, I used to be depressed all the time and life was really hard. Now, really the only thing that has changed is my additude. And as a result, I don't get depressed or anxious anymore. And If I do, I actually do something about it. Life is what you make of it.
@@augustsophomore5042Finland is a safe country, you will not be in danger there. Although people here can be quite racists to people of color, the statistics on that do not look good.
Finland also have the highest F1 driver champions and winners to population ratio, even when compared to F1 champion juggernauts like the UK and Germany
Finland is a weird place of champions considering how small the country is Best hockey team: Finnish The best F1 driver: Finnish the best Starcraft 2 player: Finnish one of the best dota 2 players: Finnish the best Age of Empires 2 player: Finnish These are only the ones i'm aware of
@@juhotuho10It’s because our hobbies are limited by our environment. Winter sports, driving and maybe hiking is what you can do outside, other that you can stay inside and read a book or play video games.
The thing about cold countries being happy is only loosely related to the weather. Very cold countries are, by necessity, very wealthy and have a lot of social safety nets in place. So we have a very high standard of living and we take care of the poorest people very well.
Countries of cold climate usually have low population density and large amounts of natural resources, which results in very high per capita wealth. That can be used to support generous welfare states which would be impossible in most places. Also it is not secret that rural life is better for your mental health that urban one.
I also think that cold climate repels laziness. Survival needs more effort, it's not about wanting to do things, it's more like do or die. And think about the future, at least the next winter. And in centuries and millenia, these things engrave into people. Idk, not sure though... I do find it annoying though xD Also about helping neighbours... there's a famous story/poem? about a man and his wife, who had bad years of harvest, so they mixed edible part of tree to their breads. Then they had a good year, and the wife wanted to make all-grain-bread, and the man still said, to put half of the tree stuff into the bread, their neighbour had a bad harvest. 🤭 So... gotta do stuff and gotta help the next guy. Idk, it's winter, it's night, and I just want to sleep my troubles away. 😴
It's hilarious how he put Portugal for "don't show up late" because we literally have a thing where you're allowed to show up 10 minutes late to the first class in the morning and the first class in the afternoon 😂😂
Because all the sad people ended themselves, moved, are on drugs and don't participate in surveys, or are on so many SSRIs and a concoction of meds they're golem; in complete ignorant bliss that they're vaccinated livestock
@@anonymoust2877 Yes he is. Most big buildings, like apartment buildings for an example, must have a nuclear bunker. It's literally the law. That's because of our history with Russia. In Helsinki there are complete networks of nuclear bunkers under the city.
fun fact: India is apparently unhappier than war-ridden Ukraine. happiness is an abstract idea that can't be measured by wierd survey so they use metrics like corruption etc.
How can u be happy in india? Social class warfare, descrimination based on religion and race, huge economic gaps, cities with buildings build on top of buildings, polluted water, china barking, water "insecurity", pseudo-democracy, extreme push for high levels of education just to stay unemployed or have a lower salary than most other countries..... On tge other hand Ukrainians have a purpose, defending their homes and purpose brings happiness for many
While the key message of this video, the idea of trust being the very foundation of happiness, is correct I would like to remind you that trust without reason is even worse than not trusting at all. If you just blindly trust a person, organization or movement, you can easily be taken advantage of. Trust only works in Finland, because it has been observed working, and the subjects of trust are actually trustworthy. As you touched on in the video, trust must be gradually built, it doesn't come quick or for free, and it can be easily broken. Once you have attained it though it is more than worth it.
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
Trust doesn't work in Finland. Ignorance is bliss and only the dumb people here are happy since they don't know any better but to trust blindly and stay oblivious to all the flaws.
Wait a minute, so you mean to tell us that a government that puts people over profit and makes sure their citizens live comfortable lives will generally be more like by the people in question?
“The Soviet Union’s war against Finland should’ve been easy victory but it became a humiliating struggle and their military eniptitude was put on full display. In the end they did force the Finns to sue for peace. Then they continue their honorable campaign on pushing much smaller countries by annexing the Baltic states and part of Northern Romania.”
Wow, what an insightful condensation, one word. I had never considered TRUST as an explanation to our (yes, I'm Finnish) supposed happiness, but true, it is! Being able to trust in things makes all the difference. Hard luck or bad weather or what ever it is depressing this month, you can trust there's something to be done about it or at least the weather will change eventually. My own thoughts on why Finland is considered the happiest country in the world is that we manage our expectations. Not having anything specific to complain about is happy enough, reasons for great joy are nice but small joys are more likely and not having big feels all the time is nothing to be negative about. We also know that while we're the poor cousins to Norway and forever feel insecure compared to Sweden, we actually have it very good and mostly just how we like it.
The narrator keeps harking on TRUST; how everyone needs to trust everyone else. Well, if that were the case, non-Finns/Nordics would be cheated, scammed, swindled, ripped off blind on a regular basis . . . oh wait . . . And become Baptists, Mormons, Jehovahs, Muslims.
I loved how comically you told this! Very entertaining and also informative! Nice pacing (I wrote this during the ad break) and concise. Clear, logical set up that doesnt jump at strange places. Super well done!
I think the word "trust" says a lot about what is meant by Finland being the "happiest" country. It's about stability. But we are not very social or smiling all the time. This is a peaceful and stable country, but that's not all you need for happiness. Good relationships and cheerfulness are also needed, and I don't think we do well in those.
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin This is not based on a survey asking "are you happy?", it is based by tons of small things such as economical security, access to healthcare and education, poverty rate, equality etc. Has anyone actually read the world happiness report? All youth in developed nations are generally unhappy because the news are saying the end is near, housing crisis, social media, crime, climate change, pricing are going up, wages are low, boomers will use up all the retirement funds etc. Only those who are blissfully ignorant and can stay focused on their own life in a bubble are happy now.
@@HereGoesKevin I think when your material conditions are good it just means you spend less time worrying about survival and more time worrying about extreme mental anguish. Humans are just miserable by default, doesn't matter how rich you are or how peaceful your life is.
1:55 as an American, the last E in Tampere is not silent. Finnish as a language is very different from most others in that you say the word exactly how you see it. If you see a letter, pronounce it
I think you should have better explained that the ~56% personal income tax rate is only the top bracket. Earning 0-19900EUR annually (up to ~20k USD) gives you 0% personal income tax rate 19900-29700 is 19% 29700-49000 is ~30% 49000-85800 is ~34% and then anything over 85 800 EUR (92570 USD) is taxed at 56% So I'd say thats a pretty sweet deal considering all of the social services offered by the country Then there's local income taxes, but that's another deal
Capital gains taxes are lower and are 34% at the highest. In practice they are usually a few percents lower than that. But they start at 30% (though in practice often 25% or lower)
56% tax is definitely not a sweet deal. It drives wealth away from the country because most people who are capable of producing such revenue streams are also capable of moving their business elsewhere so they can make more money.
Yes, 56% is for quite wealthy people, but even if you are making 19k€ per year (which is very much on the low end), you still end up paying a small income tax (something like 3%). Besides that, everyone (who work for someone and get a salary) have tax-like deductions to their paycheck. These are mainly unemployment and pention securities (you cannot opt out), which add up roughly to 10(ish)%. Since the workforce is highly unionised, you are likely to pay union membership fee, which is often about 1% of your salary. Tax brackets make determining the tax rates more complicated, but the average tax (and tax-like expence) rate in Finland in 2022 was 43,2%. Before you gasp how much that is, you need to have a look at what you get in return. Free education, social securities, free/cheap healthcare, security etc. In many other countries, these things are not covered with your tax money, but you have to pay tuition fees, insurances, private unemployment funds and pention plans etc. Don't get me wrong, finns do pay for private pention plans and insurances, but I guarantee that on average we spend quite a bit less on them than people in some other countries do.
it is very worth noting that the typical surveys that are used for these statistics, base the understanding of "happiness" on the old Greek word "Eudaimonia". The word is often translated into English as "happiness", but it would actually be more appropriate to translate it into something along the lines of "Living well with what you have and being content". I am from Denmark, and have visited my northern european neighbours frequently in my life. And one thing is for certain; Northern European peoples for sure are the most content people on earth.
This was a very informative and accurate video. I'm glad you also mentioned our shortcomings, since we're not perfect and we are going through an economic "crisis" at the moment. Greetings from Finland!
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin I can tell you as a Finn that this is quite an accurate video. Sure, it's not perfect but it's better than the other videos similar to this. Finland has had a high suicide rate but it has gone down since the 90's and now is on par with the rest of the EU. The importance on mental health has been a popular topic among the now-ongoing parliamentary elections with many candidates having the topic of mental health as one of the key elements in their respective campaigns. It also helps that seeking help for mental illnesses here is socially acceptable unlike in other countries and you can recieve help and medication quite easily. The whole 'Finland is the world's happiest country' is skewed. We Finns are not generally the happiest in terms of emotions but we are content and satisfied with our lives. The world happiness report takes into account more of institutions and not the general populace.
@@HereGoesKevin Also isn't it good that it is normal to get help if you are mentally unwell? It helps them reintegrate back to work and it decreases suicide rates.
The happiness index isn't measured based off of interviewing people to find how happy they are. It's basically measured by security, freedom, opportunity, and health.
We have a popular saying here in Finland: "One who has attained happiness should hide it". And we are pretty good at hiding our happiness. Actually we don't look happy outside at all. Maybe that's our secret. Not making a big show out of it
Actually it is from a poem by Eino Leino. In English: "One who has attained happiness, must hide it. One who possesses a treasure, must cover it. May they be happy from their happiness And rich of their joys all alone. Happiness cannot stand the prying eyes of men May the one who possesses happiness go deep into the woods And live all alone, quiet by themselves And enjoy their happiness quietly." In original: "Kell’ onni on, se onnen kätkeköön, kell’ aarre on, se aarteen peittäköön, ja olkoon onnellinen onnestaan ja rikas riemustansa yksin vaan. Ei onni kärsi katseit’ ihmisten. Kell’ onni on, se käyköön korpehen ja eläköhön hiljaa, hiljaa vaan ja hiljaa iloitkohon onnestaan"
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin well, that's definitely true. I have suffered with depression, and so have many of my age. Yet perhaps the availability of therapy is one of the great sides in this country, and that people take such issues seriously
That's what reduces comparing oneself to others, which is a big source of dissatisfaction. When you see people on the street with a facial expression like an elephants ass you feel kind of good about yourself since nobody seems to be super joyful
I've seen a lot of news on Finnish media about these studies because most people living here seemed somewhat surprised about this and it's sort of a joke to many people considering our high suicide rates. I reckon the biggest takeaway from that conversation was basically that we feel "contentment" rather than outright happiness as most people would understand it. If you just ask people how many times they've felt happy in the last month, Finland doesn't come close to being the happiest country, i think Uruguay was on top of that list so we don't actually feel happiness all that often. The study instead combined multiple different elements that it considered happiness to consist of and on that basis Finland was the happiest. To me that makes perfect sense, there's more of a "it is what it is" kinda culture here thats more of a stable, comfortable grey feeling rather than an ecstatic happiness kind of feeling. When you think of a happy nationality, a finn is probably not what comes to anyones mind, we're not particularily outgoing or extroverted and seeing outward expressions of happiness is quite rare here in my opinion, and that is immediately noticeable when i travel abroad. Just wanted to share this because when the study first came out, i was really interested in why do finnish people generally have sort of a grumpy vibe if we're so happy all the time.
11:15 I actually have some interesting comments regarding this. Firstly, burning wood for energy isn't really a bad thing. It's only a bad thing if you specifically cut down trees just to burn them for energy, because that's very wasteful. In Finland, wood products go through a chain of recycling until eventually they are burned for energy when they can't really be used for anything else anymore. We have a big wood industry which produces a lot of wood products, so inherently we'll also have a lot of wood waste. Another interesting thing is that currently the most powerful nuclear reactor in all of Europe is the Olkiluoto unit 3, which is located on the western coast of Finland in the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. It's a marvel of engineering but unfortunately it has had lots of issues with reliability and maintenance, and the construction itself was delayed massively too, the construction of unit 3 began in 2005 and finished in 2023, despite initially being scheduled to be finished in 2010. Some more general comments about the Finnish energy market; the Finnish electricity market is extremely liberalized, possibly the most liberal in the EU. As a result, there's a fair bit of competition which in most cases is beneficial to consumers too, since you can freely choose your electricity supplier out of several companies and it's even very common to just buy electricity at the market rate. As a result, electricity prices in Finland are generally well below the EU averages. A side effect is that the electricity market price fluctuates a lot, both in the short and the medium term, which especially became a problem when the whole energy crisis started after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since market prices shot up, those buying at market rates were out of luck, and those with still ongoing electricity contracts could get electricity at prices that were now well below the market rate at least until the contract expired. Another funny effect of being able to buy electricity at market rates is that if you do, every now and then, not very often but it does happen occasionally, you can be paid money for consuming electricity. The amounts are very small, just a few cents per kWh, but it's still really funny in my opinion.
As a Finnish autist, I claim blizzards and nights are actually very cool if you live with them your entire life and hate sweating. Sweating is literally the only thing I hate. Everyone is heavily taxed (especially the rich who still get more money in their pocket after taxing), because everyone needs good public services, which the country does indeed provide. Plus, almost 100% of our water is drinkable after boiling and some lakes are clean enough to require no boiling unless you live in a pool of hand sanitizer (sry, a bit exaggerated but the thousands of lakes are mostly safe to make tea or cook with.)
I agree on the sweating, but only with clothes on as sauna is still great. The one thing i hate about winter is that my back will always sweat due to the extra protection my bag provides for my back, well that an slosh (loska).
As a Finnish autist I agree, but my aversion to sweating could be due to the conditioning to the cold weather and not truly because of an innate biological feature. Blizzards and nights are okay. You can easily walk or ski in thick skow. Ice is what I hate. Walking on snow is easy but tripping on ice gets you into hospital at tge worst. All our exchange students usually get their legs injured badly because they haven't got used to walking on ice like us native Finns do. I wouldn't say the rich are heavily taxed. Just the top income earners. After all, capital gains tax is only about 25%, but the highest wage tax can be more than 50%. Selling profit tax is 30% I think. And if you keep property without selling it in your position, you pay little taxes. Although true, in relation to other countries in the world this is probably heavy taxation.
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin she probably lives in one of the big cities. The smaller cities and towns are full of happy people because of freedom and other nice things. Sad thing is that every year the things that make the big cities full of depression and other mental illness are being pushed onto the smaller towns... By the government.
@@HereGoesKevinIdk, but also finns aren't all same. Some are happy, some are miserable, most are in between. By my personal experience. Hmm... also I'd like to add, that's all possible to be happy and a bit depressed. I am happy. But I go from being joyous and elated to being sad and lonely and troubled. It's just life, and maybe winter. But I am happy, and really grateful I have my life. I love my life, wouldn't change it for other. Just waiting some things to get better.
Yea, make it so you are at work the regular 7-16 time in manufacturing. Inside in a dark and dusty workshop you won't see sunshine except from a window during the week 😂 only on weekends. Feel like gollum.
@@Mato.4708 It's extremely prevalent and so widespread that people think it's normal and are oblivious to it. The government and the people are all sexist, racist, phobic of everything "different" from normal and they have extremely high, cruel and unjust expectations of people who are far worse off than they are. Everyone is just out for themselves. I have zero trust in the government especially when ran by people from much older generations since they are not interested in the future of the youth, rather they're only interested in their own pension funding and amassing wealth among themselves as much as possible. The finnish government is not a true democratic government either. The way the voting system is conducted is an absolute joke. The representatives we vote for are all liars with empty promises, not to mention it's a pay to win system as well. The people should have the opportunity to vote for each individual bill that is passed. The whole country should be allowed to vote for every single decision. But instead all these decisions are made and decided in the same closed circle of people which reminds me more of a dictatorship shrouded as a republic. The country is not run by the people themselves, which might be a good thing honestly, knowing the people all across the boards are just horrible nasty people with zero empathy.
I live in Finland in a small town Pyhtää. Our population is only about 5000 people and we have this huge cardboard factory here "Konvertia" and the owner is i think the richest person in South East Finland and i literally see him walking here in the small town with a backpack greeting people now and then. The dude is literally a millionaire and you couldn't tell. If im correct most Finns that has won the lottery has literally stayed at their jobs with loaded bank account.
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
I'm from Russia. We don't even know what's waiting for us tomorrow. Every day happens something what you can't except. Living in my country it's like HARDCORE mode. It's survival game.
The main reason we are happy as a country is because we take care of our citizens. Water, food, housing, education, healthcare and transportation are all human rights. Even if you have end up in the lowest point of your life, help is out there.
@@salted6422 it doesn't, our govt is mega corrupt and terrible at taking care of people. But a lot of issues we face are also linked to the high density of our city, like lack of jobs, etc
@@snuurferalangur4357 Poverty and poor oppourtunities for economic mobility cause crime. Why would you steal from someone if your basic needs are already covered and you can get an education free of charge?
I feel like finnish happiness comes from the culture. The people that started there are still there without becoming a “melting pot” of hate and degeneracy
The most underrated part of this channel are the cartoon animals representing countries. It just makes the whole video engaging and builds the overall aesthetic
About climate thing. Yeah winter can feel long, cold and harsh but that just makes spring/summer more amazing. I personally really like that we have 4 real seasons that feel different from each other. My favorite season is summer but I wouldn"t like to live in country where is hot all the time. There are different traditions and hobbys to do every season so it is nice change of pace time to time.
3:01 the most finnish clock that there is, it is in every classroom , workplace, office, hospital and other public space. There is no more unknown finnish thing than that fricking clock
I’m glad you talked about this topic it’s crazy how the coldest countries in the world (Norway, Finland, Canada, Switzerland, and Sweden) are also the ‘best’ countries to live in, while nations with great year-round weather (LATAM, SEA and South Africa) are so unstable
Look, we’re gonna have to differentiate the shit from the flies. Climate of the aforementioned countries has nothing to do with their stability. Argentina used to be one of the best economies in the World in 1920s. Uruguay is still a good and safe country to live - the best one out of all LATAM. Then, with much less “good” weather (though to my taste it’s still good) there’s Singapore (as stable as one can get) and less stable and rich, but still overall fine Vietnam and Thailand. Oh, and don’t forget Japan - most of their country (especially everything to the south of Tokyo, though Tokyo is already hot enough) belongs to the humid subtropical climate with no negative temperatures even in cold winters. So yeah, I honestly don’t think that temperatures really matter that much.
@@georgeswanson697Colder countries was historically forced to have more trust, collectivism and cooperation between citizens and institutions to survive the long winters and ration harvest throughout the year to save up for winters, thus (in general) creating more structured and trusting societies/cultures that were easier to develop in the post-industrial era due to more order, trust and transparency. Which created more stable democracies and less corruption. Also the northern hemisphere has around 90% of the world population so trading/sharing of information has also also been easier compared to the warmer south. In warmer countries where it is/was posible to farm all year round people have historically been more individualistic and less dependent on cooperation for survival which has had the opposite effect. This is however not all that relevant today, but it has formed cultures and political traditions with consequences today. With some exceptions such as the strategic Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and historically Argentina
@@АлександрСемёнов-ч9ч I was referring to the (in general) more stable and structured internal affairs of colder/seasonal dependent countries. War between colder nations is another story and numerous
2 words. First = METAL Second = COFFEE The best export of Finland is certainly good Metal bands, I mean, these guys have Children of Bodom, Nightwish, Lordi, Wintersun, Amorphis, Apocalyptica, Ensiferum, Finntroll, and many more. Plus, I heard the cold water plunges, or diving in cold water, in the winter helps with your mental health And also, drinking coffee helps with your mood overall. Not forgetting they make good black licorice. Funny how Finns can be considered as "Happy" in such an expensive country. Irony Onnittelut Suomi Te olette parhaita! I'm still learning Finnish
Finland is a social democracy. It's expensive there because the people chose that in order to take care of everyone. "We" is more important than "I". The reason that the U.S. for instance will never be anywhere near the top of this list is that a selfish person can never actually know contentment. To be selfish is to feed a black hole that only ever grows. Community, real community, is a core ingredient to happiness. +1 on Finnish music being awesome.
as a musician who’s played in many bands and genres, i’ve always loved playing with finnish metal bands! super nice and cool people. they don’t care who they play with, they just wanna jam with them!!!
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin I get your point, it is certainly a good argument. I think when they measure "happiest country" or "happiest people" I think what they mean is by life satisfsction, and not happiness in terms of positive emotions, per se. Because Finns are mostly introverts
Imo it's sauna and the trees you mentioned. I'm also really happy that my city has more trees than inhabitants and going to a sauna regularly is a gamechanger, try it.
2:57 That part with referencing Portugal was funny af 😆I'm from Portugal and believe me when I say we wouldn't be just 1 minute late, it would be a minimum of half an hour.
As a !peaceful! Russian living close to Finland I can declare that there was a great friendship between Russia and Finland up until today’s unlawful invasion in Ukraine. Cultural and educational exchange going on, and just average citizens spending weekends in each others countries. And now I hear regret about that connections being broken both from Finns and Russians. And as a person who have managed to spend an exchange semester in Finland I can approve that Finnish people and nature will indeed make you happy.
I live in St.Petersburg and always wanted to visit Finland but due to financial difficulties never could, and I doubt I ever will because of this horrible war.. Even worse, some of our gvt officials threatened to "denazify" Finland too.. But finns in NATO now, so they're safe.
@@legoushque3334 I actually know a guy who went across the border from there back in April without any real issues. They've tightened reasons to visit but it should in theory still be possible.
All the Finns I know just blame Putin, the oligarchs and the Russian military. Finns aren't suddenly any more hostile toward Russian people in general. Maybe because we're so close and pretty used to seeing Russians so we kind of "get it". Looking at it from the other side of the world it can be harder to differentiate the people from the government.
Long and dark winters combined with beautiful nightless summer weeks create a contrast that makes you appreciate the highs and lows. No light without shadow. Very corny but true. I think that mindset is at the core of many Finns outlook on life.
That Energy chart felt bit weird, especially when pointing out the "Wood" part. When 2022 sources say Finland consumed more like 15% of "biomass" for electricity production. Biomass including waste product from wood industry, compressed pellets and also burning household waste, which is also quite common in Finland in regions with district heating. Oddly enough, Peat isnt included in the biomass category, then again Finland has been working on reducing peat burning as its one of the dirtiest forms of fuel. Nuclear power is also more like 30% of electricity produced in Finland. It would be higher, but the newest reactor has had many delays, and currently probably under maintenance (again) or running at limited capacity.
13:00 This I can believe. Trust probably had a lot to do with all these top happiest places making it onto the list. Notice other than Switzerland, top 8 happiest places are all Scandinavian or bordering neighbours of Scandinavian countries. But climate is also crucial, when you are stuck in an environment that naturally just wants to kill you, if you were lazy you are already dead, otherwise you have developed to work together with your fellow people in a theme of mutual TRUST.
I really want to live in Finland someday. Never had a winter here and always wanted to live in a land of snow. Just need to finish my college degree, get some exp, money and planning, and I'll be living there till the day I die. I just hope I can find a reliable connection there because starting from scratch would be hard
I would like to help you to get settled if I can. I am a retired psychiatrist living in Tampere. I only have a two room apartment but if you are content in sleeping on a couch you are welcome.
As an Australian who lived in Finland for about 3 years, I think the 'Happiness' index measure isn't really the right word. It should really be called the 'Contentedness Index', Finns are definitely the most content people on Earth, they're okay with things just being okay. Adopting that mindset really improved my life and I'm very thankful I got to live in Finland for a couple years.
This is exactly how (finnish) researchers/experts explain it when (finnish) journalists ask and wonder the same thing every single year
Nevertheless many Finns are jealous when a neighbour has something more.. so it means they wouldn’t mind having more, travelling around the world etc
This. Content. Not happy. We also have pretty high suicide rates and there's a lot of things inside our social culture that don't work and can make people miserable. Some of those things are changing though and I really hope a new generation would take up the reigns already.. Oh, and bureaucracy here is a torture machine.
@@MM-kz9pd yeah they do really want to "climb the ladder" together, I remember people giving so much shit to successful Finnish youtubers
You naled it bro. We are content with what we have. You can pursue for more but you dont have to.
"This is the happiest? Can you imagine how miserable the rest of the world must be?"
This is excatly what we finns are actually thinking.
Spot on :D Thank you!
How do I move to finland? I am someone who loves the cold weather.
@@mokisan bro thought to move to a country you need just to do /tp
@@mokisanWell if you are thinking of moving to Finland there are couple things to keep in mind: - everything is expensive becose high taxes, so either be really rich or have a stable job. - The language is super hard to learn but you should be relatively fine with english, especially with younger people. - It’s not always cold in Finland. summer’s have lately reached even 30 degrees celcius thanks to global warming. More average summer temperature is about 20 degrees though.
And how to move to Finland? Well buy plane tickets, duh.
There's a saying:
Finn would pay 100€ so his neighbor wouldn't get extra 50€
@@mokisan just call them a bunch of r*cists for being 90% finnish so they have to let you in.
For an individual Finn, the secret is this.
- be quiet
- consume alcohol even if you fail or win in life
- eat sausages
- go to sauna twice a week (double the sauna in summer)
- enjoy the nature
- embrace the coldness of winter
- embrace traditions and don't forget your own culture
Sounds so peaceful. Are there any poor ppl in Finland bc it may be a real life utopia
@@icanusesakurasforeheadasap4304 Where there is capitalism, there's poverty. (So yes)
@@icanusesakurasforeheadasap4304 Yes, nearly million people in finland fall under the global poverty line
@@icanusesakurasforeheadasap4304 But the poverty in Finland is a bit different. There is not really homeless people the same way as in other countries (atleast middle and south Europe. Not sure about other nordic countries). Government usually takes care of homeless poeple in Finland and offers help to them. We might get appartment or money from government when we dont have money but in Finland everything is expensive and many poeple are lining to bread lines (where u get a little bit of food for free if you are not doing good money wise at the moment). So there is quite a lot poverty, its just different poverty. And again example we have free school so people usually get the chance to go there even though their family is poor. And there is free meal in school. Poverty just gives a problems in the family example and free time with hobbies.
@@Enkeksinimee1 No päivää, päivää!
I'm American, what are these words? "Trust"? "Financial security"? "Free education"? Foreign Finnish words I say
I agree
Also “prioritizing transportation”
Absolutely disgusting
Yea could someone maybe translate them from Finnish? Google translate isn’t helping
What i understand from your comment is that in america you don't have this thingd but Isnt america has financial security and free eductation???
i studied in Helsinki for a while, which at the time held the world’s highest suicide rate. I asked one of my professors how Finland could be the happiest country while this was true at the same time, and he responded “oh, it’s quite simple! you see, all the sad people are gone by the time we do the surveys”
That's the old joke, though it was never true.
No but honestly, I don’t know who the people are who fill those surveys. Definitely not anyone that I’ve ever met in my 23 years of living.
@@stolekostov5111 I’m not saying it’s bad here. I’m just saying that I’ve genuinely never heard anyone even mention about such surveys.
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country.....
The suicide rates have gone down from what it was in the end of last millenia, but it is true that our young population is not feeling good. Especially the pandemic took many important years away from them, time when you experience generational things like graduations, going to universities, bond with other people finding your friends for life or a partner. Things you can't get back really. Isolation is a poison.
I'm from Finland and this video is incredibly well-researched, so thank you very much. The only thing I would clarify is that the income tax rate of 56,5% is only for the highest income class, having a gross salary of literally a million euros per year. Finnish income tax (for salary) is very progressive, with the national median salary having a tax rate of 26%, and if you are for instance a student working a job for 2-3 months during the summer leave, you only get taxed a few percent.
It kinda still high anyways...
I know it's not all taxes, but if you gross in salary 100,000 € a year in Finland, you'll only get approximately half of that.
@@renanvinicius6036 That's true, but the system does work in Finland. Without free education and healthcare I would definitely not have a degree, and would probably be too sick to work. But instead I am educated and working, and paying those high taxes and thus contributing back into society. Obviously most rich people don't like to pay high taxes, but not a lot of them understand that their tax money also contributes to a better and safer society, where you don't need to spend money on private security and building gated communities. And BTW private education in Finland isn't really even a thing, and specialized healthcare is pretty much always higher quality in Finland (private clinics are small and don't do a lot), so even the rich benefit from our welfare system.
@@astroturd bro, you are like paying half of what you make in taxes and is expensive to live not only in Finland, but Nordic countries as a whole, the minimum you would have to demand is what you have got, nothing is for FREE you are paying for this, it seems obvious, but the way you guys portray public systems is wrong, and it opens up the way to populist cretin politicians to explore this and find ways to do what they like the most, spend your money with unnecessary stuff and make their image good because they are "taking care" of you. Please just stop it, I even prefere some public systems rather than private, but abusive taxes and people saying things are for free, I honestly cannot take it.
Suomi gang
I think it’s easier to live up to your potential in Finland than most countries. It doesn’t matter if you come from a poor or a rich family, quality education is available to everyone and you don’t have to be in debt for the rest of your life in order to get your education. Also money is usually not a huge issue in general for people. You don’t have to be on a sigma grindset working two jobs and have 0 vacations in order to live a satisfying life.
If you have European Union passport, u can get it for free too
Also I think distribution of immigrating people is better implemented than in most countries. So it leads to less segregation.
It's also important to note that Finland is a first world country, that has access to wealth and resources since the european colonialism from the 19th century. Compared to say, South Sudan, they have it easier
Wow almost sounds like a good life for most people
@@vortexdaidadename me one Finnish colony. As a matter of fact Finland had to live under the Swedish flag in the 19th century. They were a European colony, not coloniser.
I recently went to Finland to visit family for the first time. They live in a city of 4000 people. It was so North we were in the North Pole territory, at -30 degrees Celsius. And yet, it was the happiest days I have ever spent. With only 3 hours of light and barely any distractions (malls or cinemas, etc), the sense of community and respect was HUGE. I was constantly impressed by their trust. They leave bikes untied and stores unattended, asking to simply grab what you need and leave the money.
It is the only place I have ever felt safe at night. I remember asking a bunch of construction workers if I could ride with them to the village as I was very tired from my hike. Now that I think about it, I would have never gotten in a truck full of men in any other place.
People say they are cold, but in reality they are incredibly open minded, they have a deep connection to nature and spread kindness around.
Here we tend to be impressed by nudity, but in Finland they treat it as something natural and beautiful. Going out of the sauna half naked and jumping into a pile of snow outside is something I never imagined myself doing.
The local fish store woman would gift me leftover raw fish to eat with bread, as she simply wanted me to enjoy her delicious food.
All in all I felt free, I felt loved, I felt healthy and I felt like I belonged. ❤
Having grown up in the Arctic (Finland is not even partially on the North Pole) in a very similar town, possibly even the very same one, I have to disagree with the things you said about respect and community and belonging. Northern Finns in general are superficially nice to tourists and artificially play up the stereotype of progressive and nature-loving folk, because the tourism industry is p much everyone's livelihood, and tourists wouldn't come back with more money if they knew how the folk in that area really feel about them. Underneath that surface-level civility, northern Lapland is a deeply conservative and racist area, even in the context of Finland being one of the most racist countries in the EU. If you were to actually stay instead of visit, you would have to fit a very narrow mold to be accepted. Low availability of public services like law enforcement means northerners tend to follow their own little rules with their own little nepotistic in-groups. Lapland doesn't have shit like sundown towns, you're not likely to get chased out at gunpoint, but anyone who stands out in any way is made to feel unwelcome and unsafe: immigrants, people of color, queer ppl, disabled and neurodivergent ppl... Non-Christians, leftists... Even Finns from the cities and the south are ostracized to an extent. Sometimes simply being eccentric is enough. And you don't even have to actually BE any one of these things, it's enough for a single person to assume or lie, and the rumor will travel and mutate along the grapevine faster than light until even complete strangers claim to know your business better than you do yourself... Meanwhile, wifebeaters, rapists, pedophiles etc. are public secrets and allowed to keep doing what they do out of a sick sense of maintaining appearances. In the woods, no one can hear you scream. Lovely place to visit, but deeply miserable area in terms of "belonging".
Open minded, we finns? Hm... I've lived here for 40 years now, and I'd say I'm probably the most open-minded fella in my blood family line I've met, maybe one of the most open-minded folks here I've met too. Geez... compared to me, most people here are dogmatic conservatives who follow the rules and religion despite whether they really believe in it or not, just to fit in.
Thank you for the great comment, it's great to know that we might be so open-minded compared to other nations. I never thought of it that way, never really noticed it too much, but hm... I suppose you're right.
bro im coming to finland ,,can i smoke weed there?
@@Yoarashi I didn't visit as a tourist. My family lives there. We are not originally from Finland and the locals have been very kind to us. Maybe this is true for you, but for me it has always been wonderful
@@ikramtalukder9348 its not legal, 😎
Here in Norway (and this is probably a thing everywhere in the world that has long dark winters), we have something called “winter depression”. Basically a period during winter (duh) where everyone suddenly feel very depressed. And the theory is that it’s due to the lack of sun. The fact that the days become shorter and nights becoming longer results in people feeling more depressed. The moment summer comes around, everyone is just a lot more happier and livelier. So yeh, those cold climates is definitely not the reason we’re happy.
there’s actually a biological reason for this, since sunlight decreases stress in humans and boosts our mood.
It is lack of D-Vitamin. That's why the Finn's, Norwegian's, Inuit and Sami Ate Fish. Two ways to get it, eat it or sunlight.
@@Kali-Yuga-Peace-CorpWell aside from how fish is very plentiful in Scandinavia due to the hundreds of miles of coastline
Oh wait til you hear about spring anxiety lol
@@plasmakitten4261 Norway has a long coastline. The fish in Baltic Sea is not recommended to eat because of pollution.
I think that instead of calling Finland the happiest country, they are the most content. They’re not smiling and laughing, or in a joyful bliss… but they are content with what they have and their quality of life. As Norwegian with Finn roots and Finn friends, I feel especially the Norwegians in the north relate to the Finns.
And tbh, despite already living in a country that’s said to be one of the best to live in.. I really want to live in Finland, I just gotta learn Finnish first 😅
For me i would love to move to Norway from Finland.... I just love the mountain scenery
Wrong! They are smiling and laughing. I lived in other countries. Nobody smiled 24/7.
i wanna live in finland too, and im also trying to learn the language. though i think i would every now and then like to take a train or drive too norway or parts of sweeden for that nice mountain scenery. i dont have any finn roots at all, much less any scandinavian roots, but i do have one really close friend who lives there
I’ve been trying to learn Finnish for the past year and a half. Good luck.
Lies again? Maria Ferrari USD SGD
A finn here. Even though my life hasn't been easy and all that happy because of deppression and a crippling addiction to hard drugs, I can't imagine any other country (except other nordics) where i would have gotten through it alive. Because of the decisions of my government i got professional help like detox, rehab, psychiatric help and social welfare fast and for free and for that i am eternally grateful that i was born in this country. Im clean and studying now and when i graduate and get a job i'll be happy to pay those high taxes so that others in my situation may also get the help they need :)
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin Not necessarily. Many other countries also have high suicide rates and similar problems among people. In many countries, it can also be unclear how many people have, for example, depression if extensive help is not offered or it is not talked about. It's not a bad thing that many go to therapy (for a variety of reasons), it might just show that the offered help is answered, making people happier. The happiest country trope is a little misleading, because obviously it doesn't entail every aspect of living, mearly the surface level: space, government support, salary, work culture, healthsystem, education, and so on.
good on ya man, I'll get out of this neet rut one day too, hopefully
@@4sar123 well said
god bless you all. wishing the best for all of ud
I really love how you represent the countries with their animals and flags it's so simple but so effective and cute
My only question is why he chose the bison instead of the eagle for America
When I was a kid in elementary school, we were always told that "it's like winning in lottery to be born in Finland". Back then I was very naive thinking that things were like this everywhere else.
And I completely agree on the trust aspect. It's the main pillar on which our whole country is built upon.
I wonder if they still say it in school
@@Jusuuw Probably considered racist now. I was definitely told that exact phrase many times in elementary school. Then as a rebellious teen I thought it was just "trite nationalism". Now I realize it's true.
They say the same in Russia.
Weird coincidence.
NO! The happiness index Cherry picks and uses the wrong measurements. The USA is the happiest country! The USA is the best country in the world!
@@fuzzer6907 cringe
as a finnish person we often take these things for granted, not realizing how lucky we are to be so content
You should be thankful every single day. Coming from a low income country that sticks to traditional values, I can't tell you how blessed you are.
@@justanothermortal1373 yeah, it's really hard to see it sometimes. but i feel very lucky to be here
and i am too
@@villekuismin6463 moi
Are you not the happiest people because the sad ones kill themselves therefore you guys manipulate the statistics... Haha
Europe's wooden ships were coated with "Swedish tar" back in the day, but a large portion of that was produced in Finland.
Swedes with an accent
Well Finland was part of Sweden back then so it was Swedish
@@tj-co9go Made by Finns, sold by Swedes
Tar from my Finnish hometown of Kajaani, the tar channel is still preserved in the middle of our city here 😊
@@highgrounder5238 Do you even know how different finnish is from swedish? They're not even in the same language family.
Every family has that one person who will break the family financial struggle, I hope you become the one
Is she really that good? I have seen lots of videos about her
The amazing part of trading with a mentor is that I still go about my Job as usual
I think what Finland shows is that even the best organised country on Earth will still never be perfect. Hoser videos, on the other hand: immaculate.
There is not a thing called in the world perfect but we can get close to perfect.
@@exosproudmamabear558 Perfection is the enemy of good. Too many people shoot for the moon when there are plenty of attainable goals for them.
We're the most organized country on Earth? Oh god, this planet is a mess.
@@Piaapo Come Turkey and see how disorganisation works. Statistics all over the place no planning at all, people just go with the vibe. Traffic,city schemes are just a mess. Politics change every day. There is a disaster every 3 months. There is terorism,immigrants and depressed violent people. You can die tommorrow or you can lose all of your money in one day thats how unpredictable and unplanned it is. And there are worse countries than us can you imagine.
@@Piaapo on point
"Can you imagine how miserable the rest of the world must be?" My thoughts exactly, as a Finn.
Finland is a lovely , wonderful country.
Don't underestimate your own good country IF you are a finn at all.
NO! The happiness index Cherry picks and uses the wrong measurements. The USA is the happiest country! The USA is the best country in the world!
@@Texan_christian1132millenials and gen z can’t even afford homes. But yeah sure..”best country.”
@@anoria6739 that’s bull crap.
@@Texan_christian1132 Okay, Baby Boomer.
I live in Finland and I have no idea how Finland could be even close to be the happiest country :D
As someone who lives in the US I could definitely see it
The rest of the world sucks more
When things are well you don’t apreciate it like you would when things are bad. I think we take everything for granted.
You should spend an hour in South Africa, then you'll become more grateful for your amazing country and government.
it's just that the criteria they use in these statistics don't really reflect our subjective reality/feelings. If I had to guess which European country has most overall satisfaction in their day-to-day life, I would say Spain.
i can't believe i just watched happily a video about history??? i love your channel and thank you for making a video about finland :)
We were in Finland for 1 month this year and we want to move from Germany to Finland in a few years. Ppl are honest, mostly chilled and don’t set high expectations. I think they learned to take life as it is while being so close to the extreme nature, with all pros and cons.
NO! The happiness index Cherry picks and uses the wrong measurements. The USA is the happiest country! The USA is the best country in the world!
@@Texan_christian1132😂
@@Texan_christian1132 Yeah, that's why everyone wants to move to Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans.
@@user-k4d-e59mo28oc umm what?
@@Texan_christian1132 The more people hop on your sinking ship the easier it'll be for us to stay small and live proper life.
As someone who is Canadian and lives in Canada but has Finnish parents on both sides and visited Finland many times, I have some insight into why they may be the happiest country. Like you said, it is trust, but to be more specific it is that you will be cared for as an individual no matter what. Even if you do nothing, abuse drugs, don't work, whatever; you still receive the same free healthcare, education, mental health treatment, place to live, and training to become something. It really makes you believe in your country and countryman.
The trust factor also comes in how they speak. I've been to other parts of Europe and NA/SA, and everyone spoke the same way except in Finland. They say as much as possible in as few words as possible. It makes them impossible to lie to. Too many words or too few details, they will know you are lying, and ask question until everything is clear. It is almost like they subconsciously interrogating you, like you are always talking to your parents. I have never felt this way anywhere else, but every time I return to Finland I remember I'm speaking to icemen. It's not that you have to speak carefully, it's that you have to speak sufficiently.
This speaking to Finns - IS much easier - When talking suomi ! How IS Your suomi or svenska ? You cant blame anyone - not knowing English or French ?
@@holoholopainen1627 Definitely my Fin is dog shit, but even where people only spoke Spanish, or in Holland, or in Sweden, it was not the same. I am not blaming anyone, every people is different. I love visiting Finland, but every time I go it is jarring. Of course not everyone in a country is the same either, but even though my relatives lived in NA and speak good english it is always something I notice when I visit them. I have no issue with it, I appreciate their honesty. It is refreshing when you live so close to the US.
@@MrNommerzThis video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin That's why I said "may be" because frankly measuring happiness isn't really possible and is kind of stupid.
@@HereGoesKevin remember that everyone lives in their own little bubble.. I myself have some mental problems but in finland it doesnt matter that you have.. everyone is equal here.
My mom is 100% Finn and I was raised mostly by her and my grandpa and I think one part I don't think you covered was the culture of Sisu and to keep your feelings to yourself.
My dad's side of the family is all French and the cultures couldn't be more different. French culture is very outgoing flamboyant and dramatic and when they have a problem or criticism they make sure everyone knows and it's always someone else's fault, and it's seems as being sophisticated to not be happy, where as in Finnish culture it's very quite, reserved and stoic and it's normal to say your happy and looked down if your complaining and blaming it on other people.
"quiet, reserved, and stoic" So Finnish people don't have culture, is this what I'm gathering?
Yes, it seems that when the survey was on going, the finnish went for the humility answer and said they are happy, but this culture and the suicide rate points to something darker.
Finnish people will not say they are happy if they aren't. It's more that they just tend not to complain.
In other countries the culture of having to be outwardly happy always and just answering "fine", "good" etc. instead of saying the truth when asked how you are is much more prevalent.
This Finnish way of not pretending to be happy is said to be better when you are sad or depressed, because you don't feel like you are the only one not feeling good.
I think Finnish culture is changing for an even healthier direction with our current generation and the following (I was born in the 90's). The youngsters are more emotionally expressive and empathetic, but not at the expence of being overtly loud, emotional or flamboyant. Most are ambitious and take their life seriously, though not forgetting to have fun. Although I see more and more people just being tired and burned out by work and school. We are a heavily responsibility-oriented culture
I think our definition of happiness is quite modest and minimal. We like to be frugal and satisfied with little. As long as we have a roof on top of us, warm food and drinks, our basic needs satisfied, Finns would often say they are content and happy with their life, even if otherwise you woild say they are constantly sad or depressed.
@ What you're describing is more akin to latin America than Finland. That's where you'll find the happiest and least happiest people since they aren't actually the happiest but they have a culture of saying they're the happiest. If you ask a Finn whether they're happy or not, they'll just feel fine and satisfied. That's because Finns don't have to deal corruption, feeling unsafe, being poor, etc. which simply isn't true for most of the world, at least not the same extent as in the nordics.
I'm Finnish and this is a very well researched video, one of the best about Finland that I've seen. There are only two things that I want to comment:
1) At 8:24 the Finnish bear is shown with Starbucks coffee. Hey. Don't be stupid. Starbucks coffee tastes like piss compared to Finnish coffee so we don't drink it. We are statistically the biggest coffee drinkers in the world, so we know what good coffee is like. There are only two Starbucks coffee shops in Finland and one of them is at the Helsinki airport, because it's the international travelers who go there. Finnish people know better than that.
2) On a more serious note, I don't think that the wood industry is dying down, they are just moving to different types of products. There is not as much need for writing paper or printing paper nowadays as there used to be, but people don't stop needing toilet paper or tissue paper for blowing their noses. The demand for packaging materials is rising, especially biodegradable cardboard boxes, so I don't think that our forestry business is going to end anytime soon. It isn't as important as it used to be, but it isn't going to disappear either. Especially because wood is the sort of renewable material that grows back, so that we aren't going to run out of it as long as we take good care of our forests. It's about finding new uses for it, and there are a LOT of people innovating about that.
NO! The happiness index Cherry picks and uses the wrong measurements. The USA is the happiest country! The USA is the best country in the world!
@@Texan_christian1132 Texan? Christian? What an abomination to confess to ?!
Agree about Starbucks … I live in US and only drink coffee or any other drinks (i.e. turmeric latte) at local coffee shops.
@@Texan_christian1132 I can’t tell if you’re being serious or being a troll, so I’m just going to ignore you after I type this comment, but if you are actually serious, you’re actually fucking stupid. As an American, we have high rates of poverty, crime is everywhere, power is concentrated in the top 1% of the population, gun violence is rampant, our health is declining because of terrible food quality designed to make a quick buck instead of actually giving the people healthy options, we’re overworked to high hell, political violence is on the rise, corruption is getting worse, everything is getting more expensive while the average worker’s salary has stayed roughly stagnant, healthcare costs an arm and a leg, you have to go into debt to complete your education, we disregard and disrespect nature on such a grand scale and at such a cultural level that it’s actually sad, we carelessly pollute far more than most of the rest of the world, we spend way too much on the goddamn military and way too little on the people themselves, we as a culture care far more about transactional value and what other people have done and can do for us rather than on the actual value of the person themselves, we tax the poor and cut taxes for the rich, the level of education in America is steadily declining, need I go on? Need I fucking go on? Or are you going to somehow stay brainwashed into thinking that America is the best country in the world like every other American? Because if you are, then congratulations. You’re being the blindly patriotic and blissfully ignorant standup citizen that the corporations want you to be so they can continue to take advantage of you. I hope you’re fucking happy with that
I lived in Jyvaskyla as an exchange student for a while and i have to say Finland is a beautiful country with great nature and public facilities. In that period i visited many places and I absolutely fell in love with the country. The one thing I, and literally every other exchange student, had problems with was the lack of daylight. At the shortest days we only had a couple hours of daylight. Not sunlight, we did not see the sun for weeks at a time. From asking around we all had problems with our biological clock and we did start feeling a bit more "down".
Yeah i love winter, but hate those everlasting nights....
Yup I always get ’seasonal depression’ from the darkness. It makes me feel tired all the time and that life’s hardships are two times worse even though they really aren’t.
NO! The happiness index Cherry picks and uses the wrong measurements. The USA is the happiest country! The USA is the best country in the world!
@@Texan_christian1132 shut up troll
@@mrsoisauce9017 Hey i aint no troll
I wonder if their happiness has anything to do with Finland having the world's highest annual consumption of milk per capita 🤔
Chocolate, milk, and saunas. It's a holy trinity of happiness. We've solved it
considering their population is very low, its not that hard.
it's coffee, we love that stuff over here.
I dont think so since milk isnt really nutritious nor good for anything except for sweets. Also high milk consumption causes digestive problems,parasites(They like milk a lot),low calcium(since milk has high potasium and calcium binds calcium) plus high iodine inside causes throid damage especially people with throid autoimmun idseases such as hasimato,graves etc. So keeping cow milk consumption is a good idea.
That's just because Nordics are the least lactose intolerant in the world. Its like the worlds lamest x-man superpower. The andeans have superior oxygen metabolism and we can drink milk.
Nokia is a good representation of Finland. It was very secure. Literally indestructible. Nokia 3310 is a legend. Nokia was my first phone and although now I have a smartphone, my almost 20 years old Nokia still works.
Forgot the last part, selling out overseas and falling off.
Same! I just lost the original adapter, otherwise I think my Nokia 3310 would still work. And I kind of miss it despite all the innovations that smartphones put into our pockets :)
You forgot to mention that Finland is the home of Santa Claus, which I am sure contributes to their happiness.
As a Finn. Something to learn from us is that you NEVER talk/Drink alcohol in the monday
The rest of comment this me is is yapping koska i vodka drank
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SPOILER ALERT:
Imagine a flag with yellow cross and a red background, never wont happen or be anything Finland related
Wdym talk alcohol?
Edit: How tf did i get so many likes for this simple comment
You are not really a Finn are you ? ;)
How is it being part of a fish?
@@Turkwithknife maybe talking in general haha. The only finns I know are very quiet, reserved people
@@TurkwithknifeFinnish magic they speak alcoholish and finnish
They should change the name of the "happiness" survey into "contentment" because thats fundamentally whats at play here, Finnish people are content because they feel safe knowing they can TRUST people around them and the government to help them out if things go badly.
The safety that arrises from that knowledge is also what creates said trust in thew first place.
@@Tyrgalon why do people think they're so smart for saying that, these words are essentially interchangeable and literally so in the original french.
@@ilayohana3150
Because they are not the same thing...?
Happiness usually entails smiling and cheerfulness that can be seen on the outside of a person, its also generally more of a short term feeling of a specific moment.
Contentment is more about inner peace and feeling satisfied with your life to some extent and is not necessarilly easy to detect from just looking at someone.
@Tyrgalon nope. That's just the childish concept that you have in your mind. A content person could be jumping and smiling while a happy person doesn't. Contentment is just a type of happiness. If you're content you're probably happy.
@@ilayohana3150
Your subjective oppinion carries no weight on the universal understanding of the meaning of these two DIFFERENT words.
"While happiness is typically characterized by a more intense and fleeting emotion, contentment is a longer-lasting, stable sense of peace and satisfaction."
@Tyrgalon no, you're wrong.
As a Finn, one of the less talked about things that make me happy, is that I can really trust not only the ones in power e.g. the police, but also average people.
If I lose my wallet in the city, I'm almost certain someone's going to return it. And in general people just seem to trust strangers easier than in the US (besides from Helsinki)
Thats another world to me.. Im a German-Born Brazilian and i cant trust literally no one here, its 99% chances of them not returning, plus using my numbers to do banking-type theft. Its everyone on their own for survival on South America, this place will NEVER turn out good and work out.
I'm from South Africa. It's the crime capital of the world.
That's also true with many places in the US, it really depends on the city
y u guyz introverts tho
@@aquilae1670 You only speak when you have to. That means you mean what you say
So I just came back from Finland and it is really interesting to be in a country with almost the same population as yours (Singapore) yet be so many more times larger.
There is a lot of natural beauty to be seen in Finland, and it's really one of the countries I wouldn't mind living in, the cold notwithstanding. Though staying for nearly a week north of the Arctic circle in the deepest part of winter will make you worship the mysterious glowing sky orb when you return home. That's the one thing I don't miss about Finland.
I live in Finland. And i see that dome effect thingy right when i step outside
12:10 Finland doesn't use wood to make electricity, it's energy consumption not electricity consumption. The reason why 30% of Finland's energy is from wood sources is due to heating, most of the houses are old and don't have modern electric heaters or air conditioning. Also wood is cheap and self-sufficient.
Wood chips are an increasingly common way to replace coal, oil and peat fired powerplants from the district heating systems. As you mentioned, wood is often burned in a fire place, especially during the winter in buildings that are not connected to district heating systems, and use electricity (direct or heat pump) for heating. The idea being, that burning some wood once a day can significantly lower your electricity bill. Sauna is also a thing, and it is traditionally heated with wood.
It does. Finland uses trees crust produced as a byproduct in the wood industry as fuel producing electricity and district heating. For example in Oulun Energia.
When you say self sufficient... are you out there chopping down and replanting trees for your fireplaces?
@@plasmakitten4261 Not everyone is doing that themselves, though many people like me do cut the firewood for fireplaces and saunas from their own property. Other people choose to pay companies to do effectively the same thing at an industrial scale.
Amount of wood in the forests and the annual growth rate are difficult to estimate, but it's safe to say that the annual growth rate is around 100 million m^3, so as long as the amount harvested is equal or smaller than that, wood is self-sufficient on the country-level.
Even the old houses have got central heating, district heating or geothermal heating. Finland is a very advanced and modern country.
I live in russia, it's just mindblowing how these two countries are different.
We don't have any trust in the government, neighbors, society. And every time it's proved a reasonable strategy.
You just don't feel safe , you can rely only on your immediate family .
Total corruption, horrors of war, tyrany, low incomes and poverty, absolute indifference from everyone , the feeling that you're outcast to the rest of the world
Подписываюсь под каждым словом
I think the same. It's honestly my dream for Russia to be at least a bit like Finland in the future, for it to improve in my lifespan..😢❤
The symptoms of a right wing oligarchy.
You should blame Poootiiiin!😁
it's russians' fault they live that way :) you've grown your own monster
About the wood burning as energy.:
Not too many large plants use wood in heat/electricity production but it is very common in household use.
It is quite often the "secondary" system to heat OR to cut down heating expenses during cold times.
Firewood has typically a very good availabilty. It also brings some security in winter, that you can use 2 systems for heating.
Wood burning, however, is both horribly inefficient and bad for the environment & occupants. It seems Finland, like much of Europe, was over reliant on Russian gas.
@@Pan_Z bad for the occupants?
@@Pan_Zon a residential basis woodburning isn’t harmful for the environment….it’s quite neutral for it actually.
@@Pan_ZNatural Gas made up around 5% of the Finnish energy mix pre Ukraine and 3% post Ukraine, so we definitely aren't over reliant on that. I think we just replaced the little gas that some industries need with LNG via the baltic link.
Very few places use gas. Most buildings are warmed by district heating or ground heat. 3 biggest electricity generation methods in 2022 were Renewables at around 42% Nuclear at around 21% and Oil at just under 20% . We are still Net energy importers though and import around 3% of our electricity from other countries in the European electricity grid (Mainly Sweden) rather than using more polluting power plants like coal or oil. We do have excess capacity though so incase of peaking European demand or high import costs those powerplants can switch on.
Also Finland has the most forest cover percentage of any European country and it actually went up last year. By law you must replant trees when you cut them down for industry unless you have explicit permission. Many ordinary people own parts of industrial forests and let bigger companies handle the logging and collect a nice paycheck every 20 or so years. And summerhouses, which most Finnish families have, are usually somewhat old fashioned and may be heated with wood.
I have no idea what all the "Wood related fuels" cover though as it's not explained on the narional statistics page. Kind of surprising it is that big but unfortunately we don't get a lot of wind and also we meed to upgrade the western energy grid to handle the fluxuating loads from wind energy before we can add more. Wood fireplaces are banned in cities though, not that pollution is a problem here.
Since forestry is still one of the largest industries (paper is dead, but cardboard is doing better than ever, lumber is always needed) in Finland, it generates a lot of energy biomass as a by-product (black liquor, sawdust and wood chips, treebark, branches and tops, sometimes stumps) which make up most of the wood material that is burned for energy. I think that most (if not all) pulp mills also generate electricity, for their own use but they also sell it to the power grid. Private households with fire places actually make a rather small portion of the energy generated by wood burning.
Not the most accurate video about our country but it was entertaining. We did receive some money from the US during all of the marshall aid stuff, but it was kept hidden. Tar was also a pretty big export, I believe mainly to England for their ships. Also just because we are labeled happy, it doesn't mean that we are actually happy. My social studies / history teacher once said that Finland is not the happiest country, but instead the most satisfied one. Also the depression part was not only tied to the Soviet Union collapsing even though it was one of the reasons (it started before that). Banks just gave out a lot of bad loans. Aaaand Nato is definetly not the only source of defense for Finland. We have a very functioning defence force.
That's correct
Yes a capable defense force but not massive
@@n1ckster055 still fit for purpose given the capability the Russians are displaying in Ukraine. The Finns have the best intelligence on Russia's capabilities and know they can defend themselves against Russia minus the nukes. Even for the nukes, they are quite prepared with enough well-equipped bunkers to shelter their entire population and some change while their forces defend against subsequent land invasion.
@@hydrolifetech7911 yeah, they are prepared, but they stand no chance. They are much smaller than Ukraine and have way less people. Their capital is also more exposed and very close to the Russian border.
@@Handle0108 I'd say there's a chance. ~80% of Finland is forest and we also have a lot of lakes. In the worst case scenario we have around 1 million people who have gone through military training.
As a finn, I used to be depressed all the time and life was really hard. Now, really the only thing that has changed is my additude. And as a result, I don't get depressed or anxious anymore. And If I do, I actually do something about it. Life is what you make of it.
Isn't the rate of depression inversely correlated to the number of new saunas coming online?
I’m planning a trip to Finland next year. Would you say it’s a safe journey for female POC?
@@augustsophomore5042Finland is a safe country, you will not be in danger there. Although people here can be quite racists
to people of color, the statistics on that do not look good.
Finland also have the highest F1 driver champions and winners to population ratio, even when compared to F1 champion juggernauts like the UK and Germany
I need gloves and steering wheel
Finland is a weird place of champions considering how small the country is
Best hockey team: Finnish
The best F1 driver: Finnish
the best Starcraft 2 player: Finnish
one of the best dota 2 players: Finnish
the best Age of Empires 2 player: Finnish
These are only the ones i'm aware of
@@juhotuho10 most WRC winners per capita are Finnish, and youngest WRC champion is Kalle Rovanperä
@@juhotuho10It’s because our hobbies are limited by our environment. Winter sports, driving and maybe hiking is what you can do outside, other that you can stay inside and read a book or play video games.
@@juhotuho10 Woah woah woah I think the Canadians still hold the title for best hockey team
The picture of a library at 8:34 is in Melbourne, Australia, which is about as far from Finland as you can get.
The thing about cold countries being happy is only loosely related to the weather.
Very cold countries are, by necessity, very wealthy and have a lot of social safety nets in place. So we have a very high standard of living and we take care of the poorest people very well.
I like to joke that people in cold climates have warmer personalities and vice versa to cope with the weather
Countries of cold climate usually have low population density and large amounts of natural resources, which results in very high per capita wealth. That can be used to support generous welfare states which would be impossible in most places.
Also it is not secret that rural life is better for your mental health that urban one.
I also think that cold climate repels laziness. Survival needs more effort, it's not about wanting to do things, it's more like do or die. And think about the future, at least the next winter. And in centuries and millenia, these things engrave into people. Idk, not sure though... I do find it annoying though xD
Also about helping neighbours... there's a famous story/poem? about a man and his wife, who had bad years of harvest, so they mixed edible part of tree to their breads. Then they had a good year, and the wife wanted to make all-grain-bread, and the man still said, to put half of the tree stuff into the bread, their neighbour had a bad harvest. 🤭
So... gotta do stuff and gotta help the next guy. Idk, it's winter, it's night, and I just want to sleep my troubles away. 😴
It's hilarious how he put Portugal for "don't show up late" because we literally have a thing where you're allowed to show up 10 minutes late to the first class in the morning and the first class in the afternoon 😂😂
Suddenly it makes some sense why finnish game devs consistently make really good games
NO! The happiness index Cherry picks and uses the wrong measurements. The USA is the happiest country! The USA is the best country in the world!
@@Texan_christian1132 yes yes, grandpa, we believe you. Now go back to bed.
@@Texan_christian1132 rage bait
@@stareatershouldeatmystarsxoxo No it ain’t
@@Texan_christian1132 this is ragebait rp
2:56 Portuguese are never late, nor are we early. We arrive precisely when we mean to!
damn right
@brunomota33 Não se pode levar estas coisas muito a sério, mas tb não gostei muito! 😂
I’m hearing people aren’t overworked amd have time to connect to nature. That’s the dream!
Because all the sad people ended themselves, moved, are on drugs and don't participate in surveys, or are on so many SSRIs and a concoction of meds they're golem; in complete ignorant bliss that they're vaccinated livestock
As a Finn, i can confirm that our happiness comes from trust in the government.
I have a nuclear bunker in my basement no joke
Edit: Sauna.
Lol
Are you really being serious?
@@anonymoust2877 Yes he is. Most big buildings, like apartment buildings for an example, must have a nuclear bunker. It's literally the law. That's because of our history with Russia. In Helsinki there are complete networks of nuclear bunkers under the city.
Literally no Finn ever would trust the goverment anymore so you are so full of shit
@@kasperilindroos2370 Pretty sure most of the housing complex's bunkers are meant to withstand regular bombing instead of a nuclear though
fun fact: India is apparently unhappier than war-ridden Ukraine.
happiness is an abstract idea that can't be measured by wierd survey so they use metrics like corruption etc.
i was surprised to see gay rights, corruption, electricity and a plethora of other things that have nothing to do with peoples feelings.
@@dinte215 You know, gay rights might make gays happy.
@@villepusa7873 who cares about inferior people?
How can u be happy in india?
Social class warfare, descrimination based on religion and race, huge economic gaps, cities with buildings build on top of buildings, polluted water, china barking, water "insecurity", pseudo-democracy, extreme push for high levels of education just to stay unemployed or have a lower salary than most other countries.....
On tge other hand Ukrainians have a purpose, defending their homes and purpose brings happiness for many
@@villepusa7873 I mean, that's less than 2% of the worldwide population. Sure, you could bump up the happiness index by like... 2%.
the Finland bear is so cute
While the key message of this video, the idea of trust being the very foundation of happiness, is correct I would like to remind you that trust without reason is even worse than not trusting at all. If you just blindly trust a person, organization or movement, you can easily be taken advantage of. Trust only works in Finland, because it has been observed working, and the subjects of trust are actually trustworthy. As you touched on in the video, trust must be gradually built, it doesn't come quick or for free, and it can be easily broken. Once you have attained it though it is more than worth it.
Well, Finland does often find themselves on the short end of EU's damaging policies and being the paypig for others, much to their frustration...
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
Trust doesn't work in Finland. Ignorance is bliss and only the dumb people here are happy since they don't know any better but to trust blindly and stay oblivious to all the flaws.
@@HereGoesKevin Kevin your imaginary girlfriend is a bozo. End of story
Wait a minute, so you mean to tell us that a government that puts people over profit and makes sure their citizens live comfortable lives will generally be more like by the people in question?
“The Soviet Union’s war against Finland should’ve been easy victory but it became a humiliating struggle and their military eniptitude was put on full display. In the end they did force the Finns to sue for peace. Then they continue their honorable campaign on pushing much smaller countries by annexing the Baltic states and part of Northern Romania.”
An Oversimplified fan you are
A devoted oversimplified Fan
D’oh no!
If I could have a dollar for every time the Soviet Union/Russia should've had an easy victory in some battle/war I'd be very rich
White Death intensifies
Wow, what an insightful condensation, one word. I had never considered TRUST as an explanation to our (yes, I'm Finnish) supposed happiness, but true, it is! Being able to trust in things makes all the difference. Hard luck or bad weather or what ever it is depressing this month, you can trust there's something to be done about it or at least the weather will change eventually.
My own thoughts on why Finland is considered the happiest country in the world is that we manage our expectations. Not having anything specific to complain about is happy enough, reasons for great joy are nice but small joys are more likely and not having big feels all the time is nothing to be negative about. We also know that while we're the poor cousins to Norway and forever feel insecure compared to Sweden, we actually have it very good and mostly just how we like it.
NO! The happiness index Cherry picks and uses the wrong measurements. The USA is the happiest country! The USA is the best country in the world!
The narrator keeps harking on TRUST; how everyone needs to trust everyone else.
Well, if that were the case, non-Finns/Nordics would be cheated, scammed, swindled, ripped off blind on a regular basis . . . oh wait . . . And become Baptists, Mormons, Jehovahs, Muslims.
0:58 this was Austria, not Australia I haven't seen anyone else correct it and it's a year late but here ya go
Yeah wtf. Had to stop watching this video after that.
Bruh I'm sitting here wondering how is new zealand one of the cold countries I mean the south island ya but the north like how I'm so confused
I was finding this comment!
I loved how comically you told this! Very entertaining and also informative! Nice pacing (I wrote this during the ad break) and concise. Clear, logical set up that doesnt jump at strange places. Super well done!
I think the word "trust" says a lot about what is meant by Finland being the "happiest" country. It's about stability. But we are not very social or smiling all the time. This is a peaceful and stable country, but that's not all you need for happiness. Good relationships and cheerfulness are also needed, and I don't think we do well in those.
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
I don't trust this nation one bit lol.
@@dazeen9591 Why?
@@HereGoesKevin This is not based on a survey asking "are you happy?", it is based by tons of small things such as economical security, access to healthcare and education, poverty rate, equality etc. Has anyone actually read the world happiness report? All youth in developed nations are generally unhappy because the news are saying the end is near, housing crisis, social media, crime, climate change, pricing are going up, wages are low, boomers will use up all the retirement funds etc. Only those who are blissfully ignorant and can stay focused on their own life in a bubble are happy now.
@@HereGoesKevin I think when your material conditions are good it just means you spend less time worrying about survival and more time worrying about extreme mental anguish. Humans are just miserable by default, doesn't matter how rich you are or how peaceful your life is.
2:42 the place is called fat fish lakes for anyone wandering. Also the sign has two languages on top is Finnish and bottom is some dialect of Sami
It's northern Sami
1:55 as an American, the last E in Tampere is not silent. Finnish as a language is very different from most others in that you say the word exactly how you see it. If you see a letter, pronounce it
I think you should have better explained that the ~56% personal income tax rate is only the top bracket.
Earning 0-19900EUR annually (up to ~20k USD) gives you 0% personal income tax rate
19900-29700 is 19%
29700-49000 is ~30%
49000-85800 is ~34%
and then anything over 85 800 EUR (92570 USD) is taxed at 56%
So I'd say thats a pretty sweet deal considering all of the social services offered by the country
Then there's local income taxes, but that's another deal
Capital gains taxes are lower and are 34% at the highest. In practice they are usually a few percents lower than that. But they start at 30% (though in practice often 25% or lower)
Everyone always seems to forget about income brackets when discussing taxes.
Those are some pretty outrageous taxes
56% tax is definitely not a sweet deal. It drives wealth away from the country because most people who are capable of producing such revenue streams are also capable of moving their business elsewhere so they can make more money.
Yes, 56% is for quite wealthy people, but even if you are making 19k€ per year (which is very much on the low end), you still end up paying a small income tax (something like 3%). Besides that, everyone (who work for someone and get a salary) have tax-like deductions to their paycheck. These are mainly unemployment and pention securities (you cannot opt out), which add up roughly to 10(ish)%. Since the workforce is highly unionised, you are likely to pay union membership fee, which is often about 1% of your salary.
Tax brackets make determining the tax rates more complicated, but the average tax (and tax-like expence) rate in Finland in 2022 was 43,2%. Before you gasp how much that is, you need to have a look at what you get in return. Free education, social securities, free/cheap healthcare, security etc. In many other countries, these things are not covered with your tax money, but you have to pay tuition fees, insurances, private unemployment funds and pention plans etc. Don't get me wrong, finns do pay for private pention plans and insurances, but I guarantee that on average we spend quite a bit less on them than people in some other countries do.
it is very worth noting that the typical surveys that are used for these statistics, base the understanding of "happiness" on the old Greek word "Eudaimonia". The word is often translated into English as "happiness", but it would actually be more appropriate to translate it into something along the lines of "Living well with what you have and being content".
I am from Denmark, and have visited my northern european neighbours frequently in my life. And one thing is for certain; Northern European peoples for sure are the most content people on earth.
This was a very informative and accurate video. I'm glad you also mentioned our shortcomings, since we're not perfect and we are going through an economic "crisis" at the moment. Greetings from Finland!
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin I can tell you as a Finn that this is quite an accurate video. Sure, it's not perfect but it's better than the other videos similar to this. Finland has had a high suicide rate but it has gone down since the 90's and now is on par with the rest of the EU. The importance on mental health has been a popular topic among the now-ongoing parliamentary elections with many candidates having the topic of mental health as one of the key elements in their respective campaigns.
It also helps that seeking help for mental illnesses here is socially acceptable unlike in other countries and you can recieve help and medication quite easily.
The whole 'Finland is the world's happiest country' is skewed. We Finns are not generally the happiest in terms of emotions but we are content and satisfied with our lives. The world happiness report takes into account more of institutions and not the general populace.
@@HereGoesKevin Also isn't it good that it is normal to get help if you are mentally unwell? It helps them reintegrate back to work and it decreases suicide rates.
@@HereGoesKevinStop repeating those lies.
The happiness index isn't measured based off of interviewing people to find how happy they are. It's basically measured by security, freedom, opportunity, and health.
We have a popular saying here in Finland: "One who has attained happiness should hide it". And we are pretty good at hiding our happiness. Actually we don't look happy outside at all. Maybe that's our secret. Not making a big show out of it
Actually it is from a poem by Eino Leino.
In English:
"One who has attained happiness, must hide it.
One who possesses a treasure, must cover it.
May they be happy from their happiness
And rich of their joys all alone.
Happiness cannot stand the prying eyes of men
May the one who possesses happiness go deep into the woods
And live all alone, quiet by themselves
And enjoy their happiness quietly."
In original:
"Kell’ onni on, se onnen kätkeköön,
kell’ aarre on, se aarteen peittäköön,
ja olkoon onnellinen onnestaan
ja rikas riemustansa yksin vaan.
Ei onni kärsi katseit’ ihmisten.
Kell’ onni on, se käyköön korpehen
ja eläköhön hiljaa, hiljaa vaan
ja hiljaa iloitkohon onnestaan"
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin well, that's definitely true. I have suffered with depression, and so have many of my age. Yet perhaps the availability of therapy is one of the great sides in this country, and that people take such issues seriously
That's what reduces comparing oneself to others, which is a big source of dissatisfaction. When you see people on the street with a facial expression like an elephants ass you feel kind of good about yourself since nobody seems to be super joyful
I've seen a lot of news on Finnish media about these studies because most people living here seemed somewhat surprised about this and it's sort of a joke to many people considering our high suicide rates. I reckon the biggest takeaway from that conversation was basically that we feel "contentment" rather than outright happiness as most people would understand it. If you just ask people how many times they've felt happy in the last month, Finland doesn't come close to being the happiest country, i think Uruguay was on top of that list so we don't actually feel happiness all that often. The study instead combined multiple different elements that it considered happiness to consist of and on that basis Finland was the happiest. To me that makes perfect sense, there's more of a "it is what it is" kinda culture here thats more of a stable, comfortable grey feeling rather than an ecstatic happiness kind of feeling. When you think of a happy nationality, a finn is probably not what comes to anyones mind, we're not particularily outgoing or extroverted and seeing outward expressions of happiness is quite rare here in my opinion, and that is immediately noticeable when i travel abroad.
Just wanted to share this because when the study first came out, i was really interested in why do finnish people generally have sort of a grumpy vibe if we're so happy all the time.
Yeah I've always heard it (as a joke) that finland did so well on this is because all the real unhappy people to survey had killed themselves already
11:15 I actually have some interesting comments regarding this. Firstly, burning wood for energy isn't really a bad thing. It's only a bad thing if you specifically cut down trees just to burn them for energy, because that's very wasteful. In Finland, wood products go through a chain of recycling until eventually they are burned for energy when they can't really be used for anything else anymore. We have a big wood industry which produces a lot of wood products, so inherently we'll also have a lot of wood waste.
Another interesting thing is that currently the most powerful nuclear reactor in all of Europe is the Olkiluoto unit 3, which is located on the western coast of Finland in the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. It's a marvel of engineering but unfortunately it has had lots of issues with reliability and maintenance, and the construction itself was delayed massively too, the construction of unit 3 began in 2005 and finished in 2023, despite initially being scheduled to be finished in 2010.
Some more general comments about the Finnish energy market; the Finnish electricity market is extremely liberalized, possibly the most liberal in the EU. As a result, there's a fair bit of competition which in most cases is beneficial to consumers too, since you can freely choose your electricity supplier out of several companies and it's even very common to just buy electricity at the market rate. As a result, electricity prices in Finland are generally well below the EU averages. A side effect is that the electricity market price fluctuates a lot, both in the short and the medium term, which especially became a problem when the whole energy crisis started after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since market prices shot up, those buying at market rates were out of luck, and those with still ongoing electricity contracts could get electricity at prices that were now well below the market rate at least until the contract expired.
Another funny effect of being able to buy electricity at market rates is that if you do, every now and then, not very often but it does happen occasionally, you can be paid money for consuming electricity. The amounts are very small, just a few cents per kWh, but it's still really funny in my opinion.
As a Finnish autist, I claim blizzards and nights are actually very cool if you live with them your entire life and hate sweating. Sweating is literally the only thing I hate.
Everyone is heavily taxed (especially the rich who still get more money in their pocket after taxing), because everyone needs good public services, which the country does indeed provide.
Plus, almost 100% of our water is drinkable after boiling and some lakes are clean enough to require no boiling unless you live in a pool of hand sanitizer (sry, a bit exaggerated but the thousands of lakes are mostly safe to make tea or cook with.)
"sweating is the only thing I hate"
also finns: *SAUNA*
I agree on the sweating, but only with clothes on as sauna is still great. The one thing i hate about winter is that my back will always sweat due to the extra protection my bag provides for my back, well that an slosh (loska).
As a Finnish autist I agree, but my aversion to sweating could be due to the conditioning to the cold weather and not truly because of an innate biological feature.
Blizzards and nights are okay. You can easily walk or ski in thick skow. Ice is what I hate. Walking on snow is easy but tripping on ice gets you into hospital at tge worst. All our exchange students usually get their legs injured badly because they haven't got used to walking on ice like us native Finns do.
I wouldn't say the rich are heavily taxed. Just the top income earners. After all, capital gains tax is only about 25%, but the highest wage tax can be more than 50%. Selling profit tax is 30% I think. And if you keep property without selling it in your position, you pay little taxes. Although true, in relation to other countries in the world this is probably heavy taxation.
Blizzards are definitely not cool or your blizzards don’t dump a lot of snow
How is the autism relevant??
1. blizzard: bão tuyết
2. egalitarian: bình đẳng
3. autonomous; tự trị
4. tucked: giấu mình
5. annihilate: tiêu diệt
6. backwater and sludge water: nước đọng và bùn
7. peep: nhìn trộm
8. trenches: chiến hào
9. stinking: hôi hám
You know how the Finns say: "If you feel depressed, there is always a lake or swamp for you in walking distance."
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin she probably lives in one of the big cities. The smaller cities and towns are full of happy people because of freedom and other nice things. Sad thing is that every year the things that make the big cities full of depression and other mental illness are being pushed onto the smaller towns... By the government.
@@HereGoesKevinIdk, but also finns aren't all same. Some are happy, some are miserable, most are in between. By my personal experience.
Hmm... also I'd like to add, that's all possible to be happy and a bit depressed. I am happy. But I go from being joyous and elated to being sad and lonely and troubled. It's just life, and maybe winter. But I am happy, and really grateful I have my life. I love my life, wouldn't change it for other. Just waiting some things to get better.
This video is an absolute masterpiece.
Pass 5-6 month each year during winter and you will find all the small thing in life that can make you happy. Nordic life in a nutshell.
Yea, make it so you are at work the regular 7-16 time in manufacturing. Inside in a dark and dusty workshop you won't see sunshine except from a window during the week 😂 only on weekends. Feel like gollum.
Hell on earth.
@@jooseppi4728 * Sees freshly made coffee in break room * "My Precioouuss!!"
No way I just finished a 3000 word geography essay on the World Population Review and geographic happiness just to see you made a video on it.
Loved the small reference to Portugal at 2:58 🤣🤣 yeah, portuguese are known to be late to everything ahaha
Portuguese? Nah. We brazilians are much worse.
@@prototypista it's what unites us ahaha lusophones together in everything 🇵🇹🤝🇧🇷
I was 10 minutes late for work, I felt like I failed my workpartners and my country.
@@Itsmyface that's how Finland works ahaha 🇫🇮
@@rafaelpaulinoferreira8591 lusophones?
Their climate is heaven to me. I love it cold, dark, mountainous, and forested ❤
Finally someone who also points out the general level of trust us Finns have. I do think its a big part of why Finland is the happiest
I have zero trust in this nation lol.
@@dazeen9591 How come?
@@Mato.4708 the people and the government are terrible. very discriminatory in many ways.
@@dazeen9591 Care to elaborate? Discrimination towards who and how prevelent?
@@Mato.4708 It's extremely prevalent and so widespread that people think it's normal and are oblivious to it.
The government and the people are all sexist, racist, phobic of everything "different" from normal and they have extremely high, cruel and unjust expectations of people who are far worse off than they are.
Everyone is just out for themselves. I have zero trust in the government especially when ran by people from much older generations since they are not interested in the future of the youth, rather they're only interested in their own pension funding and amassing wealth among themselves as much as possible.
The finnish government is not a true democratic government either. The way the voting system is conducted is an absolute joke.
The representatives we vote for are all liars with empty promises, not to mention it's a pay to win system as well.
The people should have the opportunity to vote for each individual bill that is passed. The whole country should be allowed to vote for every single decision.
But instead all these decisions are made and decided in the same closed circle of people which reminds me more of a dictatorship shrouded as a republic.
The country is not run by the people themselves, which might be a good thing honestly, knowing the people all across the boards are just horrible nasty people with zero empathy.
12:10 Not 30% of electricity, but 30% of energy. Firewood is mainly used for heating by individual houses.
I love the country animals you made. They are so cute!
I live in Finland in a small town Pyhtää. Our population is only about 5000 people and we have this huge cardboard factory here "Konvertia" and the owner is i think the richest person in South East Finland and i literally see him walking here in the small town with a backpack greeting people now and then. The dude is literally a millionaire and you couldn't tell. If im correct most Finns that has won the lottery has literally stayed at their jobs with loaded bank account.
Yup and presidential candidates going to public gym alone.. Would never happen in US
One of the greatest gifts to mankind Finland has given us is the Hydraulic Press channel.
This was actually a very very informative video. your other ones are also informative, but I always hear that finland is the happiest, but never why.
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin Idk man, the metrics say that
I'm from Russia. We don't even know what's waiting for us tomorrow. Every day happens something what you can't except. Living in my country it's like HARDCORE mode. It's survival game.
i hope all the best for you
Bro has starducks and MacBonalds
Be safe out there.
I’m from Russia aswell, feels like Hardcore++ here
Russians are good people just bad government. Get Putin please!!!
They are just chill guys.
The main reason we are happy as a country is because we take care of our citizens. Water, food, housing, education, healthcare and transportation are all human rights. Even if you have end up in the lowest point of your life, help is out there.
Your country's population is 1/4th of my capital city's population. Ofc your government can take care of you
@@N-methyl1phenylpropan-2-amine How exactly does the population size excuse your government's functionality and effectiviness?
@@salted6422 it doesn't, our govt is mega corrupt and terrible at taking care of people.
But a lot of issues we face are also linked to the high density of our city, like lack of jobs, etc
@@snuurferalangur4357 Poverty and poor oppourtunities for economic mobility cause crime. Why would you steal from someone if your basic needs are already covered and you can get an education free of charge?
35 hours a week
I got 45
Where do i sign to go there?
I envy yoi guys, keep it up
3:36 I'm actually from Detroit and this made me laugh
"where was I gonna go? Detroit?"
Nice to see a fellow Michigander in these comments. Not from Detroit, but I've always loved visiting Motown USA.
Russia:Knock knock.
Finland: Who’s there?
Russia: Putin.
Finland: Putin who?
Russia: Putin these troops on your border.
Finland: allow me to introduce you to my friends: Suomi-cussing snowdrifts... and NATO
Thanks gave me a nice chuckle
*Breathes In* OOOOON KAUNIINA MUISTONA KARJALAN MAA
Putin who ylo
All the troops went to Ukraine and lot of them aren't coming back.
I feel like finnish happiness comes from the culture. The people that started there are still there without becoming a “melting pot” of hate and degeneracy
It’s more of , sit at home , drink, fell happy thing 😂
The most underrated part of this channel are the cartoon animals representing countries. It just makes the whole video engaging and builds the overall aesthetic
Finland is simply a beautiful place full of forest people. I will go there someday
About climate thing. Yeah winter can feel long, cold and harsh but that just makes spring/summer more amazing. I personally really like that we have 4 real seasons that feel different from each other. My favorite season is summer but I wouldn"t like to live in country where is hot all the time. There are different traditions and hobbys to do every season so it is nice change of pace time to time.
3:01 the most finnish clock that there is, it is in every classroom , workplace, office, hospital and other public space. There is no more unknown finnish thing than that fricking clock
I’m glad you talked about this topic it’s crazy how the coldest countries in the world (Norway, Finland, Canada, Switzerland, and Sweden) are also the ‘best’ countries to live in, while nations with great year-round weather (LATAM, SEA and South Africa) are so unstable
Look, we’re gonna have to differentiate the shit from the flies.
Climate of the aforementioned countries has nothing to do with their stability. Argentina used to be one of the best economies in the World in 1920s. Uruguay is still a good and safe country to live - the best one out of all LATAM. Then, with much less “good” weather (though to my taste it’s still good) there’s Singapore (as stable as one can get) and less stable and rich, but still overall fine Vietnam and Thailand. Oh, and don’t forget Japan - most of their country (especially everything to the south of Tokyo, though Tokyo is already hot enough) belongs to the humid subtropical climate with no negative temperatures even in cold winters. So yeah, I honestly don’t think that temperatures really matter that much.
@@georgeswanson697Colder countries was historically forced to have more trust, collectivism and cooperation between citizens and institutions to survive the long winters and ration harvest throughout the year to save up for winters, thus (in general) creating more structured and trusting societies/cultures that were easier to develop in the post-industrial era due to more order, trust and transparency. Which created more stable democracies and less corruption. Also the northern hemisphere has around 90% of the world population so trading/sharing of information has also also been easier compared to the warmer south.
In warmer countries where it is/was posible to farm all year round people have historically been more individualistic and less dependent on cooperation for survival which has had the opposite effect.
This is however not all that relevant today, but it has formed cultures and political traditions with consequences today. With some exceptions such as the strategic Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and historically Argentina
@@Fluxwux Generally not so. Recall at least the war between Russia and Sweden.
@@АлександрСемёнов-ч9ч I was referring to the (in general) more stable and structured internal affairs of colder/seasonal dependent countries. War between colder nations is another story and numerous
Just because a country is unstable doesn't mean they aren't happy.
2 words. First = METAL
Second = COFFEE
The best export of Finland is certainly good Metal bands, I mean, these guys have Children of Bodom, Nightwish, Lordi, Wintersun, Amorphis, Apocalyptica, Ensiferum, Finntroll, and many more.
Plus, I heard the cold water plunges, or diving in cold water, in the winter helps with your mental health
And also, drinking coffee helps with your mood overall. Not forgetting they make good black licorice.
Funny how Finns can be considered as "Happy" in such an expensive country. Irony
Onnittelut Suomi
Te olette parhaita!
I'm still learning Finnish
Finland is a social democracy. It's expensive there because the people chose that in order to take care of everyone. "We" is more important than "I". The reason that the U.S. for instance will never be anywhere near the top of this list is that a selfish person can never actually know contentment. To be selfish is to feed a black hole that only ever grows. Community, real community, is a core ingredient to happiness.
+1 on Finnish music being awesome.
@@advicepirate8673 well said my friend, couldn't agree more
as a musician who’s played in many bands and genres, i’ve always loved playing with finnish metal bands! super nice and cool people. they don’t care who they play with, they just wanna jam with them!!!
This video has to be very inaccurate because my girlfriend is Finnish and she told me many younger Finnish people struggle with depression and isolation it is also normal for people from Finland to go to therapy, she goes to therapy as well and she is recovering from depression. The suicide rate over there is also high, so there is really something wrong with calling Finland as the happiest country...
@@HereGoesKevin I get your point, it is certainly a good argument. I think when they measure "happiest country" or "happiest people" I think what they mean is by life satisfsction, and not happiness in terms of positive emotions, per se. Because Finns are mostly introverts
Imo it's sauna and the trees you mentioned. I'm also really happy that my city has more trees than inhabitants and going to a sauna regularly is a gamechanger, try it.
So... Trees both make you happy, and make you *_"happi"._*
2:57 That part with referencing Portugal was funny af 😆I'm from Portugal and believe me when I say we wouldn't be just 1 minute late, it would be a minimum of half an hour.
3:37 "sometimes ugly but safe" IM DEAD💀💀💀thats true tho
As a !peaceful! Russian living close to Finland I can declare that there was a great friendship between Russia and Finland up until today’s unlawful invasion in Ukraine. Cultural and educational exchange going on, and just average citizens spending weekends in each others countries. And now I hear regret about that connections being broken both from Finns and Russians.
And as a person who have managed to spend an exchange semester in Finland I can approve that Finnish people and nature will indeed make you happy.
I live in St.Petersburg and always wanted to visit Finland but due to financial difficulties never could, and I doubt I ever will because of this horrible war.. Even worse, some of our gvt officials threatened to "denazify" Finland too.. But finns in NATO now, so they're safe.
@@legoushque3334 I actually know a guy who went across the border from there back in April without any real issues. They've tightened reasons to visit but it should in theory still be possible.
All the Finns I know just blame Putin, the oligarchs and the Russian military. Finns aren't suddenly any more hostile toward Russian people in general. Maybe because we're so close and pretty used to seeing Russians so we kind of "get it". Looking at it from the other side of the world it can be harder to differentiate the people from the government.
Finland is nowadays Usas puppet. I am from Finland and hate Finland joined in Nato.
It was very much lawful. You do have the right to defend youself according to the UN charter. All they had to do was to not join NATO.
Long and dark winters combined with beautiful nightless summer weeks create a contrast that makes you appreciate the highs and lows. No light without shadow. Very corny but true. I think that mindset is at the core of many Finns outlook on life.
i live in a small city in finland and the only fun thing to do is to drink and smoke
That Energy chart felt bit weird, especially when pointing out the "Wood" part. When 2022 sources say Finland consumed more like 15% of "biomass" for electricity production. Biomass including waste product from wood industry, compressed pellets and also burning household waste, which is also quite common in Finland in regions with district heating. Oddly enough, Peat isnt included in the biomass category, then again Finland has been working on reducing peat burning as its one of the dirtiest forms of fuel. Nuclear power is also more like 30% of electricity produced in Finland. It would be higher, but the newest reactor has had many delays, and currently probably under maintenance (again) or running at limited capacity.
13:00 This I can believe. Trust probably had a lot to do with all these top happiest places making it onto the list. Notice other than Switzerland, top 8 happiest places are all Scandinavian or bordering neighbours of Scandinavian countries. But climate is also crucial, when you are stuck in an environment that naturally just wants to kill you, if you were lazy you are already dead, otherwise you have developed to work together with your fellow people in a theme of mutual TRUST.
Wait wouldn't desert and jungle climates have high trust then?
I'd imagine a harsh climate to be stressful, so I dunno about that.
I don't trust this nation one bit lol.
the nicest environment has gotta be the Forrest
0:56 I think you got Australia mixed with Austria.
No it is nm.10
Austria has the alps
I think the moral of this story: Trust directly helps your happiness
I really want to live in Finland someday. Never had a winter here and always wanted to live in a land of snow. Just need to finish my college degree, get some exp, money and planning, and I'll be living there till the day I die. I just hope I can find a reliable connection there because starting from scratch would be hard
Vinter here is cool but let me tell, finnish summer is one of the best things in my life
I would like to help you to get settled if I can. I am a retired psychiatrist living in Tampere. I only have a two room apartment but if you are content in sleeping on a couch you are welcome.
@@VesaLehtonenummmm
Yeah as a Finn I love winter, but its always so cool when spring pops up.. The winter is so damn long you get tired of it in the end 😂
The polar bear is so cute❤❤❤