Who is the happiest in the world? Finns – researchers have established. What is their secret and what factors increase life satisfaction?
Can happiness be measured? Researchers do this regularly. In 2020, they recognized Finland as the happiest country in the world. For the third year in a row. What is the secret?
Psychology professor Katherine Sanderson asked this question and identified three key factors that, in her opinion, determine the high levels of happiness in the inhabitants of the Scandinavian countries.
Gender equality
“The tide lifts all boats,” writes Katherine Sanderson. She means that not only women, but also men benefit from the policy of gender equality. For example, fathers of newborns in Finland are granted nine weeks’ leave at 70% of their wages. And this is the only country in the world where fathers spend more time with their children than mothers.
The Journal of Happiness Research published data from an empirical study that supports Katherine Sanderson’s conclusion. It could also explain why, even in developed countries where the gender gap is larger, such as Japan, people are less satisfied with life than in Denmark and Finland.
Happiness in money
“Money alone does not bring happiness, but poverty harms it,” Sanderson comments. She cites recent research in which high income is associated with emotional well-being, but only to some extent. When the income level reaches a certain point, happiness stops growing, even if the bank account increases.
However, living below the poverty line increases stress and prevents a person from feeling satisfied with life. “It is impossible to feel happy when you worry about whether the children will have food for lunch,” writes Sanderson, “and whether the family is provided with the necessary clothes and adequate heating for the winter.”
Comparing Finland to the United States, she writes about the benefits of the Scandinavian social safety net: Finland’s poverty rate is half that of the United States.
Therefore, anti-poverty policies that provide the poor with additional income “will lead to higher levels of happiness because they reduce the stress of people living in terrible conditions.”
Prioritization
Many of us tend to think that the more money, the more happiness. But in fact, when the basic needs are satisfied, it becomes important how we manage our time. As part of a study involving representatives of different age groups, from students to retirees, people who chose time between time and a lot of money called themselves happy.
Interestingly, this applied to people from different socio-economic strata. It seems that the Finns understand this well and correctly prioritize. As mentioned above, provided that basic needs are satisfied and there is no need to worry about their daily bread, they obviously do not pursue wealth, but prefer to spend time for their own pleasure.
Katherine Sanderson provides comparative data: in the European Union, countries are generally required to provide workers with 20 days of paid leave per year.
In Finland, in addition to paid national holidays, working citizens receive 25 days of paid leave. In the United States, there are simply no general rules requiring employers to provide employees with paid vacations.
In 1963, the German writer Heinrich Böll wrote the anecdotal story “On the Fall of Labor Morality”. In one of the harbors of the western coast of Europe, a poorly dressed fisherman sleeps. A well-dressed tourist takes a picture of him and convinces him to go to sea – the weather is ideal for fishing.
Not understanding why the fisherman refuses, the tourist continues to persuade him, describing the prospects for the development of the fishing business with diligent constant work. Having come to the story of how great it would be to hire others to work in your place, the tourist concludes: “Then you could sit quietly here on the shore, doze in the sun and admire this magnificent sea.”
“But that’s exactly what I do,” the fisherman answers, “I sit quietly in the boat and doze, it was only your clicking that woke me up.” The story is a perfect illustration of what researchers are confirming today. Happiness is not in endlessly chasing wealth and fame, but in doing what brings joy.
About the author: Katherine Sanderson is a psychology professor and motivational speaker.