The Finns seem to have many reasons to celebrate lately. In addition to becoming NATO’s newest member, Finland was also named the happiest country in the world—for the seventh year in a row, according to the most recent annual World Happiness Report.
What Is Really Going On?
First of all, happiness is a fleeting emotion, one of many we experience each day. Like indigestion and flatulence, it comes and goes. In fact, the average human being experiences more than 400 emotional states every 24 hours.Despite being labeled the happiest country, Finland has a high suicide rate, specifically among its younger citizens.
Of the 44 countries in Europe, Finland has the highest proportion of people under 25 dying from drug overdoses. In 2022, almost 30 percent of drug-related casualties were 25 years old or younger. On average, Finnish drug users die 10 years earlier than users in other EU countries.
Moreover, an increasing number of Finns suffer from depression and anxiety, and the country has one of the highest rates of antidepressant consumption worldwide.
The UN Report Actually Tracks Satisfaction
Contrary to popular belief, the World Happiness Report doesn’t actually measure happiness. Instead, the report, commissioned by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, analyzes global survey data from citizens in more than 150 countries. Based on their life evaluations over the three preceding years—in this case, 2021 to 2023—countries are then ranked on “happiness.”In reality, what is being measured is something closer to well-being or satisfaction. And the difference between happiness and satisfaction goes far beyond semantics, as noted by the Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman.
Happiness is akin to a transient experience that occurs spontaneously. For instance, you meet a dear friend you haven’t seen for months at a local Starbucks, and you instantly feel happy. However, once the friend leaves, that happiness may be replaced by another emotion, like sadness.
Satisfaction, on the other hand, is a more permanent state of mind. It is not an emotion but something far more solid and stable—a continuous feeling built over many days, weeks, months, and years.
Realistic Finns vs. Unrealistic Americans
This brings us back to the people of Finland. For the average Finn, life is good simply because their expectations are realistic.Flaws in Report’s GDP Obsession
The World Happiness Report is flawed, according to Dr. Daniel Benjamin, an academic who has dedicated years of his life to exploring the core ingredients of a truly good life.A professor of behavioral economics and genoeconomics at University of California, Los Angeles, Mr. Benjamin stresses that the report measures gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, a key indicator of economic advancement but a poor gauge of overall welfare.
By making small adjustments to the wording of survey questions, he noted, economists and participants can better align their understanding of the topics being discussed. However, this is just the beginning of a lengthy process to create a comprehensive measure of international well-being that can inform policy decisions.
Mr. Benjamin advocates for the development of an index that encompasses various aspects of well-being–in other words, something radically different than the current go-to report on happiness.
