"I've been visiting the happiest country on Earth every year since I was a baby. At first glance, Finland doesn't seem like an obvious breeding ground for happiness. In midwinter the sun only appears for two to five hours a day and temperatures can plummet to below -20C. (It would seem a warm-year-round, sunny climate is not a prerequisite to happiness.)"
"The World Happiness Report is based on a survey in which people rate their satisfaction with life and the Finns have been happiest with their lot for the last eight years. Not short of marketing savvy, Visit Finland latched on to this with a Masterclass of Happiness advertising campaign. And it's probably no coincidence that Lonely Planet named Finland in its 2026 Best in Travel guide as a country for finding happiness in wild places."
Annual visits to Finland reveal harsh midwinter conditions with limited daylight and extreme cold. The World Happiness Report shows Finns as the happiest people for eight consecutive years. National marketing and travel guides have highlighted Finland as a place to find happiness in wild places. Cultural traits include directness, wryness and low expectations. Societal factors include relatively high levels of education and equality. Peace of mind derives from simple pleasures, a slower pace of life and close connection with nature, including summer woods of birch and pine, moss-covered granite, ferns, blueberry and lingonberry bushes, and tiny wild strawberries.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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