Finland: The World’s Happiest Nation

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Trust was the key factor related to happiness

Finland is once again the world’s happiest country out of 149 countries, followed by Iceland and Denmark, through a year marked by the pandemic. The United States ranked 14th, moving up from the 18th spot. A key factor in top countries’ happiness relates to people’s trust in each other and their government.

In the past, The World Happiness Reports, which is a publication of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, were primarily based on levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom and other factors.  However, this year, the report focused on the effects of COVID-19 and how people all over the world have fared. The report:

  • Focused on the effects of COVID-19 on the structure and quality of people’s lives,
  • Described and evaluated how governments all over the world have dealt with the pandemic.

“This whole report focuses on the effects of COVID-19 and how people all over the world have fared,” the team behind the report said.

Mental health and social/emotional well-being

Mental health has been one of the casualties both of the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns, according to The World Happiness Report. As the pandemic struck, there was a large and immediate decline in mental health in many countries worldwide.  There has been greater economic insecurity, anxiety, disruption of every aspect of life, and, for many people, stress and challenges to mental and physical health.

The early decline in mental health was higher in groups that already had more mental health problems — women, young people, and poorer people. It thus increased the existing inequalities in mental well-being.  At the same time, as mental healthcare needs have increased, mental health services have been disrupted. This is serious when we consider that the pandemic is likely to leave a lasting impact on the younger generation.

On the positive side, the pandemic has shone a light on mental health as never before. This increased public awareness bodes well for future research and better services that are urgently needed.

There has been surprising resilience in how people rate their lives overall.  Trust and the ability to count on others are major supports to life evaluations, especially in the face of crises. To feel that your lost wallet would be returned if found by a police officer, by a neighbor, or a stranger, is estimated to be more important for happiness than income, unemployment, and major health risks (see Figure 2.4 in chapter 2)

“We must aim for well-being rather than mere wealth, which will be fleeting indeed if we don’t do a much better job of addressing the challenges of sustainable development,” said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. “The pandemic reminds us of our global environmental threats, the urgent need to cooperate, and the difficulties of achieving cooperation in each country and globally. We need urgently to learn from Covid-19.”

References:

  1. https://worldhappiness.report/blog/in-a-lamentable-year-finland-again-is-the-happiest-country-in-the-world/
  2. https://worldhappiness.report/
  3. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/finland-defends-title-as-world-e2-80-99s-happiest-nation-in-4th-straight-win/ar-BB1eKSd3?ocid=uxbndlbing
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