LIFE & CULTURE
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The Finnish secret to happiness? Knowing when you have enough

The Nordic nation has been ranked the happiest country on earth for six consecutive years. But when you talk to individual Finns, the reality is a bit more complicated.

    • Customers outside a temporary cafe in Market Square in Helsinki, Finland, April 3, 2023.
    • Customers outside a temporary cafe in Market Square in Helsinki, Finland, April 3, 2023. Bloomberg
    Published Fri, Apr 7, 2023 · 05:50 AM

    ON MAR 20, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network released its annual World Happiness Report, which rates well-being in countries around the world. For the sixth year in a row, Finland was ranked at the very top.

    But Finns themselves say the ranking points to a more complex reality.

    “I wouldn’t say that I consider us very happy,” said Nina Hansen, 58, a high school English teacher from Kokkola, a mid-size city on Finland’s west coast. “I’m a little suspicious of that word, actually.”

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