Is Finland the happiest place on Earth? I travelled to the country to understand the way of life

All of this only partly explains why Finland has been named by the World Happiness Report as the happiest country in the world for the seventh year running, but it frames the Finnish way of life pretty succinctly.

It’s about a symbiosis with nature, a humbling understanding that the individual is part of a wider organism. That understanding translates into Finnish society: a sense of duty, and a trust between neighbours, communities and the establishment.

Later, in bustling central Helsinki, my tour guide Ed Morrow tells me, “People feel that they can rely on others, so if you drop your wallet, it’ll be where you left it, or someone has handed it in. This trust spills over into politics and institutions, when you trust that people have everyone’s well-being in mind.”

This is a country that encourages and enables its citizenry, assured that it will get these efforts all back tenfold. Many of their young people leave to see the world, but the majority return when it’s time to start adulting.

In Helsinki, I am no more than a wander away from numerous cultural attractions, such as the Ateneum, one of the best-known art galleries in the country; the Design District, teeming with Finnish startups; and the impressive Oodi public library, where, for free, citizens can reserve a textile studio, a meeting room or even a recording studio.

In the city, almost as much as in the nature they revel in, there is a clear understanding of being part of a wider organism. There’s even free drop-in secular therapy in the beautiful, tranquil Kamppi Chapel, on the main commuter thoroughfare, to off-load after a hard day.

In the Design District, I ask Kalle Gummerus, co-founder of the shoe shop VIBAe, why Finland is so high on the happiness list. He replies, with typical Finnish succinctness: “Education, welfare, being part of the society, and nobody is left outside of it. We enjoy the simple things in life, we feel part of nature, and we trust in each other.”

But of course, we cannot discount Finland’s indulgences — the coffee, the freshly baked pastries on every corner and, yes, the saunas. Countrywide, there are an estimated 3.3 million saunas for a population of 5.6 million — that’s a lot of dry heat.

In attempting to spend a typical day of contentment in the life of a weekending Finn, I go foraging one morning, then hop a cheap ferry to Suomenlinna, an ex-fortress island that depicts the country’s history in microcosm: Swedish, then Russian, then finally Finnish. Today, the island is used for leisure and boat building, with Adlerfelt, a restaurant that promises “happy place” moments, located in a 250-year-old fortress.

Next, I take a ferry and tram to Löyly, a modern public sauna in a sculptural-looking building on the Helsinki waterfront. I roast in a smoke sauna before plunging into the Baltic Sea, snow lightly falling on my bare, shivering shoulders.

Exhilarated, tired and sated, I’m left with a small taste of why this country works. There’s a willingness to lean into the harsh — the freezing sea, the pitch-black winters, the long nights — and making it work in their favour. There’s an awareness of the rhythms of nature, allowing people to take pleasure in the little things in life. All of this, plus the security of a social safety net, breeds a quiet confidence and, dare I say it, contentment.

Matt Charlton travelled as a guest of Visit Finland and Finnair, which did not review or approve this article.