Seeking Joy? The World’s Happiest Country Is Sharing Its Secrets

30.09.2023 - 09:05 / forbes.com

Finland has been declared the world’s happiest country for six consecutive years now, and plenty of people want to know its secrets.

Earlier this year, the Nordic country held an in-person masterclass in happiness that received a staggering 150,000 applications from around the world. Now, there’s good news for those who weren’t lucky enough to get a spot on the course—Finland has launched an online version of the Find Your Inner Finn masterclass.

The online course digs into the lifestyle choices that keep Finns so content. The lessons, coached by wellness experts in their field, focus on four main themes at the core of Finnish happiness: food and wellbeing, health and balance, design and everyday, and nature and lifestyle.

You can access the online masterclass through a series of video lessons from five coaches. You’ll learn the basics and then perform hands-on tasks to apply all the joyful insights of the classes to your everyday life. All participants who complete the masterclass receive a ‘Certificate of Happiness.’

“Through this masterclass, we want to give everyone a foundation they can use to build their own version of happiness. Feeling happy is not an innate or mystical ability—it’s an approach to life that can be learned,” says Heli Jimenez, Senior Director of International Marketing.

“Though there’s no one-size-fits-all path to happiness, we believe that participants will be able to find their own kind of inner Finn through the masterclass lessons. We wanted to highlight the aspects of Finnish life and culture that lead to this consistent and content outlook on happiness the Finns have mastered.”

The best news is, the masterclass is free of charge.

According to the masterclasses, there are four main aspects of life that condition happiness. Food and wellbeing are naturally important factors. Finns say the abundance of fresh ingredients means cooking is a pleasure and full of health benefits. During the masterclass, renowned chef Alex Nurmi will teach participants some simple recipes and a few Finnish culinary tricks.

Design also plays a big role, and Finland is full of iconic examples. Finns also use arts and crafts as a way to relax and practice mindfulness. Design professional Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld will teach a masterclass about how beautiful design and products can address societal challenges.

Health and balance is the third theme of the masterclass. Finns typically rank high in mental characteristics that foster contentment, inner balance and happiness. These are traits such as a high level of trust in other people and institutions, and the exceptional grit and resilience Finns call sisu. Coach April Rinne, ranked one of the 50 leading female futurists in the world by Forbes, will