The Happiest Place in the World

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight.  I’m Alice Irizarry.

Voice 2

And I’m Patrick Woodward.  Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting.  It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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Voice 1

It is not covered with beautiful beaches by the warm ocean.  It is not Hawaii or the Caribbean.  It is not a quiet, peaceful town unknown to the rest of the world.  It is not filled with huge homes or wealthy people.  It is not known for its stunning art or dominant sports teams.  It is a small, cold country in the north.  But every year Finland is picked as the happiest place in the world.          

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Today’s Spotlight is about Finland.  We explore why its people are so happy.  We examine the way they look at life.  We look at their customs and traditions.  We identify what makes them enjoy life so much.

Voice 1

Finland is a small country in Northern Europe.  It is next to Sweden, Norway, and Russia.  Finland is one of the coldest countries in the world.  In the winter, there are days when the sun does not rise.  The temperature can drop to -50 degrees Celsius. But each year, its people say they are happy.  The World Happiness Report asks people all over the world to rate the quality of life in their country on a scale of one to ten.  Most years, Finland scores the highest.     

 Voice 2

There are many reasons why Finland is so happy.  Trust, honesty, and equality have always been very important in their culture.  This trust applies to every part of their society, including their government.  Their elected officials talk honestly about what they are doing.  They do not try to keep things from the people of Finland.  They also encourage citizens to share their opinions on government decisions.  Leaders want to work with people to solve problems.

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The Finns share a responsibility to keep their country clean and safe.  Children learn to help clean their house and their neighborhood from an early age.      

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Finland’s schools are considered some of the best in the world.  Their teachers are highly skilled.  They try to develop lessons that fit each student’s needs.  They value every student’s growth.  All students are given equal opportunities to succeed.  They do not assume everyone has the same ability.  Instead, teachers judge each student’s progress separately.  This allows students to feel more relaxed and enjoy learning.  Also, their school days only last five hours.  They focus on fewer topics during the day to learn more about them.  Parents are involved in their children’s education. They help review their homework.  They attend school activities and meetings whenever possible.  This holds students accountable because their parents know what they are studying.

Voice 1

Finns take pleasure in simple things.  One example is eating.  Finns love to share meals together.  The University of Oxford published a report that said people who eat with others are more likely to feel good about themselves.  They will have a bigger group of friends who can provide emotional support. 

Voice 2

According to the staff of ThisisFINLAND,

     “Family meals remain a strong tradition in Finland.  Eighty-one percent of families with children eat together at least once a day.”

Voice 1

Finns love simple things inside and outside the home.  They spend part of each day outside enjoying nature.  The Finnish Forest Research Institute reports that 96 percent of adult Finns spend regular time outdoors.  Some of their favorite summer activities are walking, riding a bicycle, picking berries, swimming, and going to the beach.  During the winter, Finns enjoy skiing, ice skating, and sitting with family by a warm fire.  Their time outdoors calms them and reduces stress. 

Voice 2

Finns also love to relax in a sauna.  The sauna is a small, heated wooden room.  It is usually heated to 80 degrees Celsius.  Just over five million people live in Finland.  They own over three million saunas.  Finns are famous for their love of saunas.  In fact, the word “sauna” is the only Finnish word borrowed by the English language.  Most Finns use a sauna at least once a week.  The extreme heat helps calm a person’s mind.  It relaxes their body.  Saunas may even help fight off disease.   

Voice 1

The people of Finland often help others in their free time.  This type of work is very rewarding.  It makes Finnish people feel good about themselves.  They donate to charities.  They work with different organizations that help people.

Voice 2

Finns also enjoy playing various sports like football and hockey, a game played on ice with a rubber disc called a puck.  They also like Floorball, a sport unique to Finland.  It is just like hockey but played indoors with sticks and a plastic ball.  Finns also love to play bandy.  Bandy is similar to hockey.  It is also played on ice.  But a bandy field is much larger.  Players use a plastic ball instead of a puck.  

Voice 1

Finland offers public healthcare to everyone who lives in the country.  Finland’s large taxes pay for this privilege.  Patients usually do not have to wait long to see their doctors.  Their system is considered very good.  Finns do not need to worry about large medical bills that cause debt.   

Voice 2

Just like with their educational system, Finland’s work force cares about the individual’s needs and well-being.  Workers usually only work 35 hours a week.  They get a lot of holiday time.  Employers discourage emails after work hours.  Finland’s Working Hours Act allows freedom in setting up a work schedule.  Writer Maddy Savage says:

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“It gives the majority of full-time workers the right to decide when and where they work for at least half of their working hours.”

Voice 1

Wesley Mercer moved to Finland.  He lived there for a year to experience Finland’s happiness.  He wanted to discover if living there actually made him happier.  He wanted to learn their secret.  He found that Finns have an outlook on life called sisu.  This means that they value courage.  When things get difficult, Finns continue with a good attitude.  Mercer began to use this philosophy.  At first it was strange not to let himself be bothered by mistakes or inconveniences.  He resisted his natural reaction to get mad when this happened.  But then he noticed that sisu made it easier to deal with difficult situations.

Voice 2

He also began to appreciate silence like Finns.  They enjoy peaceful moments.  It allows them to sit and think.  Mercer realized that the key to happiness for Finns is balance.  They maintain a healthy balance in all areas of life.  Mercer said:

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“It is a balance between work and personal life, joy and sorrow, activity and relaxation.”

Voice 1

Finns find joy in simple pleasures.  They do not take for granted a meal with friends or a walk by a lake.  They have learned to slow down, to pay attention to these simple joys.  They are satisfied with what they have and who they are.  Their ideal life is the one they already have.  They do not want anything more.  They learned this secret to happiness a long time ago.  

Voice 2

Have you ever been to Finland?  Did you know it is such a happy country?  Would you ever like to visit?  You can leave a comment on our website at www.spotlightenglish.com.  Or you can find us on YouTube, Facebook, Tik Tok, Bluesky, and X.  You can also get our programs delivered directly to your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app.

Voice 1

The writer of this program was Peter Anderson.  The producer was Dan Christmann.  The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom.  All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is called, “The Happiest Place in the World.”

Voice 2

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

Question:

Have you ever been to Finland?  Did you know it is such a happy country?  Would you ever like to visit?