Jenny Gross and Johanna Lemola, The New York Times
Published: 21 Apr 2021 11:56 AM BdST
Updated: 21 Apr 2021 11:56 AM BdST Finland. Renato Duarte. FACEBOOK
When governments around the world introduced coronavirus restrictions requiring people to stand 2 meters apart, jokes in Finland started circulating: “Why can’t we stick to the usual 4 meters?” );
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Finns embrace depictions of themselves as melancholic and reserved a people who mastered social distancing long before the pandemic. A popular local saying goes, “Happiness will always end in tears.”
But for four consecutive years, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, which publishes an annual report evaluating the happiness of people around the world.
What Makes a Happy Country?
Finland, for the fourth consecutive year, topped a list of countries evaluated on the well-being of their inhabitants. “Really?” Finns ask.
Soaking in the sun in Helsinki in February.Credit.Jussi Nukari/Lehtikuva, via Associated Press
April 20, 2021Updated 5:58 a.m. ET
When governments around the world introduced coronavirus restrictions requiring people to stand two meters apart, jokes in Finland started circulating: “Why can’t we stick to the usual four meters?”
Finns embrace depictions of themselves as melancholic and reserved a people who mastered social distancing long before the pandemic. A popular local saying goes, “Happiness will always end in tears.”