KEEP IT SIMPLE –
June 2023 – Martela, a philosopher and researcher at Aalto University in Espoo, 12 miles from Finland’s capital, Helsinki, treasures the freedom his three children have there.
“Young children can move on their own,” he said. “It’s something that Finnish people might not think about if they’ve never been outside the country. They just take it for granted.”
Finland’s high levels of social trust could be one reason the country has been ranked as the world’s happiest for six years in a row. As the World Happiness Report, which does the ranking, notes, most Finns expect their wallet to be returned to them if they lose it. “In Helsinki it is completely normal to leave the baby outside, obviously with a baby monitor and if possible by the window, so you can see the stroller while shopping or having coffee,” said Jennifer De Paola, a social psychologist and an expert on Finnish happiness who moved to Finland when she was 25.(When I interviewed her in a café in Helsinki, De Paola’s 7-month-old was napping at her side.)
