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This program is live
captioned by Red Bee Media.

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Sorry, Disneyland, this
is the happiest place on earth.

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For the fourth year running,
and in spite of COVID,

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Finland has been crowned number one
on the UN's Happiness Index Report.

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It seems kind of improbable.

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So has Finland, actually found
the key to lasting happiness?

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Or is the whole idea
a steaming pile of (HISSING)?

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(LAUGHS)

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It's spring-time in Helsinki!

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8am, partly cloudy
and just 10 degrees.

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Prime Finnish swimming conditions.

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A

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A freezing

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A freezing plunge

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A freezing plunge one

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A freezing plunge one over

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A freezing plunge one over two

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A freezing plunge one over two
famous

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A freezing plunge one over two
famous finish

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A freezing plunge one over two
famous finish pastimes.

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A freezing plunge one over two
famous finish pastimes. The

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A freezing plunge one over two
famous finish pastimes. The date

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A freezing plunge one over two
famous finish pastimes. The date on

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famous finish pastimes. The date on
your

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famous finish pastimes. The date on
your breathing

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famous finish pastimes. The date on
your breathing oil

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famous finish pastimes. The date on
your breathing oil panic

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famous finish pastimes. The date on
your breathing oil panic because

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famous finish pastimes. The date on
your breathing oil panic because of

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your breathing oil panic because of
the

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your breathing oil panic because of
the cold

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your breathing oil panic because of
the cold water.

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your breathing oil panic because of
the cold water. The

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your breathing oil panic because of
the cold water. The other

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your breathing oil panic because of
the cold water. The other part

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your breathing oil panic because of
the cold water. The other part is

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the cold water. The other part is
the

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the cold water. The other part is
the sauna.

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the cold water. The other part is
the sauna. I

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the cold water. The other part is
the sauna. I admitted

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the cold water. The other part is
the sauna. I admitted this

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the cold water. The other part is
the sauna. I admitted this warm

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the sauna. I admitted this warm
place,

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the sauna. I admitted this warm
place, it's

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the sauna. I admitted this warm
place, it's very

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the sauna. I admitted this warm
place, it's very important

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the sauna. I admitted this warm
place, it's very important during

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place, it's very important during
the

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place, it's very important during
the cold

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place, it's very important during
the cold winters.

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place, it's very important during
the cold winters. It's

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place, it's very important during
the cold winters. It's like

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place, it's very important during
the cold winters. It's like a

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the cold winters. It's like a
spiritual

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the cold winters. It's like a
spiritual experience,

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the cold winters. It's like a
spiritual experience, innocence.

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spiritual experience, innocence.
There

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spiritual experience, innocence.
There are

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spiritual experience, innocence.
There are 5.5

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spiritual experience, innocence.
There are 5.5 million

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spiritual experience, innocence.
There are 5.5 million people

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spiritual experience, innocence.
There are 5.5 million people and

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spiritual experience, innocence.
There are 5.5 million people and I

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There are 5.5 million people and I
heard

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There are 5.5 million people and I
heard there

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There are 5.5 million people and I
heard there almost

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There are 5.5 million people and I
heard there almost 3

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There are 5.5 million people and I
heard there almost 3 million

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There are 5.5 million people and I
heard there almost 3 million saunas,

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heard there almost 3 million saunas,
which

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heard there almost 3 million saunas,
which means

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heard there almost 3 million saunas,
which means it's

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heard there almost 3 million saunas,
which means it's one

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heard there almost 3 million saunas,
which means it's one sauna

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heard there almost 3 million saunas,
which means it's one sauna for

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heard there almost 3 million saunas,
which means it's one sauna for every

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which means it's one sauna for every
other

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which means it's one sauna for every
other finish

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which means it's one sauna for every
other finish citizen

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which means it's one sauna for every
other finish citizen from

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which means it's one sauna for every
other finish citizen from all

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which means it's one sauna for every
other finish citizen from all age

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other finish citizen from all age
groups.

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other finish citizen from all age
groups. Frank

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other finish citizen from all age
groups. Frank is

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other finish citizen from all age
groups. Frank is a

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other finish citizen from all age
groups. Frank is a happy

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other finish citizen from all age
groups. Frank is a happy guy.

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other finish citizen from all age
groups. Frank is a happy guy. A

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groups. Frank is a happy guy. A
philosophy

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groups. Frank is a happy guy. A
philosophy professor,

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groups. Frank is a happy guy. A
philosophy professor, author

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groups. Frank is a happy guy. A
philosophy professor, author and

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philosophy professor, author and
native

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philosophy professor, author and
native Finn.

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philosophy professor, author and
native Finn. Also

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philosophy professor, author and
native Finn. Also a

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philosophy professor, author and
native Finn. Also a leading

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philosophy professor, author and
native Finn. Also a leading thinker

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native Finn. Also a leading thinker
on

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native Finn. Also a leading thinker
on happiness.

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native Finn. Also a leading thinker
on happiness. If

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native Finn. Also a leading thinker
on happiness. If I

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native Finn. Also a leading thinker
on happiness. If I think

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native Finn. Also a leading thinker
on happiness. If I think about

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native Finn. Also a leading thinker
on happiness. If I think about my

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on happiness. If I think about my
own

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on happiness. If I think about my
own happiness,

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on happiness. If I think about my
own happiness, my

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on happiness. If I think about my
own happiness, my answer

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on happiness. If I think about my
own happiness, my answer is

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on happiness. If I think about my
own happiness, my answer is boring

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own happiness, my answer is boring
because

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own happiness, my answer is boring
because the

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own happiness, my answer is boring
because the two

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own happiness, my answer is boring
because the two key

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own happiness, my answer is boring
because the two key factors

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own happiness, my answer is boring
because the two key factors are

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because the two key factors are
happiness

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because the two key factors are
happiness and

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because the two key factors are
happiness and work.

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because the two key factors are
happiness and work. My

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because the two key factors are
happiness and work. My life

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because the two key factors are
happiness and work. My life becomes

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happiness and work. My life becomes
meaningful

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happiness and work. My life becomes
meaningful when

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happiness and work. My life becomes
meaningful when I

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happiness and work. My life becomes
meaningful when I meaningful

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happiness and work. My life becomes
meaningful when I meaningful with

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meaningful when I meaningful with
other

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meaningful when I meaningful with
other people.

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Though he studies happiness,
when Finland first topped the charts

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in 2018, it was a bit of a shock.

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So the Finnish people,
the reaction was kind

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of people and surprised and almost
angry because they felt

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that this
cannot be true, because I guess

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the Finnish self-image is basically
that we're just kind

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of melancholic people.

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We listen to sad music,
and hard rock and this

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So happiness was not part
of the Finnish self-image.

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The UN World Happiness Report ranks
138 countries according

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to their citizen's
levels of happiness.

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Since its inception,
Nordic nations have dominated

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the top 10.

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When Finland went to number one,
Frank wanted to know

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what makes his people so happy.

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With a few colleagues, we started
to go through the research trying

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to find answers.

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Nordic countries tend to be
countries where there's

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unemployment benefits, pensions,
and other benefits are quite

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on a quite good level.

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But what makes Finland stand out,
is a unique, Finnish concept called

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I guess Sisu could be defined
as this perseverance in face

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of extreme obstacles.

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The concept of sisu comes
from quite far back.

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And I guess it's really the very
harsh natural conditions of Finland.

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So people are kind of accepting
the bad thing faster

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and through that being able to then
cope better with it.

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That kind of explains
the dips in the ocean.

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But According Frank,
a cultural focus on perseverance,

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has reshaped the way
Finns view happiness.

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Finnish people are not too
obsessed with happiness.

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People don't shoot for the stars.

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They are usually quite happy
with quite kind of ordinary dreams

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in their life.

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So

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So that

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So that is

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So that is sisu

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So that is sisu in

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So that is sisu in action.

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So how does Australia compare
in terms of happiness?

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Well, in the 2021 report,
Australia came in 11th.

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Still happy but a long
way from the top.

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It begs the question,
can Australia learn from Finland

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and be happier?

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Maybe we can go over
there in the forest

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across the road.

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That's exactly what this expat
Aussie Mum is finding out.

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I wonder what we're
going to find today?

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For Finnish people the idea
of happiness is very different

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to an Australian's
idea of happiness.

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Oh,

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Oh, my

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Oh, my goodness!

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Wow, it looks like someone has
started to build a cubby house!

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For Finnish people, happiness
might mean more of just

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a satisfaction with life.

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What's that?

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It looks like a mushroom.

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That's weird.

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Originally from Sydney,
Melissa Giorgio moved to Finland 11

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years ago with her Finnish husband.

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Are you making a sling shot?

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7-year-old Milo was born
a few years later and the family

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settled in Helsinki's outer suburbs.

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Initially, the plan was to spend
two years away from Oz,

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but then Melissa fell for Finland.

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One of my favourite things
about living here is,

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whether you're
in a residential area

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or in the middle of the city, it's
easy to access nature.

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I hope summer comes quickly.

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The other thing I really enjoy
is Finnish people seem to be quite

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satisfied with the way things are,
and they don't seem

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to want more constantly.

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OK, do you think you've had enough?

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Yeah, you're not hungry anymore?

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Also, nobody seems to care
as much about status.

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There's not as much
hierarchy here than there

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is in, say, Australia.

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So right now, we're driving
through a typical neighbourhood

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of greater Helsinki.

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And, it pretty much looks
like any other neighbourhood

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in Finland, in my mind.

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It's just not obvious which suburbs
are the so-called "well to do"

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and which suburbs
are not so well to do.

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The flaunting of status and wealth
is considered quite gauche

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in Finnish culture.

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One of the first things I noticed
about being here was that you're not

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going to a dinner party or a BBQ
and talking about real estate.

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Nobody's asking about where
you live, which suburb you live,

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where your kid is going to school.
It was quite refreshing, actually.

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Oh, double!

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One,

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One, two,

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One, two, three,

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One, two, three, four,

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One, two, three, four, five,

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One, two, three, four, five, six...

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For Melissa, less status anxiety
was a welcome relief,

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but for this young mum, there
was a bigger incentive to stay.

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The whole country takes care
of the raising of children

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and the system is set up so well.

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So, from birthing my son
to bringing him up at home,

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and then
sending him to day care

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and then onto school,

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every aspect of that felt
really well supported.

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22!

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22! I'll

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22! I'll give

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22! I'll give you

242
00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:51,920
22! I'll give you 25.

243
00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:55,400
I have so much money!

244
00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:55,600
I

245
00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:55,720
I have

246
00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:55,960
I have too

247
00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:56,160
I have too much

248
00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:56,440
I have too much as

249
00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:57,480
I have too much as well!

250
00:07:57,480 --> 00:07:57,880
(LAUGHS)

251
00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,640
Finland provides all mothers to be
with preand post-natal healthcare,

252
00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:02,000
at no charge.

253
00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,760
Alright, zip yourself up.

254
00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,480
Finns also receive some of Europe's
highest parental leave benefits,

255
00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,680
and childcare costs are mostly
paid by government.

256
00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:17,000
You ready?

257
00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,360
But for Melissa, a former teacher,
the cherry on top is Milo having

258
00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:21,440
to the Finnish school system.

259
00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,920
Finland's schools have sat
at the top of Europe's rankings

260
00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,560
for more than a decade.

261
00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:52,600
Primary, high school,
and university are free,

262
00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:54,760
mostly government-run,
and for young kids, the environment

263
00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:59,480
very different than
in Aussie classrooms.

264
00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:15,720
Tiina teaches grade two.

265
00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,840
As an educator, she's
part of an elite group.

266
00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,320
The highly qualified,
and highly paid teachers

267
00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:51,080
are the backbone of a system
that's built on equality.

268
00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:58,120
In Finland, nearly all costs
associated with school are covered

269
00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,440
by the government, something
Principal Huusko is proud of.

270
00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:52,600
Part of that philosophy
is letting kids be kids.

271
00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,080
Primary students get a 15-minute
play break every hour.

272
00:10:55,120 --> 00:11:02,480
So does the principal.

273
00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:10,760
The school day is also one
of the shortest in the world.

274
00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:13,800
The younger grades spend just 20
hours a week at school,

275
00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,560
half the time Australian kids do.

276
00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:38,080
Well done!

277
00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:40,440
Less time at school means
more time for play.

278
00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:47,040
And not just for the kids.

279
00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:52,240
Makke was a goalie, so you can see
the dreams being passed on.

280
00:11:52,240 --> 00:12:00,560
Work-life balance
here is really nice.

281
00:12:00,560 --> 00:12:07,280
In Finland, it's just a regular
working day from 8:00am to 4:00pm

282
00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,600
is over, that's it.

283
00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:11,960
Stop?
I can't stop.

284
00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,960
And everybody appreciates that
and just allows people to go home,

285
00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:17,400
be with their families,
nobody's expected to be working

286
00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:19,720
at all hours of the night.

287
00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:23,600
It's old fashioned but
in a really nice way.

288
00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:26,360
Melissa says she's happier
than ever, but that doesn't mean

289
00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:30,480
life is always easy.

290
00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:36,400
But has Finnish culture
helped her coping skills?

291
00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:39,120
My expectations of life
and of what happiness is have

292
00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:41,720
definitely changed
since moving to Finland.

293
00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,360
They have this
concept of sisu.

294
00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,600
And it's been really interesting
to me to watch Finnish people embody

295
00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,240
that and then learn from Finnish
people to really work

296
00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:57,960
on my own sisu.

297
00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,760
Oh, look, it's starting to snow.

298
00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:01,960
Great Finnish, spring weather.

299
00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,600
Because it's not always easy here.

300
00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:10,200
It's difficult at times to come
to grips with this weather,

301
00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:20,280
for instance, and so sisu
has really helped me.

302
00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,000
And I've got more of that sense
of satisfaction rather

303
00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:24,560
than that
need to chase happiness

304
00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:25,720
all the time.

305
00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,480
It's easy to imagine couples
like Melissa and Makke wanting

306
00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:39,000
to grow old here.

307
00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,800
And the reality is, ageing
in Finland is pretty sweet.

308
00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:07,760
I eat ice-cream every morning
because when I was a child,

309
00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:13,800
we have to eat our oat
porridge every morning.

310
00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:17,280
I decided when live by my own I will
eat ice-cream every morning.

311
00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:22,960
And, uh, this habit has
last now for 40 years.

312
00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,080
66-year-old Lena believes Finland
is a great place to get old.

313
00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:31,280
Finland is quite an equal country.

314
00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,360
And as old people, we are quite
equal with younger generation

315
00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:35,160
here in Finland.

316
00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:40,480
And we don't have to be
ashamed of ourselves.

317
00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,040
For Lena, the freedom to be
herself is important

318
00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:49,840
because she isn't your
ordinary retiree.

319
00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,440
Skating is freedom.

320
00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,880
When I am skating,

321
00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:04,240
I am just doing what I want
to do, and skating has

322
00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:05,280
increased my creativity.

323
00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:20,000
She

324
00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:20,320
She bought

325
00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:20,440
She bought her

326
00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,120
She bought her first

327
00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:22,320
She bought her first skateboard

328
00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:22,560
She bought her first skateboard at

329
00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:22,800
She bought her first skateboard at a

330
00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:22,920
She bought her first skateboard at a
63

331
00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:24,280
She bought her first skateboard at a
63 and

332
00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:24,520
She bought her first skateboard at a
63 and has

333
00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:24,720
She bought her first skateboard at a
63 and has been

334
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:24,920
She bought her first skateboard at a
63 and has been a

335
00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:25,040
She bought her first skateboard at a
63 and has been a regular

336
00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:25,320
She bought her first skateboard at a
63 and has been a regular at

337
00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:25,520
63 and has been a regular at
Helsinki's

338
00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:25,720
63 and has been a regular at
Helsinki's skate

339
00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:25,920
63 and has been a regular at
Helsinki's skate parks

340
00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:26,160
63 and has been a regular at
Helsinki's skate parks ever

341
00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,440
63 and has been a regular at
Helsinki's skate parks ever since.

342
00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:33,680
What has surprised me that
when I began came to skate park,

343
00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,920
let's say four years ago,
those kids they didn't laugh at me.

344
00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,200
They just look at me.

345
00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:11,200
Lena now runs skate classes
for both young and old.

346
00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:18,160
Woohoo!

347
00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,480
She believes that mixing
it with skaters not

348
00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:22,760
only improves her Sisu,
but shows off another

349
00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:28,040
of Finland's best traits.

350
00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:55,120
Lena is more than happy
to grow old in Finland,

351
00:16:55,120 --> 00:17:00,920
but the cost of happiness
is worrying the nation's leaders.

352
00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:09,600
Finland has one of Europe's most
rapidly ageing populations.

353
00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:16,920
By 2070 it's estimated that one
in three Finns will be over 65.

354
00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,880
With its generous pension scheme,
and life expectancy sitting at 82,

355
00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:25,000
looking after the elderly
is about to be a big problem.

356
00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,560
We have some base level problems
here in Finland and one of them

357
00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:34,800
is that we are getting old.

358
00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:34,960
Quite

359
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:35,480
Quite fast

360
00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:35,720
Quite fast here

361
00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:35,840
Quite fast here in

362
00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:45,600
Quite fast here in Finland.

363
00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,160
For government MP Annika Saariko,

364
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,880
the elderly are only one part
of the ageing crisis.

365
00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:53,040
Also the birth rate
is very low nowadays.

366
00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:54,920
We need more children
here in Finland.

367
00:17:54,920 --> 00:18:01,040
Rapid urbanisation and increasing
education levels are thought

368
00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:09,000
caused births to drop by 23%
in the last decade.

369
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,160
The government was working on plans
to address the coming crisis

370
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:15,640
but then the pandemic came.

371
00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:19,320
Who could even imagine that how
much our life is going to change

372
00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:20,320
when this pandemic came.

373
00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:22,800
I'm very grateful to the Finns
because the restrictions

374
00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:26,040
which hasn't been easy to live
with them, they decided to live

375
00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:33,240
in a good way and restrictions
have been working.

376
00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,720
Finns,
they are trusting to

377
00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:37,360
the government.

378
00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:41,120
It's a great asset.

379
00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:41,360
It

380
00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:41,720
It has

381
00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:41,960
It has helped

382
00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:42,120
It has helped us

383
00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:42,320
It has helped us a

384
00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:42,560
It has helped us a lot

385
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:42,680
It has helped us a lot while

386
00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:42,920
It has helped us a lot while we

387
00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:43,160
It has helped us a lot while we have

388
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:43,280
It has helped us a lot while we have
had

389
00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:43,520
It has helped us a lot while we have
had this

390
00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:43,800
It has helped us a lot while we have
had this global

391
00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:49,600
It has helped us a lot while we have
had this global crisis.

392
00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:52,360
A recent survey revealed
that 9 in 10 Finns fully

393
00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:53,600
supported the government's
COVID efforts.

394
00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,400
Finland trusts its government more
than most OECD countries.

395
00:18:56,400 --> 00:18:59,800
According to researchers,
that has a big impact on well-being.

396
00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:03,000
Trust has been shown to be one
of the factors that explains

397
00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:05,880
national happiness levels.

398
00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:07,520
Here, government institutions
are well functioning

399
00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:10,840
and they are able to deliver
what they are promising to deliver.

400
00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:18,000
Which means that people have this
feeling that the government

401
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,440
is taking care of them
and they're not so afraid

402
00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,600
is taking care of them and they're
not so afraid of barriers

403
00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:27,320
of barriers and downturns.

404
00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:28,720
With COVID coming under control,

405
00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:30,840
where will the trusted
government go from here?

406
00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,880
The ageing is one of the biggest
problems that we have

407
00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,840
and it is ours to solve together.
We are welfare society.

408
00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:41,520
It is important that every citizen
thinks that "my life important

409
00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:44,680
"and the politicians are also,
they want to take care of me

410
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:50,040
"so that they can trust the future."

411
00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,280
But in the happiest country
on Earth, there are a growing number

412
00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:58,480
of Finns the government
isn't taking care of.

413
00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:02,800
As dusk falls on Helsinki,
two men are trying to find them.

414
00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:27,120
According to the UN's
World Happiness Report,

415
00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:29,800
Finland has been the happiest
country on Earth, four years

416
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:33,440
running.

417
00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,600
But it's no utopia, and tonight
these men are searching for Finn's

418
00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,240
who've fallen through the cracks.

419
00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,600
Vesa and Tumos work
with No Fixed Abode,

420
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,320
a charity providing first-aid,
food and support to those sleeping

421
00:20:51,360 --> 00:20:53,240
rough in Helsinki.

422
00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,320
Locals have reported seeing a group
of young people sleeping in this

423
00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:10,520
park in below freezing conditions.

424
00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,280
In a country where winter
temperatures drop below minus 20,

425
00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:15,480
homelessness can be deadly.

426
00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:31,480
There are signs people have stayed
here, but they've moved on.

427
00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:43,760
Vesa and Tumos will spend the rest
of the night looking

428
00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:45,360
for other rough sleepers.

429
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,040
On an average evening,
they'll find dozens across Helsinki

430
00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:52,600
needing emergency help.

431
00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:06,840
Despite Finland's famed welfare
system, in the last decade,

432
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:09,320
homelessness has been
rising in one key group -

433
00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:12,480
young people under 30.

434
00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:23,720
Robin is a youth leader
at Nuoli House, a shelter for under

435
00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,080
30s.

436
00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:39,440
The shelter is run on private
donations and receives state aid.

437
00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:43,160
Even before COVID, Nuoli
was under increasing stress.

438
00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,720
Substance abuse disorders affect 4%
of the Finnish population nearly

439
00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:25,600
double the rate of
the rest of the EU.

440
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:30,840
Addiction is a key factor in youth
homelessness and affects

441
00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:41,720
many of Nuoli's residents
who declined to be film.

442
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,400
At No Fixed Abode's nearby drop-in
centre, 34-year-old former resident

443
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,600
Jussi was happy to share his story.

444
00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,360
After Jussi aged out
of the youth Shelter,

445
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,840
this place saved his life.

446
00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:22,000
But over the last decade,
government spending

447
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,840
on emergency shelters and substance
abuse programmes has been slashed.

448
00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:27,360
Funding priority has gone to
the Accommodation First Initiative

449
00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:30,640
- a scheme to to provide social
housing units to all vulnerable

450
00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:33,720
Finns by 2032.

451
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:37,560
But with youth homelessness rising,
Finland may need to re-finance

452
00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:42,320
emergency shelters and other
social support programs.

453
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:49,920
It's important to realise
that we can't lose anybody.

454
00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:54,960
They need education,
they need workplaces,

455
00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:58,720
and they need
hope, and that's why we want to put

456
00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,960
more effort to the mental health
services, because we think that

457
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:07,800
youth, they really need them now.

458
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,240
Until there is substantial change,
many homeless must rely

459
00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,840
on non-government services and sisu
to help them survive.

460
00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:42,560
In spite of issues like
homelessness, Finland remains

461
00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:47,720
at the top of the world
happiness chart.

462
00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:54,920
But is being number one
actually hurting Finland?

463
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:59,320
While expat-mum Melissa
visits the inlaws,

464
00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:04,000
there's growing concern
that the expectation to be happy

465
00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:10,720
is making people anxious.

466
00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:13,480
Sometimes it's really difficult
because my culture is to complain,

467
00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:17,440
and I guess not so much
complain but say things

468
00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:20,440
like they are, and I find that
Finnish people don't tend

469
00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:23,160
to complain so much,
or rock the boat, or upset

470
00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,520
the status quo.

471
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,720
So, that was really difficult
at times for me because I felt

472
00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:35,560
like I was being ungrateful
and not fitting in.

473
00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,640
Some mental health advocates feel
that the happiness report pressures

474
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,960
unhappy citizens to
hide their distress,

475
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:50,960
preventing many from
seeking professional help.

476
00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:55,760
But others argue, Finns
hiding their feelings

477
00:26:55,800 --> 00:27:03,720
is nothing new.

478
00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:08,160
So in Finland there's this saying,
"The one who has happiness should

479
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:09,840
"hide it."

480
00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:12,360
That's part of the Finnish
culture that people don't

481
00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:15,320
want to stick out and don't
want to display their wealth

482
00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:18,840
or their happiness to other people.

483
00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:20,720
in this modern world

484
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,800
where we are all comparing each
other through social media,

485
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,080
the less you display your happiest
moments, it's better for the social

486
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,400
comparison and in that sense might
be also good for people's happiness

487
00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:31,840
in the long run.

488
00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:35,400
Whether it's good or bad for Finland
to be the world's happiest country,

489
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:39,200
the rest of us can look to Finns
for clues on how to live

490
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:49,640
a more satisyfing life.

491
00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:51,800
This society, we have
built it for everybody.

492
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,520
And if somebody feels
that this is not for me,

493
00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:55,680
that's our biggest problem.

494
00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,320
We can learn from the uniquely
Finish concept of sisu,

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00:27:58,320 --> 00:27:59,680
which celebrates
resilience and grit.

496
00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:05,600
It's not about jumping with joy,
or smiling and laughing,

497
00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:07,960
but it's more about,

498
00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:12,720
you think that, "Well, after all,
everything is quite good."

499
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:17,120
And we can strive to be more
accepting and be stoked to be alive.

500
00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,200
This is the final episode
of Dateline for this year but we'll

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00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,480
be back in 2023 with more daring
stories from around the world.

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00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:42,080
In the meantime, you can catch up
on all our episodes at SBS

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00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:43,560
On Demand.