The key to a high quality of life according to a Finnish philosopher
For the past five years, the World Happiness Report has ranked Finland as the happiest country in the world. Last year’s report showed that people in 156 countries were asked to “value their lives today on a 0 to 10 scale, with the worst possible life as a 0”. It also analysed factors that contribute to social support, life expectancy, generosity and absence of corruption.
Kenneth Vella, Ambassador of Malta to Estonia and Finland and head of Mater Boni Consilii St Joseph School, Paola, has been collaborating with Finnish entities for over 15 years. Recently, he had the opportunity to discuss these results with one of his friends and colleagues in Finland, Frank Martela.
The latter is a leading philosopher and psychologist and also a researcher on the fundamentals of happiness. Martela is also a lecturer at Aalto University, in Finland and the author of A Wonderful Life: Insights on Finding a Meaningful Existence.
During one of his recent conversations, Vella asked Martela about the secrets that make the Finnish people so satisfied with their lives. But, instead of divulging these secrets, Martela mentioned three things Finns do in order to maintain a high quality of life.
Do...