You Can Apply to Finland's Masterclass in Happiness

For the last five consecutive years, Finland has found itself in the top spot of the World Happiness Report. “Happiest Country in the World” is quite the appellation — one that has apparently left the Finnish people perplexed, but not deterred them from capitalizing on it nevertheless.

A few years ago, the Finnish tourism board launched an innovative campaign which involved the “renting of a Finn” to show tourists firsthand their sanguine ways. Now, the Nordic country is taking that one step further, this time by launching a masterclass in happiness.

Per a press released from Visit Finland, Finland is currently accepting applications for a class, taught by experts, on how to find happiness the “Finnish way.” The four-day class, which is currently slated for June 2023, will be limited to just 10 students and will focus on four key themes: nature and lifestyle; health and balance; design and every day; and food and wellbeing.

Why Are the Finnish People So Happy, Anyway?

The chummy folks do a lot right. But here are three things they don’t do.

The best part is that it’s in-person and all costs associated with traveling to Finland, and participating in the course, are covered by Visit Finland. Now, before you throw all of your happy eggs into one Finnish basket, it’s worth noting that happiness is largely subjective. No one masterclass, self-help book or magic pill (at least one administered by a tourism board, or even legally) holds all the answers. Of course, there are surely some takeaways to be gleaned from Finland’s happiness 101 course, but even a Finn will tell you that it’s not sunshine and rainbows all the time. In fact, it rarely is, ever.

“[It’s] too much. The weather is like the worst day in London, every day. There’s definitely something in our history that makes us have this kind of low self-esteem as a nation, always feeling like an underdog,” one Finnish writer told The New York Times after their fourth win a few years back.

That said, the Finnish have been proven to skew more on the side of optimistic than most, weather be damned. Plus, a free trip to Finland in and of itself is bound to induce happiness. Applications are only being accepted through April 2, so if you could do for a little summertime serotonin boost, I suggest you get started.