This article is charmingly Finnish - blunt and to the point. Only a Finn would call bullshit on a study praising their nation while also proudly praising the ve

This article is charmingly Finnish - blunt and to the point. Only a Finn would call bullshit on a study praising their nation while also proudly praising the very high quality of life and social cohesion that people enjoy in Finland. It is telling that the critique here does not offer an alternative approach. Nobody smiles in Finland? Who cares, you can fake/force a smile and some culture do force them. The happiness index here is really measuring contentment, though this is a necessary condition for happiness. In general happiness research is fraught with the classic pitfall of all psychology research: culture. What makes people happy is acceptance and respect from their fellow humans and this varies by culture. Sometimes this means money, sometimes this means performance. Generally this means living your life in the way that your compatriots respect. In that context it doesn't seem especially surprising that egalitarian and well educated Finland would top the list for happiness, though it would be hard to measure and compare such qualities.