Vocabulary

 

 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

 
Finland has topped the World Happiness Report again. The Finns are allegedly the happiest people in the world.

I’ve come to the Finnish capital, Helsinki, to investigate.

Helsinki Resident, Male, 1: “Yeah, I’m 90% happy.”
Helsinki Resident, Female, 2:”I would say like somewhere around 85%.”
Helsinki Resident, Male, 3: “I am 100% happy!”
Helsinki Resident, Female, 4: “100%!”
Helsinki Resident, Male, 5: “Me too, 100%.”
Helsinki Resident, Male, 6: “Full 100%.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
I’ll be meeting Finnish happiness coach Petri. Can he make me happy? I seriously doubt it.

Journalist: “We’ve heard that you are the happiest people in the world. Can that be true?”
Finnish Male, 7: “Maybe, maybe not literally.”
Finnish Male, 8: “I wonder about this result, but it can be possible.”
Finnish Female, 9: “I doubt that.”
Finnish Male, 1: “Happiness is subjective . . . or, uh objective.”

Journalist: “How many percent happy are you?”
Finnish Female, 10: “95%.”
Finnish Male, 7: “70%.”
Finnish Female, 10: “I’m 85% happy.”
Finnish Male, 11: “100%. I’m a teenager. I must be happy.”

Journalist: “Why are Finns so happy?”
Finnish Female, 12: “Free education, free health care . . .”
Finnish Male, 11: “And we have nice laws here.”
Journalist: “Nice laws?”
Finnish Male, 11: “Yeah.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
The Finns don’t just want to keep the happiness to themselves: with the Rent a Finn project, they are pairing people up with happiness coaches.

I’ve been teamed up with Petri in Matilda Dahl. Let’s go!

Petri, Happiness Coach: “My name is Petri. I’m a rent-a-happiness guide. I live in this old ironwork village, Matilda Dahl, and I enjoy nature.”

Journalist: “Do you think you could make me happy?”
Petri: “Ummm. I don’t know. I think I could. We could try.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 
Petri says it’s the simple things that make you happy, like chopping wood.

Petri, Happiness Coach: “You do again, like this.”

He makes it look quite easy.

Petri, Happiness Coach: “Let go, let’s have a go . . . Harder . . . Hmm . . . harder, Oh-oh!”

“I see some DEEP sadness in Adrian. He seems to be a tough case, but I think we’ll get him there.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Petri’s main tip is to get in touch with Finnish nature.

Petri: “There’s a big hill.”
Adrian: “It is a big hill.”
Petri: “We are going up here; let’s go!”

You have to get as far away from civilization as possible.

Petri: “Come on, Adrian, follow me.”
Adrian: “Yeah, yeah.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

So far, I seem to be remarkably immune to the Finnish happiness bug. I’m getting a little disoriented.

Adrian: “Which way did he go? That way?”

A little paranoid . . . “I think there’s a wolf” . . . and more than ready for a bit of lunch.

Adrian: “I’m getting a little bit hungry.”
Petri: “Are you really? Have some of these.”

Adrian: “Um. Okay. You promised me sausages, though.”
Petri: “Yes. Oh, yeah.”

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

 

Eventually, we reach our destination.

Petri: “I’m the king of the world!”
Adrian: “I’m the king of the world. Okay, yeah. Nature.”

Petri: “What is it telling you?”
Adrian: “I can hear the water.”
Petri: “Yeah, that’s right.”
Adrian: “And the wind.”

I have to admit, the happiness effect is beginning to kick in.

Petri: “The sound of the leaves in the trees.”

Of course, a Finnish walk is always very likely to end at one of its 180,000 lakes — or 2 million saunas.

Petri: “The sauna. This is the real, old-fashioned Finnish sauna.”

The sauna is the place to forget your worries and bond with your happiness coach — and sitting in stifling heat is the best preparation for being plunged into the icy waters of the Baltic Sea.

My happiness therapy is complete.

Adrian: “I was skeptical at first, but now I feel a little Finnish joy moving through my veins.”

Petri: “Really?”

“Here’s a song I wrote. You might like to sing it, note for note: don’t worry, be happy. Here’s a little song I wrote. You might like to sing it.
Don’t worry, be happy.”

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

 

Questions

 
Panic Stricken. Adrian the reporter came to Finland to cover Finnish politics. True or false?

Depressed. Did he interview and talk to psychologists, sociologists, professors and researchers? Did he ask random locals if they felt ecstatic, blissful, joyous, happy, in the middle, mixed, both happy and unhappy, unhappy, sad, depressed or panic stricken?

Anxiety, Fear, Worry. Are Finns on average a gloomy people? Why are Finns happy? What makes Finns happy?

Melancholic, Gloomy. The Finns want to keep the secret of their happiness a secret. Is this right or wrong? Do they offer class and courses on happiness?

Annoyed, Irritated. Did Petri, Adrian’s happiness coach take him to discos, parties, bars and nightclubs in Helsinki?

Stressed. They played soccer, basketball and video games. Is this correct or incorrect?

Okay, Alright. In the video, did they listen to pop music or classical music?

Happy, Cheerful. Did they undergo a traditional folk “ritual”?
 
 
 
Joyous. How happy are your friends, colleagues and neighbors, from 1% to 100%?

Blissful. What is the happiest place that you have been to? Who is the happiest person that you know?

Wonderful, Fantastic. Who are the happiest people in society?

On Top of the World. What might happen in the future?

Ecstatic. How can people become happier? What are the secrets of happiness?