Scandinavia
BY MARI DE ARMAS
Scandinavia continues to be the world’s happiest region, with Finland, Iceland and Denmark firmly holding on to the top three spots in the World Happiness Report of 2020 — despite the uncertainty of the pandemic. That same year, the Finnish sauna was added to UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage list, a sign of how integral the sauna is to almost every Finn’s household. Is there a correlation between happiness and warmth? Perhaps. But, on a broader level, Scandinavian happiness is based on more than temperature. It’s a cultural philosophy that values activities that bring a person joy, from being in nature to socializing to taking time to enjoy a cup of co¡ee.
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