Although Finns are not known for their great displays of joy, they're generally quite content with life.
That's the finding from a new study out on Tuesday by the EVA think tank, which puts Finland among the happiest EU countries.
The extensive study which measured contentment across a range of indicators was conducted in Finland by the EVA group which carried out a survey on the same topic in 2004.
Although the finding that 80 percent of Finns are very or quite content means Finns are still among the happiest people in Europe, they have lost some ground to their neighbours. For example, Sweden and Estonia have seen happiness grow since the last survey, while in Finland happiness indicators have stayed static.
Content across the board
Researchers found the differences between various segments of the population were small.
"Finland is an egalitarian country -- even in happiness," says Ilkka Haavisto, EVA's head of research.
Although Finland has been experiencing an economic recession for several years in a row, optimism about the future has not declined. In fact, it has increased. Now, 31 percent of Finns think things will be better five years from now. In 2011, five years ago, only 15 percent of those surveyed thought things would improve in five years.
EVA has been surveying Finns' value and attitude changes since 1984.