Stop Chasing Happiness: Life Lessons from Finland – The World's Happiest Country - Softcover

Martela, Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1805463756 ISBN 13: 9781805463757

Publisher: Allen & Unwin, 2026

Synopsis

LIFE LESSONS FROM THE HAPPIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

The secret to happiness? Stop trying to find it - it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Finding happiness is less about learning new tricks and more about unlearning ways of thinking holding you back: Stop chasing happiness, stop obsessing over what others think, stop caring too much about how you feel, stop making sacrifices for personal success.

Here, academic and philosopher Frank Martela unpacks why we value happiness, and why chasing it is actually making you miserable. He reveals the secrets to Finland's continued top rankings in the global happiness reports by showing that, actually, living with purpose and contentment is much more beneficial that striving to be happy.

Building on Frank's personal encounters with people from all walks of life during travels around Finland and abroad, this book blends personal stories and quirky anecdotes with the latest scientific research and ancient traditions to deliver a strong message about how you should approach life: what you should stop doing and what you should start doing instead, to find an enduring sense of contentment and an energizing sense of
purpose for your own life.

About this title

About the Author

Frank Martela, PhD, is a philosopher, professor and researcher of psychology at Aalto University in Finland, specializing in happiness, meaningfulness, human motivation, and how organizations and institutions can unleash human potential. He has lectured at universities around the world, and his last book A Wonderful Life - Insights on Finding a Meaningful Experience (HarperCollins, 2020) was translated into 29 languages. Frank is a key authority on why Finland is so happy, having written extensively on Nordic well-being, alongside being the Principal Investigator for a research team developing a well-being module for European Social Survey 2025.


Outside of work, Frank is the father of three lovely kids, plays football and a Nordic sport called floorball, and enjoys long summers at a small cabin in the Finnish archipelago.

Edition details

• Publisher: Allen & Unwin
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1805463756
• ISBN 13: 9781805463757
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224