Despite unmatched global wealth and technological progress, modern society is facing a rising tide of chronic loneliness and mental health crises. Now, the nation consistently ranked as the happiest on Earth is launching a staggering 100-year scientific project to figure out exactly why we feel the way we do.
Led by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the “Future Finland” initiative is one of the most ambitious wellbeing studies ever undertaken. The project will track the physical and mental health of an entire generation, following every child born in the country between 2025 and 2029, and their families, from birth to old age.
With an expected cohort of around 200,000 families, researchers will spend the next century examining how health, living conditions, family environments, and societal changes interact to shape human happiness over a lifetime.
Roots of modern crises
By continuously combining high-quality population registers with ongoing survey data and health measurements, scientists hope to pinpoint the exact turning points in a person’s life when their well-being trajectory begins to take shape. Ultimately, they want to identify where targeted, timely support could make the greatest possible impact.
President Sauli Niinistö, who serves as the project’s patron, emphasised the historical significance of the undertaking.
“Long-term research like this is part of the responsibility of an educated and forward-looking society. A century-long perspective may provide answers to questions we do not yet even know how to ask. The knowledge created through this research can benefit future generations in Finland and potentially around the world.”
Finland offers a uniquely strong foundation for a multi-generational study of this scale due to its world-class population registers, strong public trust in science, and highly stable institutions.
Mika Salminen, Director General of the THL, believes the massive long-term dataset generated over the coming decades could completely transform how global institutions understand and treat human health.
“We believe the direction of human wellbeing can be changed within a single generation. But we cannot solve problems whose roots we do not understand. Long-term research helps identify the causes of wellbeing – and the most effective ways to strengthen it.”
