is a Finnish word variously translated as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit,

bravery Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

, resilience, and hardiness. It is held by

Finns Finns or Finnish people (, ) are a Baltic Finns, Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these cou ...

to express their national character. It is generally considered not to have a single-word literal equivalent in English (tenacity, grit, resilience, and hardiness are much the same things, but do not necessarily imply stoicism or bravery). In recent years, sociologists and psychologists have conducted research on , attempting to quantify it and identify its effects, beneficial and harmful, in both individuals and populations.

Meaning

is extraordinary determination in the face of extreme adversity, and courage that is presented typically in situations where success is unlikely. It expresses itself in taking action against the odds, and displaying courage and resoluteness in the face of adversity; in other words, deciding on a course of action, and then adhering to it even if repeated failures ensue. It is in some ways similar to

equanimity Equanimity is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by the experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may otherwise cause a loss of mental balance. The virtue and value of equanimity is ...

, though entails an element of

stress management Stress management consists of a wide spectrum of techniques and psychotherapy, psychotherapies aimed at controlling a person's level of psychological stress, especially chronic stress, generally for the purpose of improving the function of everyda ...

. The English "gutsy" invokes a similar metaphor (one also found in other languages): the Finnish usage derives from , translated as "interior", and as "entrails" or "guts". See also the colloquial phrase " intestinal fortitude". Another closely related English concept evokes the metaphor grit.

As a psychological capacity

is a term which dates back hundreds of years. It is described as being integral to understanding Finnish culture. It is a term for going beyond one's mental or physical capacity, and is a central part of the country's culture and collective discourse. However, hardly any empirical research has been done to explore the meaning of this construct as a possible psychological strength resource, and it has long seemed to have a somewhat elusive nature. It has usually been studied as a cultural component among Finns and Finnish Americans, but as a psychological construct long remained under-researched and poorly defined. As early as the 1940s, attempts were made to grasp the essence of . The Finnish newspaper '' Uusi Suomi'' reached out to its audience for their definition of , and conducted a contest. ''Uusi-Suomi'' wrote: "All of us somewhat know what is... thas for long been a topic for discussion here in Finland and abroad. But how do we describe and define what really is?" The quest to define the essence of has evidently been around for almost a century. More recently, William R. Aho, professor emeritus of sociology at Rhodes College, said "we need a good deal of organized, systematic scientific research to discover the scope and depth of , geographically and situationally, and the depth and strength of both the beliefs and behaviors surrounding and emanating from ." Research that began in 2013 sought to offer more precise language for discussing the term. While examining within the psychological framework, it sought to render it less elusive as a construct by giving it an easily citable definition rooted within the field of

positive psychology Positive psychology is the scientific study of conditions and processes that contribute to positive psychological states (e.g., contentment, joy), well-being, Positive psychology of relationships, positive relationships, and positive institutio ...

. as a ''psychological power potential'' was introduced for the first time at the 3rd World Congress on Positive Psychology in Los Angeles on 29 June 2013. In the study, is described as a psychological key competence which enables extraordinary action to overcome a mentally or physically challenging situation. also contributes to what has been named ''the action mindset'': a consistent, courageous approach toward challenges which at first seem to exceed our capacities.Abstract
, as measured by the Sisu Scale questionnaire, has been established in contemporary psychological research as a strong correlate with well-being and stress. The Sisu Scale is composed of harmful and beneficial . A related online survey conducted between March and May 2013 tracked the cultural representations of among contemporary Finns and Finnish Americans. It revealed that is still deeply valued, and that there is public interest for cultivating this strength capacity as well. The study received over 1,000 responses; its data was the basis for thematic analysis. Among the main findings was the perception of as a reserve of power which enables extraordinary action to overcome mentally or physically challenging situations, rather than being the ability to pursue long-term goals and be persistent. is a psychological potential that enables the individual to tap into strength beyond their pre-conceived resources. Wielding in the face of adversity helps individuals push through what first seemed like the boundaries of their mental or physical capacities. provides the final empowering push when we would otherwise hesitate to act. can be conceptualized as taking action against the odds. Even though 53% of the respondents believed some people innately have more , 83% of the respondents believed that is a flexible quality that can be cultivated through conscious practice, rather than being a fixed quality, and the majority of respondents were interested in developing this capacity. Research on is currently continuing at Aalto University School of Science in Espoo, Finland. is not always an entirely positive quality. In Finnish, , literally translated, means ''one possessing bad '', a description of a hostile and malignant person. The answers from the survey indicate that there can be too much , and according to the survey answers this leads to bull-headedness, foolhardiness, self-centeredness, and inflexible thinking. The study suggests that should be informed by reason and cultivated and practiced with self-compassion. Like any trait or psychological capacity, is the complex product of genetic, psychological, biological, and social factors, and its comprehensive understanding will require studies from multiple scientific perspectives. Finland may have the initial monopoly on as a cultural construct, but it is a universal capacity and the potential for it exists within all individuals. The transformative power of narrative is widely acknowledged. People develop their values and contribute to cultural values by communicating with other people in their culture. Fostering may very well be embedded in such behavior, rather than being a genetic trait one is born with. is a new term in the field of positive psychology, and it may contribute to our understanding of the determinants of resilience, as well as of achievement and the good life. It is suggested that positive psychology research could benefit from focusing on and by examining relevant constructs from other cultures.

Cultural significance

has been described as "the word that explains Finland", and the Finns' "favorite word"—"the most wonderful of all their words." As defined by

Roman Schatz Roman Schatz (born 21 August 1960) is a German-born Finnish journalist and author. He was born in Überlingen, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany. He has written more than two dozen books, many of which have also been published in Germany. His fir ...

in his book '' From Finland with Love'' (2005), is an ability to finish a task successfully. During the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

of 1939–1940, the Finnish perseverance in the face of the invasion by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

popularized this word in English for a generation. In what may have been the first use of in the English language, on 8 January 1940, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine reported: In 2009, was described as so essential to the Finnish national character that "to be a real Finn" you must have it: "willpower, tenacity, persistency."

Examples

Singled out for kudos for this attribute was "Finland's wiry old peasant President, Kyösti Kallio—full of ..." The word was also used to describe the Finnish stubbornness in sticking to its loose alliance with The Third Reich from 1941 to 1944 (in the war against the Soviet Union, which had attacked Finland on 30 November 1939): During the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

, was further described in the context of the continuing

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

looming over the Finnish capital city of

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

: Well into the 1960s, was used to describe the Finnish resistance to the invasion of 20 to 30 years prior and its continuing discontents. In 1960, Austin Goodrich's book, ''Study in : Finland's Fight for Independence'', was published by Ballantine. Also in 1960, a notable reviewer of Griffin Taylor's novel, ''Mortlake'', wrote: In 2004, Jorma Ollila, CEO of

Nokia Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, originally established as a pulp mill in 1 ...

, described his company's "guts" by using the word : A Finnish heavy metal rock singer injured himself, without noticing, at a concert, to which a reviewer wrote: The concept is widely known in the

Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula of ...

, which is home to a large concentration of Finnish Americans. This has extended to include a popular bumper sticker saying "got ?" or simply "". In 2010, a 63-year-old Yooper named Joe Paquette Jr. of Munising, Michigan, walked 425 miles to the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

training facility to bring the spirit of to the team. The non-profit documentary '': Family, Love and Perseverance from Finland to America'' was made by Finnish-American filmmaker Marko Albrecht. The documentary looks at by means of a profile of his late mother, his Finnish-American family, and his uncle Heikki's fight against pancreatic cancer. The film was called a time-capsule of modern Finnish-American life. In a 2008 episode of '' Top Gear'', F1 racer Mika Häkkinen described to

James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...

: The platinum trophy of the Finnish-made video game Alan Wake 2, given to players who earn every other trophy in the game, is called Sisu.

As a proper name

Due to its cultural significance, is a common element of

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

s in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. For example, there are Sisu trucks (and Sisu armored vehicles), the

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

'' MS '', a

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

of strong-tasting pastilles manufactured by Leaf and Suomen Sisu, a Finnish nationalist organisation with connections to other far-right groups. Sisu is also a male name with increasing popularity. More than 2,000 Finnish men have this name, most of them being born after 2010. The son of The Dudesons's Jukka Hilden is called Sisu. Globally, there were several fitness-related organizations and endurance sports teams such as the Sisu Project based in Haverhill and Worcester,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, U.S.A. that carried the name and based their philosophy on the characteristics included in the concept , including courage, integrity, honesty, and determination. Mount Sisu is the name of a mountain first ascended by mountain climbers Veikka Gustafsson and Patrick Degerman in the Antarctic. is also the name of a London-based hedge-fund, operated by several directors including Joy Seppala. The firm bought the football club Coventry City FC in 2007. In Norway there is a seafood company named Sisu Seafood Norway AS that exports Norwegian seafoods. On the Western end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the SISU Ski Fest is a popular annual event, highlighting a 21- and 42-kilometer cross-country ski race "finishing" in historic downtown Ironwood.

In popular culture

In season two of McLaren's animated program '' Tooned'', Sisu is a planet and the true origin of two-time Formula One Drivers' Champion Mika Häkkinen (and possibly 2007 Drivers' Champion Kimi Räikkönen as well, based on a Sisu scene near the end of the episode in question). Häkkinen and Räikkönen are both Finnish and have driven for McLaren; Häkkinen won both of his titles with the team while Räikkönen won his after leaving McLaren for Ferrari. A starship with a crew of partly Finnish descent in Robert A. Heinlein's 1957 science fiction novel '' Citizen of the Galaxy'' is named . A

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

movie titled '' Sisu'', directed by Jalmari Helander and starring Jorma Tommila, was released in April 2023.

References

External links

* * —Lahti's website and blog with resources on * * —explains what is (starts at 4:32) {{Virtues Culture of Finland Positive psychology Finnish words and phrases Words and phrases describing personality Words and phrases with no direct English translation