Sisu is aFinnish word variously translated asstoic determination,tenacity of purpose,grit,bravery,resilience,[1] andhardiness.[2] It is held byFinns to express theirnational character. It does not necessarily have a single-wordliteral equivalent inEnglish, although tenacity, grit, resilience, and hardiness share similar meanings but do not necessarily imply stoicism or bravery.
In recent years, sociologists and psychologists have conducted research onsisu, attempting to quantify it and identify its effects, beneficial and harmful, in both individuals and populations.[3]
Sisu 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 andresoluteness 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 toequanimity, thoughsisu entails an element ofstress management.
The English "gutsy" invokes a similar metaphor (one also found in other languages): the Finnish usage derives fromsisus, translated as "interior", and as "entrails" or "guts". See also the colloquial phrase "intestinal fortitude". Another closely related English concept evokes the metaphorgrit.
Sisu is a term which dates back hundreds of years. It is described as being integral to understandingFinnish culture.[4] 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 whom?] to have a somewhat elusive nature. It has usually been studied as a cultural component among Finns andFinnish Americans,[5][6] but as a psychological construct long remained under-researched and poorly defined.
According to folklore researcherMatti Kuusi, the concept of "Finnish sisu" was born in 1912 at theSummer Olympics inStockholm; in his 1989 non-fiction bookMöykkyjä ja neulasia, Kuusi describes: "At that special moment, whenHannes Kolehmainen passed FrenchmanJean Bouin with a smile on the final stretch of the 5,000-meter race, it felt like a new element had been discovered: a Finnish force of nature that had no name but existed."[7] InFinnish literature, "Finnish sisu" is first mentioned in the 1917 novelKerran kesällä byJoel Lehtonen.[7]
As early as the 1940s, attempts were made to grasp the essence ofsisu. The Finnish newspaperUusi Suomi[8][full citation needed] reached out to its audience for their definition ofsisu, and conducted a contest.[7]Uusi-Suomi wrote: "All of us somewhat know whatsisu is... [it] has for long been a topic for discussion here in Finland and abroad. But how do we describe and define whatsisu really is?" The quest to define the essence ofsisu has evidently been around for almost a century. More recently, William R. Aho, professor emeritus of sociology atRhodes College, said "we need a good deal of organized, systematic scientific research to discover the scope and depth ofsisu, geographically and situationally, and the depth and strength of both the beliefs and behaviors surrounding and emanating fromsisu."[5]
Research that began in 2013 sought to offer more precise language for discussing the term. While examiningsisu 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 ofpositive psychology.Sisu as apsychological power potential was introduced for the first time at the 3rd World Congress on Positive Psychology in Los Angeles on 29 June 2013.[9] In the study,sisu is described as a psychological key competence which enables extraordinary action to overcome a mentally or physically challenging situation.Sisu also contributes to what has been namedthe action mindset: a consistent, courageous approach toward challenges which at first seem to exceed our capacities.[10]Sisu, 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 beneficialsisu.[11]
A related online survey conducted between March and May 2013 tracked the cultural representations ofsisu among contemporary Finns and Finnish Americans.[12] It revealed thatsisu 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 ofsisu 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.
Sisu is a psychological potential that enables the individual to tap into strength beyond their pre-conceived resources. Wieldingsisu in the face of adversity helps individuals push through what first seemed like the boundaries of their mental or physical capacities.Sisu provides the final empowering push when we would otherwise hesitate to act.Sisu can be conceptualized as taking action against the odds. Even though 53% of the respondents believed some people innately have moresisu, 83% of the respondents believed thatsisu 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 onsisu is currently[may be outdated as of August 2023] continuing atAalto University School of Science in Espoo, Finland.[13]
Sisu is not always an entirely positive quality. In Finnish,pahansisuinen, literally translated, meansone possessing badsisu, a description of a hostile and malignant person. The answers from thesisu survey indicate that there can be too muchsisu, and according to the survey answers this leads to bull-headedness, foolhardiness, self-centeredness, and inflexible thinking. The study suggests thatsisu should be informed by reason and cultivated and practiced with self-compassion.[10]
Like any trait or psychological capacity,sisu 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 onsisu as acultural construct, but it is a universal capacity and the potential for it exists within all individuals.
The transformative power of narrative is widely acknowledged.[14][page needed] People develop their values and contribute to cultural values by communicating with other people in their culture.[15] Fosteringsisu may very well be embedded in such behavior, rather than being a genetic trait one is born with.Sisu 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[by whom?] that positive psychology research could benefit from focusing onsisu and by examining relevant constructs from other cultures.
Sisu has been described as "the word that explains Finland", and the Finns' "favorite word"—"the most wonderful of all their words."[16]As defined byRoman Schatz in his bookFrom Finland with Love (2005),sisu is an ability to finish a task successfully. During theWinter War of 1939–1940, the Finnish perseverance in the face of the invasion by theSoviet Union popularized this word in English for a generation.[17][18]In what may have been the first use ofsisu in the English language, on 8 January 1940,Time magazine reported:
The Finns have something they callsisu. It is a compound of bravado and bravery, of ferocity and tenacity, of the ability to keep fighting after most people would have quit, and to fight with the will to win. The Finns translatesisu as "the Finnish spirit" but it is a much more gutful word than that. Last week the Finns gave the world a good example ofsisu by carrying the war into Russian territory on one front while on another they withstood merciless attacks by a reinforcedRussian Army. In the wilderness that forms most of the Russo-Finnish frontier betweenLake Laatokka and theArctic Ocean, the Finns definitely gained the upper hand.
In 2009,sisu was described as so essential to the Finnish national character that "to be a real Finn" you must have it: "willpower, tenacity, persistency."[19]
Singled out for kudos for this attribute was "Finland's wiry old peasantPresident,Kyösti Kallio—full ofsisu..."[18]The word was also used to describe the Finnish stubbornness in sticking to its loose alliance withNazi Germany from 1941 to 1944 in thewar against the Soviet Union, which had previously attacked Finland in November of 1939:
Finnishsisu—meaning a peculiarly Finnish brand of doggedness, capable of facing down death itself—was at work against the Allies.... The Finns are not happy. Butsisu enables them to say: "We have nothing worse than death to fear."
During the1952 Summer Olympics,sisu was further described in the context of the continuingCold War looming over the Finnish capital city ofHelsinki:
HELSINKI, host to the Olympic Games, a city of 400,000, was abustle. ... The Finns are not stupidly hiding their eyes from their future, but they are determined not to fall into another fight with a powerful and predatorynext-door neighbor 66 times their size (in area, Finland is the sixth largest country in Europe; in population it is the third smallest). Under popular, 81-year-old PresidentJuho Kusti Paasikivi and able, unpopular Agrarian PremierUrho Kekkonen, the Finns have learned to walk the nerve-racking path of independence like tight-rope walkers.
Well into the 1960s,sisu was used to describe the Finnish resistance to the invasion of 20 to 30 years prior and its continuing discontents.[22] In 1960, Austin Goodrich's book,Study inSisu: Finland's Fight for Independence, was published byBallantine.[23] Also in 1960, a notable reviewer of Griffin Taylor's novel,Mortlake, wrote:
"Have you heard of Finnishsisu?" asks a character in "Mortlake"—and it turns out thatsisu is a sort of stamina or staying-power which the Finns have had to develop as a result of living next door to the Russians.
In 2004,Jorma Ollila,CEO ofNokia, described his company's "guts" by using the wordsisu:
In times like these, the executives who run Nokia talk up a uniquely Finnish quality calledsisu. "The translation would be 'guts,'" says Jorma Ollila, CEO of Nokia, in an interview. (Photograph Caption: Jorma Ollila says Nokia is determined to 'overcome all obstacles.') "But it's also endurance. There is a long-term element to it. You overcome all obstacles. You need quite a lot ofsisu to survive in this climate." The climate he's referring to is the bleak and bitterNordic winters, but he might as well be talking about the competitive, erratic wireless-phone market and Nokia's travails. Thissisu trait—anathema toWall Street's short-term outlook—says a lot about Nokia's response to its recent turmoil.
— Kevin Maney[25]
A Finnishheavy metal rock singer injured himself, without noticing, at a concert, to which a reviewer wrote:
Alan epäillä, että suomalainen sisu ja adrenaliini ovat yksi ja sama asia.—I am beginning to suspect that the Finnishsisu and adrenaline are the same thing.
— ImperiumI.net Finnish Heavy Metal website[26]
The concept is widely known in theUpper Peninsula of Michigan, which is home to a large concentration of Finnish Americans. This has extended to include a popular bumper sticker saying "gotsisu?" or simply "SISU". In 2010, a 63-year-oldYooper named Joe Paquette Jr. ofMunising, Michigan, walked 425 miles to theDetroit Lions training facility to bring the spirit ofsisu to the team.[27]
The non-profit documentarySISU: Family, Love and Perseverance from Finland to America was made by Finnish-American filmmaker Marko Albrecht. The documentary looks atsisu 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 modernFinnish-American life.[28]
In a 2008 episode ofTop Gear,F1 racerMika Häkkinen describedsisu toJames May:
Sisu in English meanscourage, it is the Finnishcourage. Let me give you an example. Climbing a tree and jumping down from there, that doesn't meansisu. That is notcourage.Sisu we can relate very much that in motor racing, for example, you're driving a rally car in a forest extremely, really fast, you need courage to be able to brake late, to go on the throttle really early, to go really close to the apex of the corners.[29]
The platinum trophy of the Finnish-made video gameAlan Wake 2, given to players who earn every other trophy in the game, is called Sisu.
Due to its cultural significance,sisu is a common element ofbrand names inFinland.For example, there isSisu Auto trucks,Sisu armored vehicles, theicebreakerMS Sisu (and its scrapped1938 counterpart), abrand of strong-tastingpastilles manufactured byLeaf,[30] andSuomen Sisu, a Finnish nationalist organisation.
Sisu is also a male name with increasing popularity. More than 2,000 Finnish men have this name,[31] most of them being born after 2010. The son ofThe Dudesons'sJukka Hilden is called Sisu.
Globally, there were several fitness-related organizations and endurance sports teams such as the Sisu Project based inHaverhill andWorcester,Massachusetts, US,[32] that carried the namesisu and based their philosophy on the characteristics included in the conceptsisu, including courage, integrity, honesty, and determination.
Mount Sisu is the name of a mountain first ascended by mountain climbersVeikka Gustafsson and Patrick Degerman in the Antarctic.
Sisu is also the name of a London-based hedge-fund, operated by several directors including Joy Seppala. The firm bought the football clubCoventry 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 downtownIronwood.[33]
In season two of McLaren's animated programTooned, Sisu is a planet and the true origin of two-time Formula One Drivers' ChampionMika Häkkinen (and possibly 2007 Drivers' ChampionKimi 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 inRobert A. Heinlein's 1957 science fiction novelCitizen of the Galaxy is namedSisu.[34]
AWorld War II movie titledSisu, directed byJalmari Helander and starringJorma Tommila, was released in April 2023.[35] The film's sequel,Sisu: Road to Revenge, was released in October 2025.[7]
