View source for Sisu

{{Short description|Finnish concept}}
{{About|the Finnish word}}
{{italic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
'''{{lang|fi|Sisu}}''' is a [[Finnish language|Finnish]] word variously translated as [[stoicism|stoic]] determination, [[wikt:tenacity|tenacity]] of purpose, [[grit (personality trait)|grit]], [[courage|bravery]], [[psychological resilience|resilience]],<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite journal |last1= Masten |first1= Ann S. |date= Summer 2009 |title= Ordinary Magic: Lessons from Research on Resilience in Human Development |url= http://www.cea-ace.ca/sites/default/files/EdCan-2009-v49-n3-Masten.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111083835/http://www.cea-ace.ca/sites/default/files/EdCan-2009-v49-n3-Masten.pdf|archive-date=2013-11-11 |journal= Education Canada |volume= 49 |issue= 3 |pages= 28–32 |issn= 0013-1253 }}
|2={{cite journal |last1= Luthar |first1= Suniya S. |last2= Cicchetti |first2= Dante |last3=Becker |first3= Bronwyn |name-list-style= amp |title= The Construct of Resilience: A Critical Evaluation and Guidelines for Future Work |journal= Child Development |date= May–June 2000 |volume= 71 |issue= 3 |pages= 543–562 |doi= 10.1111/1467-8624.00164 |pmid= 10953923 |pmc= 1885202 |issn= 0009-3920}}
}}</ref> and [[hardiness (psychology)|hardiness]].<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite journal |last=Kobasa |first= Suzanne C. |date= April 1982 |title= Commitment and Coping in Stress Resistance Among Lawyers |journal= Journal of Personality and Social Psychology |volume= 42 |issue= 4 |pages= 707–717 |doi= 10.1037/0022-3514.42.4.707 |issn= 0022-3514}}
|2={{cite journal |last=Maddi |first= Salvatore R. |year= 1999 |title= The Personality Construct of Hardiness: I. Effects on Experiencing, Coping, and Strain |journal= Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research |volume=  51 |issue= 2 |pages= 83–94 |doi= 10.1037/1061-4087.51.2.83 |issn= 1065-9293}}
}}</ref> It is held by [[Finns]] to express their [[national character]]. It does not necessarily have a single-word [[Metaphrase|literal equivalent]] in [[English language|English]], 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 on {{lang|fi|sisu}}, attempting to quantify it and identify its effects, beneficial and harmful, in both individuals and populations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Henttonen |first1=Pentti |last2=Määttänen |first2=Ilmari |last3=Makkonen |first3=Emilia |last4=Honka |first4=Anita |last5=Seppälä |first5=Vilja |last6=Närväinen |first6=Johanna |last7=García-Velázquez |first7=Regina |last8=Airaksinen |first8=Jaakko |last9=Jokela |first9=Markus |last10=Lahti |first10=Emilia Elisabet |date=2022-11-01 |title=A measure for assessment of beneficial and harmful fortitude: development and initial validation of the Sisu Scale |journal=Heliyon |language=English |volume=8 |issue=11 |article-number=e11483 |doi=10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11483 |doi-access=free |issn=2405-8440 |pmc=9667267 |pmid=36406727|bibcode=2022Heliy...811483H }}</ref>

==Meaning==
{{lang|fi|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 and [[wikt:resoluteness|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]], though {{lang|fi|sisu}} entails an element of [[stress management]].

The English "gutsy" invokes a similar metaphor (one also found in other languages): the Finnish usage derives from {{lang|fi|sisus}}, translated as "interior", and as "entrails" or "guts". See also the colloquial phrase "[[intestinal fortitude]]". Another closely related English concept evokes the metaphor [[Grit (personality trait)|grit]].

==As a psychological capacity==
{{lang|fi|Sisu}} is a term which dates back hundreds of years. It is described as being integral to understanding [[Finnish culture]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Taramaa |first=Raija |date=2009-03-01 |title=Sisu As a Central Marker of Finnish-American Culture: Stubbornness beyond reason |url=https://rauli.cbs.dk/index.php/assc/article/view/4624 |journal=American Studies in Scandinavia |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=36–60 |doi=10.22439/asca.v41i1.4624 |issn=0044-8060|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 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?|date=August 2023}} to have a somewhat elusive nature. It has usually been studied as a cultural component among Finns and [[Finnish American]]s,<ref name=Aho-2005>{{cite book |last=Aho |first=William R. |chapter=Is 'Sisu' Alive and Well Among Finnish Americans? |pages= 196–205 |editor1-last= Karni |editor1-first= Michael G.  |editor2-first= Joanne |editor2-last= Asala |name-list-style= amp |title= The Best of Finnish Americana |publisher= Penfield Press |location= Iowa City, Iowa |year= 1994 |isbn= 978-1-57216-003-3}}</ref><ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite journal |last= Stoller |first= Eleanor Palo |title= Sauna, Sisu, and Sibelius: Ethnic Identity Among Finnish Americans |journal= The Sociological Quarterly |date= January 1996 |volume= 37 |issue= 1 |pages= 145–175 |doi=10.1111/j.1533-8525.1996.tb02335.x |issn= 0038-0253}}
|2={{cite thesis |degree=Ph.D. |first= Raija |last=Taramaa |title= Stubborn and Silent Finns with 'Sisu' in Finnish-American Literature: An Imagological Study of Finnishness in the Literary Production of Finnish-American Authors |series= Acta Universitatus Oulu |location= Oulu |publisher= Oulu University Press |year= 2007 |isbn= 978-951-42-8372-7 }} }}</ref> but as a psychological construct long remained under-researched and poorly defined.

According to folklore researcher [[Matti Kuusi]], the concept of "Finnish sisu" was born in 1912 at the [[1912 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]] in [[Stockholm]]; in his 1989 non-fiction book ''Möykkyjä ja neulasia'', Kuusi describes: "At that special moment, when [[Hannes Kolehmainen]] passed Frenchman [[Jean 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."<ref name="yle-holvas"/> In [[Finnish literature]], "Finnish sisu" is first mentioned in the 1917 novel ''Kerran kesällä'' by [[Joel Lehtonen]].<ref name="yle-holvas"/>

As early as the 1940s, attempts were made to grasp the essence of {{lang|fi|sisu}}. The Finnish newspaper ''[[Uusi Suomi]]''<ref>{{cite news |author= Uusi-Suomi |title={{lang|fi|Mitä sisu on?}} |trans-title= What is {{lang|fi|sisu}}? |language= fi |newspaper=[[Uusi Suomi]]|year= 1942}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=March 2015}} reached out to its audience for their definition of {{lang|fi|sisu}}, and conducted a contest.<ref name="yle-holvas"/> ''Uusi-Suomi'' wrote: "All of us somewhat know what {{lang|fi|sisu}} is... [it] has for long been a topic for discussion here in Finland and abroad. But how do we describe and define what {{lang|fi|sisu}} really is?" The quest to define the essence of {{lang|fi|sisu}} 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 {{lang|fi|sisu}}, geographically and situationally, and the depth and strength of both the beliefs and behaviors surrounding and emanating from {{lang|fi|sisu}}."<ref name="Aho-2005"/>

Research that began in 2013 sought to offer more precise language for discussing the term. While examining {{lang|fi|sisu}} 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]]. {{lang|fi|Sisu}} 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.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite web |first= Emilia |last= Lahti |date= 8 July 2013 |title= Sisu Is a Universal Potential Within All Individuals |url= http://emiliaelisabethblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/sisu-is-a-universal-potential/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111083602/http://emiliaelisabethblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/sisu-is-a-universal-potential/|archive-date=2013-11-11 |work=Sisu Social: Transforming Barriers into Frontiers |access-date= 11 November 2013}}
|2={{cite book |first1= C. |last1=Rockind |first2= E. |last2= Lahti |name-list-style= amp |date= 27–30 June 2013 |chapter= WK 17 How to Find the 'Why' of Life: A Research-Based Process to Uncover One's Purpose and Find Meaning in Life |title= Third World Congress on Positive Psychology: Final Program |url= http://www.ippanetwork.org/assets/1/7/IPPAThirdWorldCongressProgram.pdf |location= Los Angeles |publisher= International Positive Psychology Association |page= 108 |access-date=11 November 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140412062541/http://www.ippanetwork.org/assets/1/7/IPPAThirdWorldCongressProgram.pdf |archive-date= 12 April 2014}}
}}</ref>  In the study, {{lang|fi|sisu}} is described as a psychological key competence which enables extraordinary action to overcome a mentally or physically challenging situation. {{lang|fi|Sisu}} also contributes to what has been named ''the action mindset'': a consistent, courageous approach toward challenges which at first seem to exceed our capacities.<ref name="Lahti 2013">{{cite thesis |type= Master's thesis |first= Emilia |last= Lahti |title= Above and Beyond Perseverance: An Exploration of {{lang|fi|Sisu}} |publisher= University of Pennsylvania |year= 2013}}[http://repository.upenn.edu/mapp_capstoneabstracts/8/ Abstract])</ref> {{lang|fi|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 beneficial {{lang|fi|sisu}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Henttonen |first1=Pentti |last2=Määttänen |first2=Ilmari |last3=Makkonen |first3=Emilia |last4=Honka |first4=Anita |last5=Seppälä |first5=Vilja |last6=Närväinen |first6=Johanna |last7=García-Velázquez |first7=Regina |last8=Airaksinen |first8=Jaakko |last9=Jokela |first9=Markus |last10=Lahti |first10=Emilia Elisabet |date=2022-11-01 |title=A measure for assessment of beneficial and harmful fortitude: development and initial validation of the Sisu Scale |journal=Heliyon |language=English |volume=8 |issue=11 |article-number=e11483 |doi=10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11483 |doi-access=free |issn=2405-8440 |pmc=9667267 |pmid=36406727|bibcode=2022Heliy...811483H }}</ref>

A related online survey conducted between March and May 2013 tracked the cultural representations of {{lang|fi|sisu}} among contemporary Finns and Finnish Americans.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite web |last= Lahti |first= Emilia |date= 28 March 2013 |title= What Does Sisu Mean to you? The Study Is On! |url= http://emiliaelisabethblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/sisu_study/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111083604/http://emiliaelisabethblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/sisu_study/|archive-date=2013-11-11|work= Sisu Social: Transforming Barriers into Frontiers |access-date=11 November 2013}}
|2={{cite news |last= Heikkinen |first= Susan |title= Sisua tutkitaan nyt—Yhdysvalloissa |work= Suomen Kuvalehti |date= 16 April 2013 |url= https://suomenkuvalehti.fi/kotimaa/sisua-tutkitaan-juuri-nyt-yhdysvalloissa/ |access-date= 11 November 2013 |trans-title= Sisu Is Being Researched in the United States |language= fi}}
}}</ref> It revealed that {{lang|fi|sisu}} 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 {{lang|fi|sisu}} 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.

{{lang|fi|Sisu}} is a psychological potential that enables the individual to tap into strength beyond their pre-conceived resources. Wielding {{lang|fi|sisu}} in the face of adversity helps individuals push through what first seemed like the boundaries of their mental or physical capacities. {{lang|fi|Sisu}} provides the final empowering push when we would otherwise hesitate to act. {{lang|fi|Sisu}} can be conceptualized as taking action against the odds. Even though 53% of the respondents believed some people innately have more {{lang|fi|sisu}}, 83% of the respondents believed that {{lang|fi|sisu}} 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 {{lang|fi|sisu}} is currently{{Current event inline|date=August 2023}} continuing at [[Aalto University School of Science]] in Espoo, Finland.<ref name=lahti>{{cite web |website=Aalto University |date= 18 February 2021 |title= Journal awards Emilia Lahti's sisu study as the article of the year |url= https://www.aalto.fi/en/news/journal-awards-emilia-lahtis-sisu-study-as-article-of-the-year}}</ref>

{{lang|fi|Sisu}} is not always an entirely positive quality. In Finnish, {{lang|fi|pahansisuinen}}, literally translated, means ''one possessing bad {{lang|fi|sisu}}'', a description of a hostile and malignant person. The answers from the {{lang|fi|sisu}} survey indicate that there can be too much {{lang|fi|sisu}}, and according to the survey answers this leads to bull-headedness, foolhardiness, self-centeredness, and inflexible thinking. The study suggests that {{lang|fi|sisu}} should be informed by reason and cultivated and practiced with self-compassion.<ref name="Lahti 2013"/>

Like any trait or psychological capacity, {{lang|fi|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 on {{lang|fi|sisu}} 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.<ref>{{cite book |title= Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends |year= 1990 |publisher= W. W. Norton |location= New York |last1= White |first1= Michael |last2= Epston |first2= David |isbn= 978-0-393-70098-5 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/narrativemeansto00whitrich }}</ref>{{page needed|date= March 2015}} People develop their values and contribute to cultural values by communicating with other people in their culture.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite journal |last= James |first= Pauline |title= The Transformative Power of Storytelling Among Peers: An Exploration from Action Research |journal= Educational Action Research |year= 1996 |volume= 4 |issue= 2 |pages= 197–221 |doi= 10.1080/0965079960040204 |issn= 0965-0792}}
|2={{cite journal |last= Pavlenko |first= Aneta |title= Narrative Study: Whose Story Is It, Anyway? |journal= TESOL Quarterly |date= Summer 2002 |volume= 36 |issue= 2 |pages= 213–218 |doi= 10.2307/3588332 |jstor= 3588332 |issn= 0039-8322}}
}}</ref> Fostering {{lang|fi|sisu}} may very well be embedded in such behavior, rather than being a genetic trait one is born with. {{lang|fi|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|date=August 2023}} that positive psychology research could benefit from focusing on {{lang|fi|sisu}} and by examining relevant constructs from other cultures.

==Cultural significance==
{{lang|fi|Sisu}} has been described as "the word that explains Finland", and the Finns' "favorite word"—"the most wonderful of all their words."<ref>{{cite news |last= Hudson |first=Strode |title= Sisu: A Word that Explains Finland|work=The New York Times |date=14 January 1940 |page= SM4 |url= http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60E10FC3E591B728DDDAD0994D9405B8088F1D3|url-access=subscription |access-date= 24 June 2009 |via= ''The New York Times'' Archives }}.</ref>
As defined by [[Roman Schatz]] in his book ''[[From Finland with Love]]'' (2005), {{lang|fi|sisu}} is an ability to finish a task successfully. During the [[Winter War]] of 1939–1940, the Finnish perseverance in the face of the invasion by the [[Soviet Union]] popularized this word in English for a generation.<ref name=Time>{{cite magazine |title= Northern Theatre: Sisu |magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date= 8 January 1940|url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763161,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101014065042/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763161,00.html |archive-date= 14 October 2010 |access-date= 24 June 2009 }}</ref><ref name=Again>{{cite magazine |title= Northern Theatre: Again, Sisu |magazine= Time |date= 29 January 1940 |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,849176,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101014070020/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,849176,00.html |archive-date= 14 October 2010 |access-date= 24 June 2009 }}</ref>
In what may have been the first use of {{lang|fi|sisu}} in the English language, on 8 January 1940, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine reported:
{{quote|The Finns have something they call {{lang|fi|sisu}}. 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 translate {{lang|fi|sisu}} as "the Finnish spirit" but it is a much more gutful word than that. Last week the Finns gave the world a good example of {{lang|fi|sisu}} by carrying the war into Russian territory on one front while on another they withstood merciless attacks by a reinforced [[Red Army|Russian Army]]. In the wilderness that forms most of the Russo-Finnish frontier between [[Lake Laatokka]] and the [[Arctic Ocean]], the Finns definitely gained the upper hand.|''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, January 8, 1940<ref name=Time />}}

In 2009, {{lang|fi|sisu}} was described as so essential to the Finnish national character that "to be a real Finn" you must have it: "willpower, tenacity, persistency."<ref name=Issuu>{{cite journal |first= Tuula |last= Ruskeemiemi |title= Sisu |journal= Six Degrees |issue= 2 |date= March 2009 |url= http://issuu.com/sixdegreesfinland/docs/6d2  |page= 5 |via= Issuu |access-date= 29 September 2010}}</ref>

===Examples===
Singled out for kudos for this attribute was "Finland's wiry old peasant [[Presidents of Finland|President]], [[Kyösti Kallio]]—full of {{lang|fi|sisu}}..."<ref name=Again />
The word was also used to describe the Finnish stubbornness in sticking to its loose alliance with [[Nazi Germany]] from 1941 to 1944 in the [[Continuation War|war against the Soviet Union]], which had previously attacked Finland in November of 1939:
{{quote|Finnish {{lang|fi|sisu}}—meaning a peculiarly Finnish brand of doggedness, capable of facing down death itself—was at work against the Allies.... The Finns are not happy. But {{lang|fi|sisu}} enables them to say: "We have nothing worse than death to fear."|''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, May 10, 1943.<ref name=Fear>{{cite magazine |title= Nothing Worse to Fear |magazine= Time |date= 10 May 1943 |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,851579,00.html  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081214170714/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,851579,00.html  |archive-date= 14 December 2008  |access-date= 24 June 2009 }}</ref>}}

During the [[1952 Summer Olympics]], {{lang|fi|sisu}} was further described in the context of the continuing [[Cold War]] looming over the Finnish capital city of [[Helsinki]]:
{{quote|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 predatory [[Soviet Union|next-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 President [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]] and able, unpopular Agrarian Premier [[Urho Kekkonen]], the Finns have learned to walk the nerve-racking path of independence like tight-rope walkers.|''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, July 21, 1952<ref>{{cite magazine |title= Sisu |date= 21 July 1952 |magazine= Time |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,859869,00.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101125202435/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,859869,00.html |archive-date= 25 November 2010 |access-date= 24 June 2009}}</ref>}}

Well into the 1960s, {{lang|fi|sisu}} was used to describe the Finnish resistance to the invasion of 20 to 30 years prior and its continuing discontents.<ref>{{cite news |first= Horace |last= Sutton |title= Review: 'Winter in Finland: Sauna, Sisu, Theater' |work= [[Chicago Tribune]] |date= 4 February 1968 }}</ref> In 1960, Austin Goodrich's book, ''Study in {{lang|fi|Sisu}}: Finland's Fight for Independence'', was published by [[Ballantine Books|Ballantine]].<ref name=goodrich>{{cite web |first= Clayton |last= Farrington |year= 2011 |url= http://www.liferedacted.com/ReporterOne.html|title= Reporter One: Austin Goodrich |website= The Life, Redacted Files: The Golden Age of Television ...and Espionage |access-date= 8 October 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120113054329/http://www.liferedacted.com/ReporterOne.html |archive-date= 13 January 2012}}</ref> Also in 1960, a notable reviewer of Griffin Taylor's novel, ''Mortlake'', wrote:
{{quote|"Have you heard of Finnish {{lang|fi|sisu}}?" asks a character in "Mortlake"—and it turns out that {{lang|fi|sisu}} 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.|[[Nigel Dennis]], ''[[New York Times Book Review]]''<ref>{{cite news |first= Nigel |last= Dennis |title= Review: 'How to Develop Sisu on an Enemy Border; Mortlake' By Griffin Taylor |date= 31 July 1960 |work= The [[New York Times Book Review]] |page= BR22 |url= http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20F17F63B5A1A7A93C3AA178CD85F448685F9 |url-access=subscription |access-date= 24 June 2009}}</ref>}}

In 2004, [[Jorma Ollila]], [[CEO]] of [[Nokia]], described his company's "guts" by using the word {{lang|fi|sisu}}:
{{quote|In times like these, the executives who run Nokia talk up a uniquely Finnish quality called {{lang|fi|sisu}}. "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 of {{lang|fi|sisu}} to survive in this climate." The climate he's referring to is the bleak and bitter [[Nordic countries|Nordic]] winters, but he might as well be talking about the competitive, erratic wireless-phone market and Nokia's travails. This {{lang|fi|sisu}} trait—anathema to [[Wall Street]]'s short-term outlook—says a lot about Nokia's response to its recent turmoil.|Kevin Maney<ref>{{cite news |first= Kevin |last= Maney |title= CEO Ollila Says Nokia's 'Sisu' Will See It Past Tough Times |work= [[USA Today]] |date=21 July 2004 |url= https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-07-20-nokia-cover_x.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125181020/https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2004-07-20-nokia-cover_x.htm|archive-date=2005-11-25|access-date= 24 June 2009}}</ref>}}

A Finnish [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] rock singer injured himself, without noticing, at a concert, to which a reviewer wrote:
{{quote|{{lang|fi|Alan epäillä, että suomalainen sisu ja adrenaliini ovat yksi ja sama asia.}}—I am beginning to suspect that the Finnish {{lang|fi|sisu}} and adrenaline are the same thing.|ImperiumI.net Finnish Heavy Metal website<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.imperiumi.net/index.php?act=interviews&id=393|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612095311/http://www.imperiumi.net/index.php?act=interviews&id=393|archive-date=2010-06-12 |title= Festariraportti: Tuska 2004 |trans-title= Festival Report: Tuska 2004 |work= ImperiumI.net |access-date= 29 September 2010}}</ref>}}

The concept is widely known in the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan]], which is home to a large concentration of Finnish Americans. This has extended to include a popular bumper sticker saying "got {{lang|fi|sisu}}?" or simply "{{lang|fi|SISU}}". In 2010, a 63-year-old [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Yooper]] named Joe Paquette Jr. of [[Munising, Michigan]], walked 425 miles to the [[Detroit Lions]] training facility to bring the spirit of {{lang|fi|sisu}} to the team.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/547898.html|title= One Very Long Walk: Detroit Lions Fan Finishes Trek to Downstate Training Camp |first= Bill |last= Harris |work= [[The Mining Journal]] |location= Marquette, Mich. |date= 26 August 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150402094535/http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/547898.html |archive-date= 2 April 2015 }}</ref>

The non-profit documentary ''{{lang|fi|SISU}}: Family, Love and Perseverance from Finland to America'' was made by Finnish-American filmmaker Marko Albrecht. The documentary looks at {{lang|fi|sisu}} 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 Americans|Finnish-American]] life.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite news|last1=Rantanen|first1=Tiia|title=Suomalaisamerikkalainen dokumentti paljastaa sisun syvimmän olemuksen|url=https://www.city.fi/kulttuuri/suomalaisamerikkalainen+dokumentti+paljastaa+sisun+syvimman+olemuksen/8876|publisher=CITY|date=6 June 2015|lang=fi}}
|2={{cite news|last1=Roblee|first1=Dan|title='Sisu' film explores family, fortitude|url=http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/550436/-Sisu--film-explores-family--fortitude.html?nav=5006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007010018/http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/550436/-Sisu--film-explores-family--fortitude.html?nav=5006|archive-date=2016-10-07|publisher=The Daily Mining Gazette|date=16 January 2016}}
}}</ref>

In a 2008 episode of ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]'', [[F1]] racer [[Mika Häkkinen]] described {{lang|fi|sisu}} to [[James May]]:
{{quote|{{lang|fi|Sisu}} in English means ''courage'', it is the Finnish ''courage''. Let me give you an example. Climbing a tree and jumping down from there, that doesn't mean {{lang|fi|sisu}}. That is not ''courage''. {{lang|fi|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.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Series Twelve, Episode Three|series-no=12|number=3|series=Top Gear|airdate=16 November 2008}}</ref>}}

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, {{lang|fi|sisu}} is a common element of [[brand name]]s in [[Finland]].
For example, there is [[Sisu Auto|Sisu Auto trucks]], [[Sisu Pasi|Sisu armored vehicles]], the [[icebreaker]] ''[[Sisu (1976 icebreaker)|MS Sisu]]'' (and it's scrapped [[Sisu (1938 icebreaker)|1938 counterpart]]), a [[Sisu (candy)|brand]] of strong-tasting [[pastille]]s manufactured by [[Leaf International|Leaf]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Sisu Häijy – tulinen salmiakkipussi!|url=https://www.cloetta.fi/|website=Cloetta|access-date=27 October 2017}}</ref> and [[Suomen Sisu]], a Finnish nationalist organisation.

Sisu is also a male name with increasing popularity. More than 2,000 Finnish men have this name,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://verkkopalvelu.vrk.fi/Nimipalvelu/default.asp?L=1 |title= Nimipalvelu |publisher= Väestörekisterikeskus |access-date= 26 April 2018}}</ref> 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, Massachusetts|Haverhill]] and [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], [[Massachusetts]], US,<ref>{{cite web |title= Our Unique Philosophy  |publisher= The Sisu Project |url= http://www.sisuproject.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111084655/http://www.sisuproject.com/|archive-date=2013-11-11 |access-date= 11 November 2013}}</ref> that carried the name {{lang|fi|sisu}} and based their philosophy on the characteristics included in the concept {{lang|fi|sisu}}, 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.

{{lang|fi|Sisu}} 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, Michigan|Ironwood]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sisuskifest.com/ |title= SISU Ski Fest: Ironwood, Michigan |publisher= SISU Ski Fest |access-date= 20 January 2013}}</ref>

===In popular culture===
[[File:Monument to the Finnish sisu.jpg|thumb|220px|"Monument to the Finnish sisu" on a fell in [[Lapland (Finland)|Lapland]]]]
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 {{lang|fi|Sisu}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Milner|first= Alan|title=Review: Citizen of the Galaxy|year=1997|url= http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/works/novels/citizenofthegalaxy.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108000157/http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/works/novels/citizenofthegalaxy.html|archive-date=2011-11-08|website=The Heinlein Society}}</ref>

A [[World War II]] movie titled ''[[Sisu (film)|Sisu]]'', directed by [[Jalmari Helander]] and starring [[Jorma Tommila]], was released in April 2023.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14846026/reference/| title=Sisu (2022)| website=imdb.com}}
|2={{cite web| url=https://collider.com/sisu-movie-trailer/| title='Sisu' Trailer Promises Action-Packed Adventure With Gold, Nazis, and a Cute Dog| first=Erick| last=Massoto | website=collider.com| date=21 February 2023}}
}}</ref> The film's sequel, ''[[Sisu: Road to Revenge]]'', was released in October 2025.<ref name="yle-holvas">{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/a/74-20188691|title=Uutuuselokuvan sotilas on yksinäinen tappokone – oikea sisukkuus on yhteistyötä, sanoo sotilaspsykologi|first=Jakke|last=Holvas|work=[[Yle]]|date=22 October 2025|access-date=22 October 2025|language=fi}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Chutzpah]], an Ashkenazi Jewish word for audacity
* [[Cojones]], Spanish term used for "having what it takes" (also used and spelled as "Colhões" in Portugal)
* [[Drive theory]]; analyses, classifies and defines psychological drives
* [[Gaman (term)|Gaman]], and [[Ganbaru]], Japanese words with a similar meaning
* [[Grit (personality trait)|Grit]], a similar concept in English
* [[Intention (criminal law)]]
* [[Pefletti]], a small bench towel used in a Finnish [[sauna]], to better bear the heat
* [[Psychological resilience]]
* [[Seny]], the Catalan concept of good sense
* [[Astronaut#Other terms|Sisunautti]], Finnish word combining 'sisu' with 'astronaut'
* [[Stiff upper lip]], British expression for fortitude and stoicism
* [[Sumud]], a Palestinian Arabic word with a similar meaning
* [[Vīrya]], Buddhist attitude of gladly engaging in wholesome activities

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
* {{cite journal|last=Lahti|first=Emilia E.|journal=International Journal of Wellbeing|url=https://internationaljournalofwellbeing.org/index.php/ijow/article/view/672|title=Embodied fortitude: An introduction to the Finnish construct of sisu|year=2019|volume=9 |pages=61–82 |doi=10.5502/ijw.v9i1.672 |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.sisulab.com|title=E. Elisabet Lahti, PhD. Author, Speaker, Trainer}}—Lahti's website and blog with resources on {{lang|fi|sisu}}
* {{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Bill|date=2006-03-26|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032201943.html|newspaper=Washington Post|title=The Finnish Line}}
* {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bmqdnx5R1U&feature=fvw.html|title=Mika Häkkinen Teaches Captain Slow to Drive (Top Gear)}}—explains what {{lang|fi|sisu}} is (starts at 4:32)

{{Finland topics}}
{{Virtues}}

[[Category:Culture of Finland]]
[[Category:Positive psychology]]
[[Category:Finnish words and phrases]]
[[Category:Words and phrases describing personality]]
[[Category:Words and phrases with no direct English translation]]