Juha Jaervinen, a participant in Finland’s basic income experiment.
Credit: Gregor Fischer/picture alliance/Getty

Finland’s landmark experiment with basic income — the idea that the government should give citizens a regular infusion of free cash with no strings attached — is showing promising results.

After the government chose 2,000 unemployed citizens at random and gave them a check of 560 euros ($635) every month for two years ending last December, the recipients reported less stress than the control group. That was true even for recipients who felt they were still struggling to make ends meet, according to new findings released by Kela, a Finnish government agency.

The recipients also reported that they felt more trust toward other people and social institutions — from political parties to the police to the courts — than they did before getting a basic income.

The new findings add to initial results released in February that showed receiving free money made recipients happier without making them any less likely to join the workforce. Although this wasn’t everything the Finnish […]