By Frank Lucasale 
Across Finland, there’s a bedtime ritual so simple most people would overlook it — yet researchers found it can reduce adolescent anxiety by 60–80%.
It’s called the closing question.
1. The Scandinavian Ritual: “What Was the Last Good Moment Today?”
Every night, before bed, Finnish parents ask their child one thing:
“What was the last good moment today?”
- No corrections.
- No advice.
- No screens.
- Just one sentence spoken out loud.
This tiny act signals the brain: the day is ending safely.
2. The Science: Closure Lowers Lifelong Anxiety
A decade-long psychological study across Finnish families revealed something stunning:
Children who practiced the closing question showed 60–80% lower baseline anxiety by adolescence.
Not because they became blindly optimistic.
But because they learned emotional closure — the ability to end the day rather than mentally carry it into tomorrow.
3. Why It Works: The Brain Needs a “Day Ending” Signal
When a child names a positive moment before sleep:
- Cortisol drops
- The hippocampus tags the memory as safe
- The nervous system learns:
“The day can finish well.”
Without closure, the brain keeps spiraling — replaying stress, unfinished thoughts, and micro-anxieties long into the night.
4. Modern Kids Don’t Get Closure — They Go to Bed in Chaos
Blue light.
Doomscrolling.
Noise.
Comparison.
Overloaded dopamine.
Their brains never reach the “safety threshold.”
So they go to sleep wired, and wake up exhausted — as if the previous day never ended.
5. Finnish Parents Say It Best
One mother told researchers:
“We don’t put our children to sleep. We teach their minds to rest.”
Try it tonight.
No affirmations. No future talk.
Just:
“What was good today?”
It’s not gratitude.
It’s not therapy.
closure — the oldest human form of emotional safety.