5 Things Swedish People Do Not Like
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- čas přidán 6. 06. 2024
- What are the things that Swedish people do not like? Find out the top 5 in this video!
Check out the podcast channel: / @cultureshockswithfred...
Thanks Will for joining me on this one, he has a football channel here on CZcams as well: / @goluremi
One thing swedes love: People talking about Sweden.
True. But Swedes have a hard time with non Swedes being critical of Sweden.
Hahaha true that
true
Sadly true. We normally believe we're the center of the universe and are easily flattered....rightfully so!! ;)
@@revolversntulips to be more precise: Stockholm is.
The center.
Of the Universe.
Another thing Swedes doesnt like: People standing to close... This 2m Cororna distancing has to stop so we can go back to our standard 5m distancing ;)
😅😂
😂😂😂😂👍😅😅
Yep, very true actually.
Sad and true...
Wish that were true for Stockholm supermarkets. I have to use "the teacher look" to keep them from bumping into me.
We, In the Nordic countries, are introverts. A finish joke. Pekka and Toivo had a big party. They drank the whole weekend. On Sunday Toivo said « cheers». Pekka replied. «Are we here to drink or talk».
HAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAA omg. Finland have THE BEST SAYINGS EVER! And ups. I mentioned Finland, so you better go to the market :P
That is how people in the most northern parts of Sweden are. My mom told me about two men from Norrland that was working at Långbro Sjukhus in Stockholm. They went to have lunch. So they walked in the park. When they came out one said "nice weather". Then they said nothing until they came to the restaurang. There the other one said "yes the weather are nice".
@@karinjohansson7262 I fucking love norrland. Which i came from there, though Dalarna where i come from is very similar
President Kouvisto kommenterade en gång att "jag säger ingenting men ni ska veta att jag kunde säga ännu mindre".
This IS The Greatest Joke ! Works with Swedes too... The Swedes knowledge of Different languages - IS close to ZERO ! Alla Finnar Vet - att innan Du räser Till Sverige - Du måste kunna språket ! Ingen Svensk kan Suomi ! Vi alla läste LÄS OCH LÖS - och lysnnade på Cornelis Wreesvijk skivor !
Swedish people also generally dislike boasting/ flexing/ showing off kind of behavior :D
Ahh very true, I missed that one!!
@@StefanThyron "Tom tunna skramlar mest" as they say.
Jon Olssen
Jantelagen / Law of Jante
This is not true. They might not say it in words but you see it in the attitude. They do behave like the world revolves around Sweden so don’t dare imply that anyone is better. Especially if you're from America. I believe it stems from jealousy.
Never mind that Sweden is but a blip in the world and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone outside that can find it on a map or knows the name of the capital. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me questions like you got the good chocolate right? (Um no Sweden dude, not Switzerland) or what language do you speak or how do you celebrate thanksgiving in Sweden. (We don’t. Thanksgiving is an American holiday.🤔) I can go on forever.
This is my perspective. Swedes kinda look at Finland as our halfsibling, Norway is our fraternal twin, we get along with them the best, bicker from time to time. Denmark is the annoying babyhalfbrother (on the other side of the family from Finland, so they're not related at all) that you only understand the wants of half the time, but still care about. And Iceland is a cousin you don't see often but still enjoy hanging out with.
Makes sense ;)
Most people do not have any relationship with Iceland. They are kind of exotic but still with some kind of relationship to us. Generally they are well liked even though many have not meet one person from Iceland.
Wow. That was a really well put review! 😂 That really is quite accurate! 🤪❤️
I would count Finland as my freak halfsibling from Russia! XD
Guess it's our joined history that comes to play.
Omg this was the best thing ever
Swede here. I have nothing but love and a deeply felt respect for Finland. They were part of sweden up until 1809, and also they saved us from the soviet hordes during WW2.
Respect to Finland 🇫🇮
I agree! I don't recognize what Stefan is saying about us being foreign to Finland. We have lots of finnish people living and working here for a long time. When it's not a pandemic swedes take the cruise ships over there all year round and vice versa. I love and admire them for their history of resistance and to persivere as a country.
Jag gillar både Norge Danmark Finland och Island
Finland is better than Sweden in alot of areas now. Like with schools and hospitals... But it feels further away than Norway and Denmark, bouth language wise, cultural wise and its not as easy to travel to. Norway has the easiest language for us, but are "expensive" so ppl go there more to work than vacation (even thought Norway has amazing nature for example, but of course ppl go there). To Denmark I think ppl go to drink and have vacation but the language is harder for us to understand than Norwegian (if U dont live on the country border.) Most jokes are inbetween Norway and Sweden I think, then Denmark, and Finland. In my opinion. :) :P
We in Finland - still wonder - what happened 1807 ?
Nature is the most common "religion" in Sweden I would say. Most Swedes say they feel more spiritual in the forest than in a church.
But most of us have no idea what "spiritual" even means.
What is that? What is a spirit? Is it a soul? There is no evidence to suggest that we have anything like that. So what does spiritual mean?
@@FuryWings27 what would you say is the conscious mind? What is it, and how would you name it?
@@beorlingo It is to be self aware. As someone already said, nobody knows what spiritual means. Some people would discribe listening to really good music as a spiritual experience, others would say being out in the forest alone and listening to birds is a spiritual experience. If somebody says they are "spiritual" they really have to describe what that means specifically.
@@beaverones41 it means being in touch with your soul. Whatever that is. But it's there. People sense it when they are spiritual. They don't know what it is. They can't pinpoint it.
Can you pinpoint what the "you" in you is? Not who you are, but what this "you" is?
@@beorlingo We know that the "you" is just a product of brain functions, electrodes interacting with eachother. Physically damaging or altering the brain can fundamentally change who you are. If there was a soul that determined "you" it should remain constant and not change when the brain is altered.
Me being able to pinpoint what the "you" is has nothing to do with wether there is a soul or not. From everything we know what we are as persons is nothing more than a product of a brain that is entirely physical, in other words there is no soul.
One thing we really hate here in Sweden is bragging. We have something called "the law of Jante"(Jantelagen) wich basically means: Dont think youre special.
It is a dead giveaway, if someone feels the need to tell others how good they are or how good they've got it, they're insecure and that's a weakness, most people tend to frown upon weakness.
@akimjoe Jantelagen is not a Swedish thing, it really is a worldwide symptom based on insecurity in groups trying to surrender by strict confirmity, rules on how to live and behave. The expression Jantelagen and it's made up rules where one is "You must not believe you are someone, is of any validity, etc..." is made up by the Danish authour Axel Sandemose. He was very bitter on how he was treated in his youth in a small Danish village.
@@annikaerf Nothing is a anything thing if you wanna be that fucking anal about it lol.
@@FuckGoogle2 hmm...depends on. Obviously, if a person is asked about his level of education and he/she says he/she has a ph.d in "whatever"..I don`t see it as bragging, they are just answering my question. Same if they mentioned it when the situation was appropriate, I don`t see this as bragging.. I wouldn`t be the slightest jealous, regardless of what they have achieved, jealousy of other peoples successes is soo irrational. Instead, people should focus on how they can achieve their goals. To me ,bragging would be if someone "constantly" was telling about his/her achievements, obviously it can get to much as well. Norwegian here, I`ve never really believed in this Law of Jante, nobody ever tried to stop me from doing anything, maybe I just chose to ignore it all together. There are jealous people in every country on the planet. You just can`t please them all, so better focus on your own goals and dreams. Greetings from Oslo
@@bjrnjensen7074 I must say dear neighbour, you are very rational and intelligent and I quite like that! I would have personally said something far more demeaning but you handled the situation better than I ever could already.
Is no one going to talk about how he thought a chocolate and sugary granola was healthy?! I would never be allowed that for breakfast as a child!
Back in my day, we had frosties for breakfast every morning... Ah, the 90's were a wonderful time :)
@@karllandegren9727 Sure was, loved all my sugary cereal back in the day.
I had extra sugar on the regular Kelloggs. A good start for my sugar addiction. 🙁
It's kinda similar to potato chips considered as food. Like a part of your (school) lunch, something that you eat every day or almost every day. Instead of a "party snack" that you can eat sometimes but definitely not every day or even every week. (Or even every month if I'm thinking how I was raised 😅 You could get chips and soda at a birthday party or such occasion.)
@@karllandegren9727 Och Kalaspuffar! :)
When I worked in the U.S we had 3 coffee pots in the office.
1. American coffee.
2. Strong coffee.
3. Swedish coffee.
If you order café Americano in Europe you get a mug with 50% coffee and 50% hot water
My oldest son will pour the coffee back through the pot and rebrew it again. (Welcome to Seattle, you weak coffee drinkers 😜)
As a swede I hate strong coffee. I wanna drink much and not too hot. Nobody agrees to that.
@@hnorrstrom You’d get along great with my sister. She complains all coffee shops make it too hot, and she makes hers at home at half strength. My oldest son accused her of making coffee-flavored warm water.
@@schoolingdiana9086 Yeah she sounds like my type of woman or girl.
I make one almost full strengh cup and then I drink half of it and fills it up with warm water and so on. If I sit long enough it is basicly water with coffee flavour but I don't mind. Sure I can drink it strong hot and black as that is what everyone else at work like it but rather not.
Swedish people also don't like when you don't clean out the lint in the dryer in the communal laundry room. Someone even wrote a book about it.
Manual to Sweden ?
@@holoholopainen1627 The book was called "Den som inte tar bort luddet ska dö!" by David Batra.
It's about all the funny passive aggressive notes people send to each other in Sweden.
@@SilverionX There Are so many Rules - that Foreigners DONT know - before Moving to Sweden ! The LOCALS should Give a TEST to someone WHO IS moving to Their HIGHRISE - just to Make sure of The LOCAL & House Rule !
I looked Up His Wikipedia Page ! He was born at LUND ! Have You seen The Video Where STEVE JOBS visits LUND at 1985 ? Called STEVE JOBS at LUND 1985 ! A Man from California comes to Sweden to tell - How His APPLE - Will Change the HISTORY of Future ! That has TURNED to REALITY !
@@holoholopainen1627 Well, at least when I moved into my apartment, there was an orientation. I think the book is mainly Swedes being passive aggressive towards other Swedes who should know better. But I can't be bothered to look in my copy of the book right now :P
How nice to smalltalk for no reason with a stranger in the dark and -20 degrees C.
hahahha facts
It's more like creepy yea
FACTS
@@mirandaastrom1258 only if you think it is!
@@karinjohansson7262 and I do think it is so
Would like to point out that, all though Finland is part of the nordics, it is not part of Scandinavia.
Howwww
@@haniakhalidshariff4573 geography
@@haniakhalidshariff4573 Finland was part of Sweden thougt until 1809 so nordic but not a geografical part of the scandinavian peninsula.
True
Scandinavia: Sweden, Norway, Denmark
Nordic countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland
I'm Swedish. Lived in sweden all my life. But, Norway and Finland and Denmark are also so important to me. We are "the same". We have history together.
I agree that many swedes avoid smalltalk in certain curcumstances. When it comes to the statement about that swedes would think that americans talk to much I believe it can sometimes be a misunderstanding/cultural difference between swedes and americans in the communication. Swedes tend to accept longer pauses between talker 1 and 2. Therefor swedes may think that americans don't open up for your turn to speak or want to speak a lot (if I exaggerate) and americans think that either the conversation moves to slow/ the swede don't want to talk or that the american feel a need to continue to talk so that things doesn't get awkward. When I went to america I felt that the conversation always moved fast forward in a more shallow space and that it was expected to not linger in the subjects or go desper into them.. and now I think this could be one of the explanaitions! (i'm from north of sweden).
This is funny because my husband is Swedish, and omg the man is never quiet when he is talking. Like, there are NO spaces so that I can interject something! I want my turn! lol
So, Swedish people, with your effortless style, your mouthwatering meatballs, and your ability to survive winters that would make a polar bear shiver, you truly are a fascinating bunch. And even though my toes may still be thawing, I can't help but admire the resilience and charm that you bring to our global family.
Swedish people do not like to be late or if someone else is late. Our time is important to us
Where in Sweden do you live? Because I am pretty sure that differs a lot region to region. I live in central Dalarna and I can not relate at all to that
sounds like the oposite of Brazil, here if the party starts at 7 and you arrive at 7 you are weird you have to arrive at least half an hour late
Not all tho. I arrived 30mins earlier on my job interview. My employer was an hour late. It happened couple of times already 😅
That's my impression too, and I've heard the same about Germany. To my understanding in the US if you say you've got a social gathering at 17:00 it's perfectly acceptable to show up at 17:30, whereas here you're expected to be punctual and if the clock hit 17:10 and you still haven't showed up people are starting to wonder where tf you are, it's seen as rude to not arrive at the agreed upon time.
Yes 😅
People from the countryside are very different from People living in Stockholm
@JPeter Robertsson Yes but the mentality and "subculture" of Stockholm is very different from the mentality in a small town. I think anyone can admit to that difference
yes.
@JPeter Robertsson But IT IS always a LOCAL TRAFFIC JAM ! Too Many People - takes too Much Time Away from Quality LIFE !
Indeed
Yeah, even tho I still live in Sweden Stockholm kinda feels like a country on its own….. (I live very far north btw, and Stockholm is south…)
I'm not religious by any means but i have no problem paying taxes to the church just to help keep the buildings in check.
Haha, "in check". It sounds like the churches are trying to walk away or rise up against us.
Me too. If my money goes to keeping our beautiful historic churches open and in good condition I won't mind paying. Even if I'm not religious it could still be interesting from a historic standpoint to visit the churches, or to just appreciate the architecture.
I actually think this is the main reason why there are still members left in the Swedish church. Cultural and historic preservation.
I agree Sweden's oldest churches are almost 1000 years old. That is definitely part of our heritage and should be "saved" for the future...
I pay taxes to the church. No problem. I know the god thing is made up but the buildings could need some money.
I can highly recomend the book: "Is the Swede Human?" that deep dives into Swedish culture and try to sort out why we do stuff like we do from a historical perpective. I think you would find it a quite interesting read.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll take a look
But let me tell you a little secret I learned about surviving Swedish winters: the secret is Fika. Now, Fika is the art of taking a break, often with a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. It's like a national pastime over there. And you know what? It's genius! Because when it's -20 degrees outside, what better way to warm up than with a piping hot cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun the size of your head?
@@PoisonelleMisty4311 Hot choclate and rum 😉 But I agree on the cinnemon bun 🙂
@@sirseigan Thank you dear friend. Winter is special season and we should celebrate it with our friends and loved ones.
Vi gillar inte när folk går in med ytterskor!😂
Eller hur! Alltid så märkligt att se filmer och serier som utspelar sig i USA där alla har ytterskor inomhus hela tiden. 🤦🏾♂️
@@johnberglund9667 Ja och ibland har de t o m heltäckningsmatta och går in med skor, lär ju bli riktigt mysigt i den mattan.....
@@Stefan- ...och lägger sig på sängen med skorna på...
I think Americans feel that they're not fully and decently clothed without their shoes. Walking into someone elses house semi naked would make them feel they're being offensive?
@@beorlingo Bringing in mud and transporting it through out the house and damaging my carpets is what I would find offensive, but hey what ever makes you comfortable!😂💁♀️
My experience is that people in big towns avoid small talk but once you go to a small village everyone will look and smile at you!
And you have to wave when you meet someone, even when you drive on a small road, because if you don't they think you are a stranger with suspicious purposes.
“Look and smile” 🤣🤣 they won’t talk
Because in small towns you see the same people over and over again. In big cities you don’t often see people twice
Det är sant. Jag bor i Stockholm och alla undviker varandra men när jag åkte till västkusten så var det helt annorlunda
Fun fact. Sweden and Denmark have the world record of most wars fought between two nations. About 30 wars, I guess that's
where some of the rivalry comes from.
And Fun fact : 27 of those Sweden won.
I only find 13 wars. But that is of course after 1400.
And because Finns were part of Sweden, they had to fight Danes often.
Yes the wars is probably where it is inherited from… and this ”event”
Stockholms blodbad är de avrättningar som den danska kungen Kristian II lät verkställa på Stortorget i Stockholm den 7-9 november 1520 efter att han blivit krönt till svensk kung. Händelsen ingick som ett led i en invecklad maktkamp.
84 människor blev mördade i hjärtat av Stockholm på order av Kristin II av Danmark ..
@@mragren9853 Han kallades kristian tyrann här i sverige, gustav vasas far blev också mördad i stockholms blodbad
Religion and Politics should not ever mix. That is my personal stand.
Religious people need to be represented in politics though
@@SRBOMBONICA86 as long as they do'nt bring their religious thinking in to the politics ofc
@@Erika-br8xo why should they not ,religion is their entire life .Why should atheism rule state and university for example,in Serbia we protect our religion politically also
@@SRBOMBONICA86 who said atheism should rule? NO religion or other belifes have any place in politics. Facts are the only thing that should rule. Religion is something you do on your den time, if you can not leave it at home then politics is not for you.
@@SRBOMBONICA86 Only values should be represented. I know religions contain values but politics is more about induvidual values. So religion is represented even when keeping it away from politics.
The finnish People is our bad ass cousins that keeps the Russians away, but we are so bad at confrontaions so we dont know how to handle them...
Hahaha nice with a buffer country 😆
There's a national characteristic called 'sisu', roughly translated as 'stick-with-it-ness'. Also described as 'stubborn, determined, and sometimes stupidly brave'.
@@robadr13 Nice. That's what Finland became - from real life experience. A handy mentality
Have not noticed that with any swedes i have worked with lately. Rather the opposite.
@@karinjohansson7262 Well, it's a Finnish word and characteristics.
Number 6 Swedish people do not like when you compliment their English. They think you are just making fun of them lol
Hahah maybe true, but they deserve the compliments. Regardless of how bad they think they are, most are surprisingly good!
@@StefanThyron they are good at English that is for sure. And I personally love when they speak English with their Swedish accent. I think they sound amazing!
@@eliotsalgado9908 Maybe it is because it almost is a native language for many swedes growing up with it from when you were born basically. No one compliment me of my Swedish. Why the h*ll should they compliment me of another language I know fluently :D
@@eliotsalgado9908 The Swedish accent is so awful haha.
A New Zealander once complimented my English by saying "you talk good English". For a split second I contemplated whether or not to tell her it should be "you speak English well" but in the end I did let it pass...
Honestly as a swede if the Russians attacked Finland I would take the next boat over and help defend them, cause if it’s one thing swedes actually hate it’s the Russians, Carolus Rex
There is a lot of things and people I hate more than Russians. But I don't mind protecting finns.
Rather than Russians, maybe we should say Russia when it comes to hating. We all realize that the State of Russia is possibly THE worlds largest crime syndicate ever. But the Russians are it's primary victims.
@engineer gaming yeah, what about them?
We shouldn't hate Russians. They are our brothers.
What we SHOULD hate is their politicians.
Det är inget mot hur illa finnar tycker om Ryssland. Även om deras politiker inte säger det högt.
Im from Denmark and I like Sweden and Finland. Sweden the most, but thats only because, I don't know much about Finland. In my opinion the people in Denmark, Norway and Sweden are not that different!
You are correct in that we're not all that different. That in itself is reason to tease and berate each other since in our neighbours we see our own imperfections more clearly.
@@adgaga Good One!
It's really the same language and culture. There are only regional differences. Precisely as France, Germany and Italy had before they became a unified state.
I am Swedish and I absolutely loooove Denmark!!
I feel the same. And with Finland the language is totally different, it changes things I think.
The Norse culture there has always been that you always gift back, or repay. That's coming from the old ways, before Christianity.
Yea
Can only speak for myself, but I love all my Nordic neighbours!
(including Finland and Denmark)
/ Swede
But the opposite is not as common!
I feel the same
/ Dane
@@cinziam457 I think there is more in the Scandinavian countries that unites us than divides us so I prefer to move a little beyond the somewhat "tribal trends". And to me, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish feels like one language that creates a single public sphere which I can't help feeling an affinity for. :)
Speaking of everything is sweet in the US. When I visited New York I stayed at a hostel and they had breakfast included as an option. We were a larger group of 20 people so we thought, this will be nice. The first morning everyone was complaining about the breakfast and could not eat a bite since everything was waaay to sweet. So I called on the staff and asked if there was anything less sweet they could offer, and I got the response "we have Nutella". I thought they were joking but they were dead serious xD. We all left and was very thankful for the bagel culture in New York.
You must have been offered the ubiquitous 'continental breakfast', which consists of sweet rolls. That's an inexpensive way for a hotel to offer food, but it's not a true breakfast.
Now, one thing about Sweden that always impresses me is their commitment to the environment. Swedes are basically the superheroes of recycling. I once had Swedish friends stay at my place, and they brought their own recycling bags with them. I was like, "Wow, I didn't realize recycling could be so organized and stylish."
It's crazy how different the ideas of "Healthy" are in the US vs Europe. We used to get pudding cups as a healthier snack (I think they were the Weight Watchers ones that are like 15 calories per cup and made with Splenda or whatever). . . completely forgot about that until last week when we had a chocolate trifle, and I told my English husband that it tasted just like the chocolate pudding we used to have. The custard was egg free, so basically made of the same stuff as American pudding, and he thought it was hilarious that my mom thought that was an appropriate thing to eat at 11 am 5 days per week. And after living here for 8 years I kinda agree, but it wasn't abnormal to see kids eating donuts, leftover birthday cake, cold leftover pizza, etc for breakfast, or bringing it for lunch. In comparison, if all they had for breakfast was a glass of arange juice and some chocolatey cereal enriched with vitamins, that was a healthy day. It's hard though. The US subsidise high fructose corn syrup, we subsidise vegetables and tax sugary drinks. So especially if you're not doing great financially, it makes more sense to buy whatever is cheaper, even if you rationally know that a banana is a more suitable snack that a bag of Cheetos.
How tf could orange juice and chocolaty cereal be considered a healthy breakfast?!
Growing up in Sweden I was fed neutral yogurt with unsweetened cereal a little jam, and a sandwich with butter. I was only allowed to drink hot chocolate on the weekends and would never drink juice ever. Sometimes I would get sweetened yogurt but I never really liked yogurt so I’d stick to eating my sandwich with butter and cheese and maybe ham or caviar.
@@elsalovefors I never liked yoghurt so I always ate my cereal with milk. I was allowed juice but only at meals and I had to drink a glass of water to milk first and mom would only buy it once every three months.
@@Cucumberturnip yeah, mostly my dad is cautious of what I eat because he ate really sweet stuff growing up so he has really bad teeth and i am missing enamel in my teeth so he just doesnt want me to get holes.
We've always eaten locally produced food and so on and a lot of greens.. However as a fun thing to try I stopped drinking soda in the beginning of 2016 and stopped eating chemicals by the end of the summer the same year.. I'm still on it till today😂
I don't think that would be possible if I lived in the US honestly😅
Separation av kyrkan och staten är viktigt för oss.
Most swedes like Finland! At least in my experience
We dont hate Finland, we just think its wierd with the language because its so different (if they cant speak swedish)
We like Finland. Except when there's a hockey tournament.
@@mattiasnordstrom86 thats true and that some of the Can be loud
I hate Finland!!!
@@mattiasnordstrom86 said Mattias Nordström the former AIK-hockey player and captain of the L.A. Kings?
1. We don't like smalltalk because it's superficial, we value deeper connections. If you are only going talk about irrelevant things, then i would rather avoid it because we will never meet again. That's why if you ask us how we are doing we will actually tell you how we are doing even if we are doing bad.
2. Coffee should be black and strong, maybe a small amount of milk. No sugar! Fun fact Starbucks is going bankrupt in Sweden because its seen as water.
3. Denmark is the older brother with a speech impairment. Finland is the half brother, or adopted brother. And Norway is just the stupid brother.
4. All major religions is taught in school as religions not facts, so we see it for what it is. That said most people are born into the church still because to leave it you have to actively request a form, have it sent to you, fill it in and send it back. And as someone else in chat said, we have a deeper connection to nature and get our spirituality from there.
5. Its true we don't, I don't know where it comes from though. I just don't like having "must do" things in the back of my head because it creates stress.
In Psychology we call that Anti-social behavior.
Thanks for a great video as always. Also Will was a great guest.
The smalltalk thing is way more pronounced in the bigger cities, the more rural you get the more "american" the smalltalk becomes. I live in the countryside and we neighbours always greet each other, wave at each other when passing by, and talk a little if we meet in person. So I think the "no-smalltalk" thing is more of an urban thing, as per usual in the world.
I live in Oslo, and I do small talk quite often, in various places, and I LOVE it. Of course, it depends on the person, you probably have more things in common with some people than with others. So there are definitely exceptions out there, and some of my friends are definitely also small-talkers. Likewise, you can find people in rural areas who are not so good at small talk. My sister is definitely one of them. She doesn`t like the big cities (unlike me), she prefers peace and tranquility and having a FEW people around her-but she also enjoys solitude a lot.
But you know what else Swedes are famous for? Their meatballs. I once had the pleasure of trying authentic Swedish meatballs, and let me tell you, they were life-changing. Picture this: you take a bite and suddenly you're transported to a winter wonderland, surrounded by snow, beautiful people, and an inexplicable urge to assemble IKEA furniture. It's like a culinary fairy tale.
Im Christian and go to church every sunday. Feels like im the only one my age who goes to it. I wasn't even raised religious.
Du kan vara hur religiös du vill men dyvla inte på din religion på någon annan som inte är och vill höra om den.
Religion är ett svårt ämne men håll det till vad det är. Ett evigt hycklert.
@@arnegunnarsson3919 Men va? Har jag gjort det? Verkar helt ärligt bara som du är en kränkt, sur gammal gubbe. Kanske dags att växa upp lille vän?
@@arnegunnarsson3919 Känns helt ärligt som du attackerar mig utan anledning? Är du senil? Kanske borde bli missionär nu när du håller på såhär.
@@clanker3967 Vilket påhopp av Arne. Min äldsta går i kyrkan, hon är inte uppvuxen med religion i hemmet. Är man vuxen så får man tror på vilken påhittad figur man vill.
I would say you 100% got the "owing someone a favor" aspect correct. It's fine helping a friend move, paint their house/apartment. But we don't want to own anyone any money, it goes along with the opposite that we hate having to ask people to pay back owned money since we don't wanna start a conflict. So Swish has helped a lot of relationships stay strong :)
Swisha mig alla dina pengar
I think you guys nailed it! There are ofc lots more stuff, but everything you said spot on!
I really love these videos where you discuss with someone. It helps me put a lot of things in perspective, learned a lot about Swedes watching your videos. And yeah, I'm a swede (50% Finnish so I love Finland!!!)
Headset is vital to avoid small talk! Every scandinavian should know this
yeah, doesnt even have to be plugged in :)
I think the culture here in Sweden is that most of us want to be independent. We can be very individualistic in a way. I think that most swedes want to feel independent and pay for everything we buy by ourselves. We don't want to be in debt because it could be an argument if we would forget about it. I think most swedes don't trust or count on others helping out if we would need it. We don't like to ask others for help, we prefer minding our own business and to solve our problems by ourselves. I know it sounds like we are super protective and don't trust people enough, but I think that is because most of us prefer to socialize in smaller groups of people that we know well. This is just a general rule, and don't aply to everyone of course. :) I know that people on the country side are more open and willing to help each other, so it's a different culture in smaller communities. :)
I agree, I'm of Swedish descent and we were brought up to be like this, I don't think my mother knew any other way.
Your friend seems like a really awesome person! Really enjoyed this video thank you :)
Very interesting video and right on point! :)
100 % Swedish and I never drink coffee, and I know several Swedes who also don't. Sure, some people think it's weird, but I don't see why I would care about that…
I think you will have to move to another country. Sorry but it is the best for everyone.
@@b.benjamineriksson6030 Or how… 😁
But maybe you're right. Finland, here I come! 😁
My grandma is the only one in my family that drinks coffee... I'm the one most similar to her with my mocha frappuchinos with their 3 drops of actual coffee.
Kaffe luktar gott, men smakar skit.
Dricker inte heller kaffe!
Can i just say that i think this is the best guest you have had on by far, i could totally listen to you two if you had a podcast
Really good episode, lots of laughs 👍
I mean, even though we joke about the other Scandinavian countries, and sports rivalry, we Always have to vote for them in Eurovision lol
Hey Stefan! Thanks for all the great vids! Wondering 2 random things: What do you think of the Swedish Royals, and have you ever encountered them? I've heard the crown Princess gets out and mingles with her people a bit. Also, do you ever get out to go exploring the Swedish country side, far away from the cities? Thanks if you can answer!!
Im with you discussing the royal family would make a great video.
@@toonsoffun5733 they seem much more approachable and progressive than the British royals, especially crown princess Victoria, but unfortunately are a lot less known of course
Interesting. About no. 5, and a deeper meaning from my own observations: some of us may struggle with unconditional generosity, and thus we may be reluctant to be indebted to others. I see this all the time, with myself and others.
Thank you guys for this amazing interview! I am from Czech republic but I adore those nordic scandinavian countries and I am definitely going to visit someday, I just have to know the nature, the culture, yeah.. I hope some day :))
Thank you for sharing
Interesting video, I can definitely agree with most of that. I'm Swedish living abroad and I'm also Christian and a churchgoer. There are actually quite many people going to church in Sweden. There are some churches with thousands of members, for example Hillsong Stockholm or Filadelfia. Most Swedes don't go to church on a normal Sunday just because of tradition, which I believe a lot of people in other countries do. Instead most of those that do go to church in Sweden, do it because they genuinely enjoy it and they believe in God.
Är inte filadelfia den kyrkan i knutby?
@@elinevensson549 Nej, jag menade Filadelfia i Stockholm, inte Knutby.
@@fredw2016 okej
I agree, I am a churchgoer too ✌🏻 But like a lot of other personal stuff it's not something I talk about constantly. I think that's true for a lot of swedes. Religion/beliefs are seen as private so there may be a lot of people going to church but you may not hear a lot about it
@@sofiarosenqvist1975 Yes, I agree, Swedish people probably see religion as a private matter more than in many other western countries. Also, I think some people may not talk about their faith in fear of being mocked. The vast majority of people are accepting of people's faiths, but it may only take one occasion for someone to keep quiet. However I think that may also be the case in some other Western countries too.
I totally agree with you on the strong coffee lol. I made some Mexican spice coffee for my honeys parents and family during Christmas. Her mom literally gets up and gets the jar of coffee and everyone added a more coffee to their cup... I was flabbergasted 😂😂😂
Hahaha pretty funny!
That's funny because growing up in Congo-Brazzaville we had so many swedish missionaries and exchange students. They made us feel like swedish loved going to church. Great content, keep them coming!
Will, you've been missed. Welcome back 💕
When my grandmother went to the US for vacation she always brought coffee from Sweden with her.
A great thing to talk with about swedes or a Nice "icebreaker" when it become a awkward silence, is to talk about the weather. It almost ALWAYS works, we LOVE talking about the weather😂
If you are interested, I definitely recommend to check out "The Norden", especially the episode on Religion. It's a series from the Finnish national broadcasting company, but the show is set in all of the Nordic countries (except Iceland). You can find the episodes on CZcams.
That’s why Swedish people are well adjusted/happy because ... THEY STAY OUT OF CULTS, I MEAN CHURCHES 👍🏻
We have a couple of those cultic churches too, not very big though..
About the not wanting to owe favours. I think it's about not wanting to have a situation that is unclear. When someone buys something unexpectedly for someone else, Swedes generally might not understand what "it means". Maybe it's us Swedes, or our culture being somewhat autistic.
Haha, never thought about describing our culture as somewhat autistic. It is a very funny and fitting description.
no to be honest I would describe most nordic countries as autistic . Highly intelligent people who really awkward , lack some social skills , love rules but make good long-term friends. They fit the criteria perfectly. I think people don't want to admit it but it works out for you guys as your countries have a really high standard of living.
@@rackin9594 Now we know. All countries should be run by autists.
@@rackin9594 That’s not what autistic means...
@@rackin9594 I agree. Two of my friends are on the autistic spectrum and they are the most honest people I know. If autism was the norm instead of the exception, the world would be a better place.
One thing I noticed amongst my fellow swedes, living abroad, is how we cannot stop talking about Sweden as some sort of.. idk status quo of how things are when they are ‘as supposed to be’. Even the ones who are really critical when they speak about Sweden (mainly Swedish politics) to other swedes. I’d lost count how many times I heard “in Sweden we have...”
True. We usually don't like to talk nonsense (small talk) with other people than our friends. It can be wierd but many think you are just wasting their time and are waiting for you to make your point so they can engage in the discussion.
Regardig favours: Back in the day if someone gave you a gift you were honorbound to give a gift of equal value back. If you could not afford it you would either be disgraced or at the mercy of the giftgiver to do them a favour. It happen quite often that richer person took advantage of this, giving a too valuable gift, to build support for their agenda at the various local political assemblies (ting, socken stämma etc) - think "An offer you can't refuse"...
There is still a similar notion (especially in rural areas) that if you ask someone for help and they do it for free then when they ask you for a favour in return saying no is not an socialy accepted answer do not matter if you like the task or not. Instead of being indepted and not knowing, or have control over, what the price will be in the end most people tend to want to sort out their affairs as soon as possible - to be indebted is to be unfree.
There is also a "matter of honor" (hederssak) to "do whats right" (göra rätt för sig); paying your share is what is expected and nobody will take for granted that a favour/help is for free. Nobody want to be seen as the one that do not do their part and paying their share, pulling their own weight.
As such it is only when trust is built and two parties are mutually indebted/dependent Swedish people tend to relax in that type of situation. There is a saying "tjänster och gentjänster" (favours and "refavours") that acknowledge that.
So no I would not say that it has to do with a egalitarien society. It is to my mind rather a cultural remanant of a time when not repaying a debt of honor could get you and your family killed or enslaved - better then to pay your debts as soon as possible, even the scale and remain in control.
I’m a devout Christian and I don’t go to church every week :) Even religious Swedes don’t talk about religion much.
Hi Stefan. First off, I have experience of living in Sweden and in several other countries and that includes also your country of origin, the U.S. Just like you, I like Sweden but I must say you're right. I used to return to Sweden from Spain and I was on the train to Stockholm with Spaniards and I even jokingly asked one of them to coach "small talk" in Sweden because Spaniards are known as European masters of socializing :-) Based on my experience living in the States, I guess Americans would be also great instructors. At least widespread love for coffee in Sweden provides some opportunities for conversation :-) Best regards. Mirek
Im looking to move to Sweden from the U.S and your videos are very helpful.
0:52 as a russian gonna say that it works exactly the same for us! we also only tend to smile wide to people we know (so nothing more than the slight Gioconda smiley for strangers), and we tend to avoid small talk but I personally don't mind. Don't be afraid to ask for help, because we are always ready to help willingly - I guided a stranger man to the house he wanted to get to because he was lost in all these streets with no signs, and we did chat a little
Wait, did he say we don’t like Ibrahimovic?! He is our pride and joy!
No, he's an a-hole
He is his pride and his joy might be closer to the truth?
Hey, You should explore swedish culture somewhere outside Stockholm. You’ll be surprised how different it can be!
definitely agree with that! Norbotten and Stockholm are sooooo different
SKÅNE SNÄLLA GÅ DIT
awesome video! and your friend Will is really handsome ,you should make more videos together :D
I'm swedish and I have seen your videos for a long time so I remember when you lived in the same city as myself , norrköping, but i saw that you moved to stockholm.
however I think alot of swedish people are very quiet because we don't get taught about self love and how to have good confidence when we're young. and unfortunatley alot of parents just wants to get rid of their kids when they are over 18 because they believe that you should be able to make it by yourself when you're an adult. so many young people in sweden live by them selves and I think it makes them feel very lonley.
I'm thinking of moving to Sweden, your videos are pretty helpful.
I feel like the sibling rivalry between norway and sweden is higher than between sweden and the rest of the nordics 😅
Probably cause those two are the most similar!
@@StefanThyron yea 😄
But Norwegians are more likable than Danes and Finns.
@@beorlingo I think most nordics are pretty unlikable 😂 or unsocial at first glance at least 😅
@@rebeccamadsen4509 Danes are arrogant. Finns are autistic. Norwegians are jovial! 🤪
It still amazes me how an advanced country like the USA can be so religious
I think that is why they are so advanced
@@lilyanna3009 No it is not. It is all companys that have so many not americans in charge.
Mississippi, Alabama and other Southern states are among the most highly religious states in the U.S., take a moment to consider how hard the landed and established demographic therein worked to pay the indigenous natives fair value for their land, or the back-breaking work endured in tobacco and cotton fields which yielded lucrative fortunes, I'd say their professed faith to their God undoubtedly must receive much gratitude toward his inspired works. These same ethics inspire these same 'religious faithful' to this day by any cursory perusal to current events.
Nice video as always. Can you make an update video about coronavirus in Sweden? Like are all stores open, is it mandotary to wear mask in public? I really want to visit there this summer❤️
Would be interesting! I've made two corona videos already but I guess it could be time for another update.
Stores are ooen but with a certain number allowed in per sq metre. Masks are encouraged.
However, many of us don't go to stores. I haven't been to any stores since before Christmas and I went to ONE when it was not crowded.
I haven't been to a supernarket since October maybe.
I haven't seen my parents since October 2019. They are over 70.
I wish foreign media would report more accurately. We do sacrifices voluntarily here.
@@starvictory7079 thanks you so much! it is my dream to live there some day😌😇
I think the discomfort with someone paying the bill could be connected more to a cultural memory of being rural/less prosperous, similar to the discomfort with small talk. It's a bit similar to Canada, which is maybe somewhere between Sweden and the US in those areas. There's northern/harsh climate aspect to it too, that I think left a strong imprint on people before the advent of modern technology & conveniences.
I’m from Canada and have born in Sweden grandparents on all sides…Johnson, berg, Anderson and Pearson. I’m very proud of Swedish heritage.
The churches in the center of Stockholm are so beautiful. I went to Stockholm last Monday❤️
Couldn't agree more, especially the ones in Gamla Stan and Odenplan!
@@StefanThyron come out to Bromma, Bromma kyrka is an old stone church from the 12th century, same age as Stockholm (at least the official age of Stockholm even if there were settlements here prior to that).
The sweet food/coffee thing is very spot on. Fun fact, I only recently learned what "creamer" is that Americans put in their coffee, here we just use milk or cream so for the longest time when I saw the word "creamer" online I thought it was an umbrella term for milk or cream that one puts in coffee. I spent quite a few months in the US due to my ex boyfriend living there and I was really shocked at how sweet things were and how normal it was to have sweets not just as an occasional treat. Sugary cereal, waffles, pancakes, and even donuts and muffins for breakfast!! Y'all deadass out here having dessert for breakfast! Not to mention that whenever I ordered "orange juice" in an attempt to be healthy, it was absolutely not orange juice, it was really sweet and more like what we'd call "saft" in Sweden. I'm pretty sure that here you can legally only call something "juice" if it's actually just the liquid you get from squeezing a fruit, but clearly that's not the case in the US.
Canadian here who uses cream in her coffee. My new neighbour from England uses the powdered stuff.
Saft innehåller antagligen mindre socker än ”riktig” juice.
@@johankinhult9191 Det är absolut möjligt, men om "apelsinjuice" smakar sött måste det vara ännu mer socker för att kompensera för den syrliga smaken
@@KreeZafi säkert
American here, I think the younger generations are more likely to avoid creamer. It was a leftover from the post war, processed food fanaticism that plagues my grandparents and parents generation.... I myself hate sugary coffee, good coffee really doesn't need it.
Great vid thanks!
What’s the name of the bbc program please?
Interesting list. I agree with all of it.
What today is Finland was for 400-500 years the eastern half of Sweden which is why the teach Swedish in Finnish school.
There are a few areas like Åland, Nyland, Egentliga Finland and Österbotten (There is a Västerbotten in Sweden) of Finland
where Swedish language is more common then the rest of Finland. There could be more areas but I don't remember.
700
About the church thing in Sweden. There was a time when the church was an authority, there was a time when one was required to be at church because that was where the royal decrees were read.
In addition, there was a time when one was not allowed to move to another parish without the permission of the kyrkoherde (chief minister).
For hundreds of years, the church lived very well as an extension of the government. Most of the church'es authority has been gone for generations now and the final step was taken in 2000 when the Church of Sweden was no longer part of the public sector.
But, there has been at the root of religion in Sweden, an underlying resentment of "the church".
You'll even find it in literature, August Strindberg didn't exactly make his clergical characters a paragon of virtue. Just read Hemsöborna.
Today's Church of Sweden is paying the price for it's history.
Ok guys! I can tell that I am a very introvert person...with that said, I can also tell you that when I went with my Diving Club to one week diving camp in Stanford 2017, I met some American Diving Masters, and HOW I loved to talk to them! I came out of my shell! But here in Sweden I´m really as you describe here:)) The coffee, the neighbors etc...Two of my female friends on the camp seemed to feel uncomfortable on the training sessions and interaction with the others and THAT made me thinking. They are probably normal here in Sweden? I´m so happy for my ability to talk and joke with the american women! I adapted:) Thank you for your video!/ From Hannah in Gothenburg, Sweden
yooo so close to 100k wooo
Kan du inte gå igenom svenska uppfinningar? Om du inte har kollat upp det innan så kommer du bli förvånad 😉 Allt finns kanske inte på endast wiki dock.
Nice that you knew that there are many Swedish speaking communities in western Finland, many Swedes don't seem to know that
Is it not a bilingual country officially?
@@jredneck1317 yes it is
Finland is not part of Scandinavia, it’s part of the Nordic countries
It is very true! I am Brazilian and lived in Sweden for one year and experienced all of it.
3:35 "BLEH ruin a good cup of coffee. Give it to us black and Stroooong"
- Gollum, probably.
Kan helt klart konstatera/instämma i att jag i varje fall avskyr att behöva stå i skuld till någon. Det kan för visso bero på så många fall från lyxfällan etc, men jag får bara ångest eller känner frustration då någon säger ”ta ett lån”
Jag hade rätt ju ;)
@@StefanThyron Jepp ;)
Föresten, visste du Greyhound buss grundades av svensken Martis Jerk aka Eric Wickman 1914
About Finland, it is an old grudge where lots of kids from Finland came to sweden and there was many who did not get into nice families or had trouble reconnecting to their biological family, you can search about it
Because of the war?
Du måste åka till Uppsala, så fint på sommaren:)
I am Swedish and can talk to anyone anywhere anytime without any problems.
But as a Swede, I also think that, why talk when you have nothing to say.
Small talk is uninteresting. I think many Swedes feel the same way.
Btw .... I love Finland and the Finnish people :)
Obviously not. But why try to start a conversation if you don't have anything to say in the first place?
In my experience, most Swedes can "small talk" if it has some kind of substance.
Despite to what they say in the video.....we dont feel compelled to chat in the elevator, on the bus, with the waiter, in the queue at the supermarket and on the plane etc because we feel awkward....we are just not that interested.
That's also why we for the most part talk and discuss in our immediate company for that moment. We don't bother ourself with other people at the pub or café etc in that moment. And we don't mind if goes silent for 2 min. I don't recognize the elevator sketch at all?!
This is just my own experiences. :)
@@SaturatedCat You're right of course. I take a bite of the humble pie :) It's usually a good idea to think things thru first.
You can't have an interesting conversation if you don't "check things out" with the person of interest first. Swedes do that to.
I just get so tired sometimes of many misconceptions people seem to have even though they lived in Sweden for a long time.
I don't know how many times people with YT-channels about Sweden say that we eat rotten herring for example ... the fish is fermented for ¤%&! sake, not rotten. Big difference....(you can't eat rotten food at all btw....you get deadly sick...everybody knows that!).
I know i'm ridiculous now but I just want to say something sometimes about the nonsense from people who ought to know better ... I get pissed and cant keep my mouth shut.
And explain why we're not so talkative sometimes and that there is a reason behind it. We are probably a little littla bit shy too but we are not rude....at least don't meant to be :)
My grandmother was the only one not born in Sweden. She learned to make really strong coffee and drank it half coffee and half milk.
I have never understood the Swedes obsession with coffee, it´s ridiculous.
Did you usually get a headache when stopped drinking coffee for awhile? 😅 I get a headache if I don’t drink atleast two/three cups a day. Sometimes 4-5 depending on the day.
Miss Swedish coffee though!
question, what is the relationship like between Norway and Sweden from your experience? Is it friendly rivalry as well?
Finland was Swedish territory once way back, that is why swedish is sort of part of Finland. And also the language is from 2 different language groups. Germanic vs Slavic. But still Finland is like little brother to Sweden that is why we have love/hate relationship in many things, like sports.
I don't think Finnish is a slavic language is it? Thought it was part of it's own family with hungarian
@@StefanThyron Yeah, It's from the uralic language group
@@StefanThyron sorry it comes from the Uralic group.
Finnish language, Finnish Suomi, member of the Finno-Ugric group of the Uralic language family, spoken in Finland.
In fact Finland was part of Sweden for almost 700 years. I'm surprised the two countries aren't more alike considering that. Must be the lack of small talk.
Swede here; I love Finland! Our family across the sea!
About quitting drinking coffee: I have tried on several occasions but it's too hard when everyone else drinks it! The social norm is so strong!
I have a friend from Finland and is a beautiful , kindness person