Eight unwritten rules that explain how Sweden works
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Loading... - Gabriele Romano
- 31 Oct 2022
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While complying with the laws is a must in Sweden, for anyone who truly wants to ‘get’ Swedes, they’ll need to understand these unwritten rules.
Anyone who has moved to a different country – or who has even holidayed somewhere for an extended period – will be confronted with “unwritten rules”.
These rules are sometimes more important to the locals than actual laws or regulations, but will often be difficult or impossible to discern.
In fact, you’ll probably never really feel as if you fit in until you are not only aware of these rules, but comply with them without even thinking about it.
Here are eight unwritten rules that explain how Sweden ticks.
No small talk
Swedes are famously hard to make friends with, and this might be one of the reasons why. Swedes hate small talk. So much so, that small talk is referred to as kallprat (cold talk) or even dödprat (dead talk) in Swedish.
You may be tempted to strike up a conversation with your new neighbours if you’ve recently moved to a new apartment. Don’t. Anything more than a simple “hej hej” when passing in the stairwell will cause them to avoid you for the foreseeable future.
Wondering how you can make friends in Sweden if you can’t count on small talk? Try joining an activity such as a sports club or music association. Swedes love organised activities, and are much more likely to open up if there’s a clear common interest from the start.
Respect personal space
This is actually one of the reasons behind Swedish silence and hatred of small talk. Not talking to strangers is seen as polite in Sweden, as you are letting people retain their right to privacy and respecting their personal space. Read More...
