One thing swedes love: People talking about Sweden.

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 ;)

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».

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.

Swedish people also generally dislike boasting/ flexing/ showing off kind of behavior :D

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.

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.

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.

Would like to point out that, all though Finland is part of the nordics, it is not part of Scandinavia.

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!

When I worked in the U.S we had 3 coffee pots in the office. 1. American coffee. 2. Strong coffee. 3. Swedish coffee.

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).

How nice to smalltalk for no reason with a stranger in the dark and -20 degrees C.

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.

Vi gillar inte när folk går in med ytterskor!😂

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.

People from the countryside are very different from People living in Stockholm

Swedish people do not like to be late or if someone else is late. Our time is important to us

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.

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.

Can only speak for myself, but I love all my Nordic neighbours! (including Finland and Denmark) / Swede

Religion and Politics should not ever mix. That is my personal stand.

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!

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.

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!

Number 6 Swedish people do not like when you compliment their English. They think you are just making fun of them lol

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.

The Norse culture there has always been that you always gift back, or repay. That's coming from the old ways, before Christianity.

Separation av kyrkan och staten är viktigt för oss.

Most swedes like Finland! At least in my experience

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.

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...

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

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.

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.

Thanks for a great video as always. Also Will was a great guest.

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!!

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

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!!!)

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 :)

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. :)

Headset is vital to avoid small talk! Every scandinavian should know this

I think you guys nailed it! There are ofc lots more stuff, but everything you said spot on!

Your friend seems like a really awesome person! Really enjoyed this video thank you :)

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 mean, even though we joke about the other Scandinavian countries, and sports rivalry, we Always have to vote for them in Eurovision lol

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 :))

Great vid thanks! What’s the name of the bbc program please?

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.

That’s why Swedish people are well adjusted/happy because ... THEY STAY OUT OF CULTS, I MEAN CHURCHES 👍🏻

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.

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!

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😂

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 😂😂😂

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.

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.

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.

When my grandmother went to the US for vacation she always brought coffee from Sweden with her.

Very interesting video and right on point! :)

Really good episode, lots of laughs 👍

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.

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

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❤️

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...”

I’m a devout Christian and I don’t go to church every week :) Even religious Swedes don’t talk about religion much.

Hey, You should explore swedish culture somewhere outside Stockholm. You’ll be surprised how different it can be!

Will, you've been missed. Welcome back 💕

Im looking to move to Sweden from the U.S and your videos are very helpful.

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.

The churches in the center of Stockholm are so beautiful. I went to Stockholm last Monday❤️

I'm thinking of moving to Sweden, your videos are pretty 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!

I feel like the sibling rivalry between norway and sweden is higher than between sweden and the rest of the nordics 😅

Thank you for sharing

question, what is the relationship like between Norway and Sweden from your experience? Is it friendly rivalry as well?

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.

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.

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 KZfaq.

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.

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 :)

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.

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

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!

Nice that you knew that there are many Swedish speaking communities in western Finland, many Swedes don't seem to know that

3:35 "BLEH ruin a good cup of coffee. Give it to us black and Stroooong" - Gollum, probably.

I have a friend from Finland and is a beautiful , kindness person

It is very true! I am Brazilian and lived in Sweden for one year and experienced all of it.

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.

Sweden and Denmark have a longass history of rivalry and fighting. You should look into the Stockholm bloodbath as just one example. Sweden and Denmark even hold the world record for most wars fought between two countries lol. Those centuries of fighting over land and power eventually led to a sibling-like relationship because our histories and peoples overlap so much. I think that's the case with a lot of neighbor countries.

is it the "monte cervino" in the central picture behind your shoulders?

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!

This Was really interesting, especially cause I work for Act Church of Sweden which is Church of Swedens international aid organisation :) Also, what swedes Do NOT like is wearing outdoor shoes inside.

It still amazes me how an advanced country like the USA can be so religious

Gosh the favors or debt one, I felt that in my core xD

I don't like small talk with strangers because it feels like it creates a bond. Like, next time I see them on the bus I HAVE to talk to them. Almost like I owe them something (and we all know that that should be avoided!)! About going to church, I think maybe Americans get more of their "neighbourhood-feeling" from the people that they meet in church, when Swedes get it more from the people that live at the same place. And behind that is the fact, I think, that Swedes don't move as much as Americans - but here I am guessing! One thing I think is good with paying the "church taxes" is that when there's a crisis everybody expects the church to open and be a place where people can come together and get someone to talk to when needed! If a lot of people leave the church then probably the county would provide something similar, but - would it be so well adapted to the needs of suffering people as the church is? I don't think so myself.

Swede here; I love Finland! Our family across the sea!

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.

Had a cousin come to Sweden resently, This healthy guy said that our cereal was too healthy XD. Here in Sweden the church had a more practical use. It was Martin luthers church who taught the commen folk but now days everyone has access to school, fun fact is that we still use some of his teachings. Sorry about spelling to tired to keep it tidy.

I was drinking coffee for years, but then my stomach started to say no to it, like 4 years ago, my grandmother still gets shocked when I say no to coffee, everytime 😂