In many cultures, striking up a conversation with a stranger is the norm and could even lead to a budding friendship. But not for the Swedes.
Here, gossip is considered futile and is called kallprat (“Chat”) or dödprat (“Talk dead”). To avoid ending up in these situations, many Swedes have made an art of avoiding eye contact with strangers and acquaintances they might come across on the street while looking at their phones or looking at store windows. For Swedes, the purpose of speaking is to exchange meaningful information, and engaging in aimless chatter is just not valued.
Visitors to Sweden trying to strike up an informal conversation with a trader or waiter, even with the local greeting “hej ”, are likely to encounter an apartment “hej ” in response, often with a subtext of mild irritation or mistrust. Experts say that this reservation could be due to the fact that Sweden is a sparsely populated country in a relatively vast landscape, in which for hundreds of years people have become accustomed to rarely speaking with those outside of their immediate circle.
Another hypothesis is that this aversion to gossip could be linked to relatively low levels of immigration in Sweden until the 1960s. Minimal exposure to other cultures historically meant that Swedes were less likely to adopt this practice. decidedly non-Swedish.
Yet despite their seemingly cool exterior, Swedes will almost always be polite and friendly, albeit in a different way than those in more talkative cultures.
In a country that overturns simplicity and practicality, it is better not to speak without reason.
(Video by Björn Nilsson, text by Yasmin El-Beih)
This video is part of BBC Reel’s The Nordic Way playlist.
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