Video summary

19 WEIRD THINGS Swedish people do ( that YOU SHOULD do too ) 🇸🇪

Main summary

Key takeaways

Lifestyle

Key Swedish lifestyle & culture traditions (as described)

  • Cut pizza with kitchen scissors

    • Pizza is cut using scissors instead of a pizza cutter.
    • Presented as both a “minimalist” hack and a fun method.

  • Sleep with separate duvets

    • Each person uses their own duvet to avoid blanket-fighting.

  • Bedding setup: duvet cover + duvet inner + a sheet (no top sheets/blankets)

    • Standard practice uses no top sheet and no loose blankets.
    • Typical routine:
      • Put the duvet inner into a duvet cover.
      • Wash the duvet cover weekly.
      • In warm seasons, store the duvet inner and sleep with the duvet outer/cover alone.

  • “No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”

    • A phrase printed on mail/kindergarten/school reminders to help parents dress children properly.
    • Encourages staying outdoors rather than avoiding it when conditions are unpleasant.

  • Health perspective: get outdoors for wellbeing

    • Claims spending time outside supports health (including breathing in local “microbiomes”) compared with staying indoors watching TV.

  • Less disclosure about personal characteristics

    • Suggests Swedish culture avoids emphasizing/discussing race categories.
    • Also implies that for many everyday systems (e.g., banks/universities), you often don’t need to disclose such information.

  • Raising children with respect

    • Treats children as “already humans.”
    • Kids aren’t forced into rigid behavior or social expectations.
    • Examples:
      • Children don’t have to hug/kiss if they don’t want to.
      • Children may make mistakes and show emotions.

  • Make dinner easier: avoid foods you dislike

    • At dinner parties, the speaker pre-shares they don’t eat coriander/cilantro to reduce hassle.

  • “Whole and clean” hosting standard

    • Describes a norm of maintaining appearances and cleaning thoroughly when friends visit.

  • “From scratch” is not emphasized the same way

    • Claims Sweden doesn’t commonly frame food as “from scratch” because homemade vs. bakery is treated as the norm.
    • Notes the local idea of halvfabrikat (“half-processed foods”).

  • Afternoon social coffee/tea with a sweet: Fika

    • A common tradition of coffee/tea with a sweet treat, often in the afternoon but possible anytime.
    • Positioned as a cozy, low-pressure way to meet friends/dates without alcohol.

  • Co-sleeping with babies

    • Presented as common and uncontroversial.
    • Reasons given:
      • Parents don’t have to wake up and move to another room.
      • A baby’s brain/mind isn’t developed enough to feel unsafe without the parent in the room.
    • Mentions a practical setup where a parent-built barrier/attachment helps keep the baby safely in the same bed space.

  • Using the label “feminist” casually

    • Says both men and women in Sweden call themselves feminists, more casually than in some other countries.

  • Schoolwork described as “easier”

    • Claims fewer assignments/homework (especially in earlier schooling), though notes this may be changing.

  • Dating norms described as nontraditional

    • Claims Swedes don’t have a clear “dating phase” and may move more directly into being together.
    • Described as uncomfortable to the speaker; they suggest Swedish dating norms could be adopted elsewhere.

  • Learning English early

    • Claims English is taught early and widely spoken—helpful for living abroad and future jobs.

  • Religion: automatic church enrollment (historical claim)

    • Says Swedish church membership was typically assigned at birth regardless of baptism.
    • Argues that many people aren’t religious partly because there’s less personal choice/enrollment structure.

  • Jantelagen (law/ethic of humility)

    • Means being humble and not speaking too highly of yourself.
    • Benefits described:
      • People are generally quieter and less attention-seeking.

  • No direct equivalent of “please”

    • Notes Swedish doesn’t naturally use a word like “please.”
    • Alternatives mentioned:
      • “snälla” (kindly / can you kindly)
      • “tack” (thank you)

Notable locations, products, or people mentioned

  • New Zealand (speaker’s experience/advice after moving abroad)
  • Japan (where the speaker first encountered the term “caucasian,” around age ~20)
  • Hjärsts / dinners at H(e)arst (unclear exact venue name; referenced in the context of dinner parties)
  • Coriander / cilantro (mentioned as a food the speaker doesn’t eat)
  • Fika (Swedish social tradition: coffee/tea with a sweet)

Original video