THE NATIONAL PSYCHE

There’s a prevailing view of Swedes as cold and reserved, or at least shy – until the snaps comes out, at any rate. Like any stereotype it has some basis in truth, but the national character is, of course, a good deal more complex than popular myth suggests.Two key concepts that anyone spending a substantial amount of time in Sweden will come to understand are lagom and ordning och reda. Both are vital components in the mindset of the typical Swedish character. Lagom means just right – not too little, not too much. A good example is mellanöl (medium ale) – it’s not strong, but not as weak as a light ale. An exception to lagom is the smorgåsbord. Ordning och reda connotes tidiness and order, everything in its proper place in the world. A good example is the queuing system; every transaction in all of Sweden requires its participants to take a number and stand in line, which everyone does with the utmost patience. An exception to ordning och reda is Stockholm traffic.