The century-old idea of Jantelagen helps explain why Scandinavian cultures prize equality and egalitarian behavior. Building a culture that prizes social welfare, a degree of conformity, and introduces a negative pressure not to distinguish yourself too much from the crowd. There's another interesting article on it here: https://www.scandinaviastandard.com/what-is-janteloven-the-law-of-jante/

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 15 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

When I complimented my companion

That's a thing I learned in Sweden. When we worked a night for scheduled maintenance or fixed a hickup in a project in the Netherlands we just went on or went home. Here we smile, say "Bra jobbat!" (Litteral good job, but more in the spirit of you/we did it!) and go for Fika (if possible)

  • source