Swedes are Cold, Sir Richard Branson Agrees
Even Sir Richard Branson, the knighted billionaire entrepreneur responsible for the Virgin Group of companies, agrees that the Swedes are cold.
In his excellent book, Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way, Branson recounts his launch of Virgin Music, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and several other businesses. He also describes his adventures hot-air ballooning with Swedish hot-air ballooning expert Per Lindstrand.
Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand
Branson and Lindstrand achieved impressive hot-air ballooning world records, such as flying the “Virgin Atlantic Flyer” across the Atlantic ocean. The Virgin Atlantic Flyer was the first, and largest hot-air balloon, at 2.3 million cubic feet (65,000 m³), ever to cross the Atlantic ocean. In January 1991, Branson and Lindstrand crossed the Pacific from Japan to Arctic Canada, 6,700 miles (10,800 km), in a balloon of 2,600,000 cubic feet (74,000 m3). This broke the world record, with a speed of 245 miles per hour (394 km/h). The journeys were harrowing and dangerous – almost as if they were scripted from a cliff hanger movie.
In the end though, Branson is disappointed with his Swedish partner Per Lindstrand. After a dramatic flight, Branson says, “I wondered whether I was mad to consider ever going with him again.” He goes on to say of Lindstrand, “Certainly, we have been though more together than most people experience in a lifetime.” But finally concludes, “But it was sad that we hadn’t developed a stronger bond with each other. I get close to most of the people with whom I spend a long time. But Per is not a team player. He’s a loner. He’s often difficult to read. He’s quick to criticize. I’d always been brought up to look for the best in people. Per somehow always seemed to find the worst.”
That about sums up the Swedish personality folks: cold, distant, critical, and withdrawn.
There is nothing wrong with distant, cold, critical, and withdrawn… if that’s what you’re looking for. But the purpose of this site is to warn prospective expats that this is what they should expect if they move to Stockholm. Unless a cold welcome is what you’re looking for, I advise you to stay clear away. As an aside, Branson’s book is excellent reading and highly recommended for budding entrepreneurs.
Read on for Swedish Women…
July 30th, 2010 at 5:45 am
Dear foreigner. Hello and welcome to SWEDEN.
To help you survive (at best, that’s about all you’II be doing), here’s a few things you should know about Sweden:
As humans evolved, something went awfully wrong in northern Europe. To be specific, the gene which regulates normal social functioning and emotional expression underwent a dramatic mutation in Sweden. Consequently you will be in breech of a fundamental societal rule if you acknowledge the existence of another human in any context. Facial non-expression is especially important in Sweden. Your mouth should be in a permanent inverted U position (particularly if you are a female over 35). Learn to walk around with a blank look on your face – to achieve this, try to really believe that you will live forever and that each day is a total drag.
Now, all this can take a while to get used to. Some people crack and leave, others enter a long term dysthymia; but the good new is, the choice is yours! You may consider consulting a doctor, but you will need a person number and appointments can only be made between 7:15 and 7:30am. Outside this 15 minute window, there’s always the Solna freeway if you’re looking for a quick exit. Nobody will notice or react.
Adequate housing is a fundamental human right, and Sweden acknowledges this with affirmative social policies. In practice, however, if you need accommodation, there are queues. Take a ticket, stand in line for 5 years, and if you’re lucky you will be invited to rent a 20 square meter shoebox. In the meantime, there’s always BLOCKED (also known as BLOCKET), where you can plead with an Iranian to rent a 20 square meter apartment on a 4th hand contract in Upplands Väsby for two months at a time.
Finally, you might be considering a relationship here. Sweden is full of young hot women! You can see them swanning about on trains and busses, or in bars and trendy Stockholm clubs. Sadly, they aren’t real. Even see the film Blade Runner? Remember the replicants? Well, they mutated here in Sweden. Beautiful but soulless robots. If you do start a relationship with one, be warned: their DNA self-implodes around 30 and they metamorphosise into wrinkled spectacle-wearing prunes with short haircuts.
Good luck and welcome to Sweden!
August 12th, 2010 at 10:06 am
What sets humans apart from animals is the ‘soul’ or human expression/emotions. In that regard the Swedes are almost like a sub-human or lower life-form.
BTW I am one of those people who couldn’t take it and left…
August 26th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
So funny! So true! Matthew nailed it in his comments above. I’m American, but was raised the Swedish way. You’ll find this same mutant gene that decimates all normal human emotions and supplants them with chronic dysthymia has wormed its way into the Swedish-American population.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Dude, you need to calm down and just accept it. I’m an Aussie that’s lived in Sweden for long enough now (over 10 years!) to realise there’s no point bitching and whining, that’s just the way it is. I too agree with many of your sentiments (my pet hate is the shoving past in the tunnelbana without so much as a ‘ursäkta mig’ still drives me nuts after all theses years!) , but there really are wonderful things about Sweden – It’s culture and society. I have in total about 5 close Swedish friends, the rest are all ex-pats; English, Australian, Irish, German, Spanish, Mexican but name a few. I guess that the common bond of being alone in a cold country (both the climate and the people) makes you stronger. I’ve found that buy just accepting their rudeness and other irritating foibles makes life a lit easier. Life could be worse, and when you’ve got your friends around (albiet foreign ones), the place becomes a lot better to. Also, once you become more accustomed to the language, the more you get to understand a Swede. And lo and behold, I’ve actually found that there are some Swedes out there that are very warm, funny and hospitable people! trust me! They are usually to be found in the ex-pat circles. Also, there’s a saying ‘Once you make a Swedish freind, you’re friends for life’. I agree in essence about what you’re saying, but i just found that I became depressed and despondent by focussing on the negative. Like my good mate Julian says ‘ You can’t hate a Swede…You can’t like them either’ how true.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:00 am
‘Finally, you might be considering a relationship here. Sweden is full of young hot women! You can see them swanning about on trains and busses, or in bars and trendy Stockholm clubs. Sadly, they aren’t real. Even see the film Blade Runner? Remember the replicants? Well, they mutated here in Sweden. Beautiful but soulless robots. If you do start a relationship with one, be warned: their DNA self-implodes around 30 and they metamorphosise into wrinkled spectacle-wearing prunes with short haircuts.’
what a pisser Matthew!! how true! that’s why i’m with a Pole. She’s beautiful now at 30, and so is her mother at 55. Isn’t that always the best indicator?
September 24th, 2010 at 10:02 am
I agree so much, Swedes are totally empty of any serious human feeling, beautiful but empty. that is why I am struggling hard to leave sweden.
here girls are like barby dolls and boys are so handsome…but what is the use of that? when they are more like plastic dolls covered with expenses cloth.
only people from Norway and germany and similar places can feel here happy.
It really sucks.
October 23rd, 2010 at 4:25 am
It is not only Stockholm. I have lived in Sweden for twenty years and am married to a Swede. There are people who we know and visit, but no real friends who…Are there when you need them and true real friends. Not even my husbands family. It is not to get used to or to compare Sweden with —say the rest of the world. They are just this way. A social defect or whatever, it is not even to put them down, but if you want loving, loyal long meaningful, warm caring relationships with open, honest and genuine people go to Latin America, Italy or anywhere else because here in Sweden you won’t find it!
March 26th, 2011 at 6:42 am
I HAVE SOM GREAT NEWS TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE:
To all you Swedish haters out there. I can calm you all . All these terrible monsters like the Swedes are. I will tell youa great surprise . In a couple of years maybe five .ten years we will have a new Sweden. A sweden without an stupid blond swedes, a new Sweden with a total new population. The name Sven will disappear and you will hear the name Muhammed instead. Ingrid is gone and replaced by Raka . Its soo great isnt
April 25th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
To all you social whores: this is exactly the reason i love the nordic countries and my only purpose in life is to move there.
It’s called introversion, you mindless social zombies with your boring , empty,superficial, endless fucking small talk.
Us introverts love alone time, unlike you weak ass mofos we actually enjoy it and don’t feel lonely when alone, we have rich inner worlds, we spend our time reading , thinking , analyzing, playing video games and other such things that are hell for you.
We are also, on average more intelligent, but alas we are few.
I am stuck in a fucking latin europe society in which your chances of making it in life depend 99% of how much of a social whore you all. You can be a stupid , useless, empty shell of a subhuman — but if you smile and talk alot you will make it in life. No matter how smart or competent you are you will end up in poverty here.
Go back to your shitty plastic soul sucking countries.
You can’t stand to be alone because you don’t have a personality and the slightest attempt at introspection will reveal just how empty you are inside.
The only things you are good at are fake fucking smiles and bland fucking mindless small talk.
April 25th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Forgot to add— i have nordic heritage and i’m very proud of that.
September 24th, 2011 at 3:16 pm
I find it funny how negative people are about the Swedish culture. I live in Skåne in southern Sweden and I have to say that I totally disagree with most of the comments about Swedes being cold. I consider most of them shy. Sure they sit by themselves when they don’t know anyone but I think they are a very individualistic people that don’t need to socialize all the time.
They tend to have only a few very close friendships that are often formed in elementary school and then last for life. The good thing is that if you befriend them they are very sunny, supportive and nice.
I also noticed that they do not react well if you try to force them into conversations when you do not know them. I don’t know why they do this but I noticed that most of them are friendly if you start of by just greeting them when you see them and then gradually increase from this simple “Hej” to having a short conversation with them. If you give them time to get to know you they might become friends with you.
My swedish friend told me that most Swedes consider it rude to become overly familiar and chatty with people they just met.
November 22nd, 2011 at 12:21 am
I defo afree with Joshua… I think we are more talking here about people being shy. Many people are overall nice, but very shy and somehow submitted to the law. I have rarely seen someone contesting a law in Sweden that was unfair. This is really a pity I find.
January 12th, 2012 at 11:28 am
As a swede, I realize swedes can come off as quite “cold”. It is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but I know what you mean. I am kind of an introvert person, and quite shy too. I’ve always turned to arts to cover this up, but have gone all the way through college making a few friends on the way.
One thing I did notice though was how challenging it could be for my swedish friends to make new friends when we had a course in intercultural communications. Most of the exchange students were from north/south america, southeast asia or western europe. While I for one found it suprisingly easy to talk and befriend most of them (the language barrier was tough with the french though), many of my fellow swedish classmates were quite the opposite. When the exchange students threw parties, only me and a friend would attend. I eventually ended up getting really close to one of them (who I still talk to today, she’s from Colombia) and went out for a coffee with a few others every now and then too. I even held “private” DJ classes at my apartment with some of them who wanted to learn.
Granted, some of them I haven’t heard from for some time, as life after college seems to throw people everywhere and everyone starts their own life elsewhere. Point is though, I can see what foreign people mean by swedes being “cold”. To my fellow citizens, you don’t have to necesserily make lifelong friends, but you can atleast make an effort. They don’t bite.
Today, I spend a few hours a week conversing with people from Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe and the americas. All good friends to me. And I’m very thankful for counting them as my friends.
February 9th, 2012 at 5:57 am
As a swede I really have to point out that the mentality differs bigtime from city to city here.
Stockholm (and especially in the inner city) where foreigners get their first impression is extreme. There, yes many people are individualistic, rude and cold and afraid but I shouldn’t say swedish people in general. As someone pointed out earlier, swedish people in general are shy and untrained when it comes to things like small talk. But, it differs and you only have to go a few kilometres south of stockholm where I live to see that people are really nice, polite, eager to small talk etc. Another example is Gothenburg, where you have a completely different mentality than stockholm. So it feels a little bit unfair to judge swedes after Stockholm citizenz.
By the way, to bring some nuance to the article above I’ve heard from a very very very related source many years ago that the only thing Branson cared about during the whole pacific flight was tracking the stock prices. Other superficial things that I heard is that he could be mad a whole day but as soon as it poped up a tv camera he’d put a smile on his face and pretended to be happy.
March 11th, 2012 at 12:16 am
I’ve always thought of the Swedes (well, all Scandinavians really) as beautiful, but cold as ice. Still waiting to meet a Swede who will prove me wrong.