A lot of people adore Scandinavia. Denmark, Sweden, and Norway attract numerous tourists every year. Someone is preparing to move there, some are trying to bring Scandinavia to their own countries, and everyone mentions happiness while talking about it. However, what are the reasons behind that phenomenon? Find out more why people want to live in Scandinavia.
If you have ever wondered what is so special about Scandinavia and why people want to live here, here comes your ultimate answer.
Government Takes Care of You
Many countries, that are considered democratic and flourishing, are not really comfortable for living. Many people work two shifts at least to pay for rent and food. Still, they have neither time nor money to travel, visit cinemas and theatres, go out to a bar or cafe. If they lose their job, it is over for them.
The situation is quite different in Scandinavia. Even though taxes take away almost 50% of your income, they do not just disappear. Scandinavian welfare programs contribute to living instead of surviving a lot. School and child daycare are free, health insurance is almost free. Consequently, the nation is more educated and they do not have to worry about saving money for insurance or college. Stress and anxiety levels are not as high, if you know that when something goes wrong, your country will have your back.
Work-Life Balance
We have mentioned happiness at the very first passage of the text, and that is what usually happens when people talk about Scandinavia – the first thought that crosses their mind is happiness. Why though?
Scandinavian people know how to enjoy their lives. They actually dedicate their lives to…. living. It is not about working, surviving, building a career. It is about being present at the moment and appreciate small things in life.
There is one thing that helps to achieve that life philosophy – an amazing work-life balance. They have around five weeks of vacation and many holidays, both national and international. Moreover, they never say no to a vacation. A lot of people sacrifice their days off to getting a promotion. It is the environment we live in – everyone is as productive as possible. In Scandinavia, people will possibly consider you being an idiot for not taking a vacation.
Related: The Nearly Almost Perfect People
Equality
No country in the world has achieved complete equality. Yet, Scandinavia is pretty close to getting there.
While same-sex marriages are banned in more than half countries of the European Union, Scandinavian countries legalized it long ago. While it is quite difficult and considered as wild to take parental leave for men worldwide, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway do not care what is thought worldwide about that question. They just support fathers, encourage taking parental leave, and being as engaged in the children`s life as moms are.
This makes fathers feel confident while raising their children. It also gets easier for women to get a job since many companies worldwide do not hire female workers while they will take maternity leave one day. Consequently, men are considered more profitable by employers. The situation is different in Scandinavian countries.
By the way, parents get strong financial support from the government while they are not working.
Related: Create a Healthier Lifestyle – the Swedish Way
Aesthetic
A lot of people fall in love with the Scandinavian aesthetic instantly.
The Scandinavian peacefulness is present even in the way their apartments look. White color and light shades are dominant in the design. It makes everything look so calm and full of light. Wood that is widely used in the interior adds up to the coziness of the place, as well as fuzzy pillows, carpets, lots of knitted blankets and woven rope do. Lightning is a very special topic there. Never white, always warm, their lightning is a huge part of their happiness philosophy.
Scandinavian people are well-known for their simple, yet stunning style. You do not have to be overdressed and question yourself if trendy purple is a good match with your favorite yellow sweater. Scandinavians focus on nude and black colors, simple forms, and high quality. Our favorite piece of clothing is a coat that looks stylish in 9 cases out of 10. The good news is that you can wear it for almost the whole year!
Food
Food is a thing in every country, and Scandinavia is for people who love pastries. Unlike French pastries, it is very simple (as all Scandinavian things are), it does not have to be all fancy, but at the same time, taste and quality are on the point. Scandinavian pastries are not a sugar and butter bomb, bakers keep everything balanced. They use spices like cardamom, saffron, cinnamon, and vanilla which adds a little special something to Scandinavian pastry.
Scandinavian people appreciate pastry time a lot. They even have special words that mean meeting for a cup of coffee and a cake. They can sneak them from the table after a business meeting. Considering how delicious pastry is, we are not even surprised and would definitely do it too!
Related: Scandinavia Ranked One of the Safest Areas in the World
Biking Culture
After eating a bunch of pastries, Scandinavians get on their bikes and burn these calories.
In many countries, the progress takes over and the streets are flooded with cars, scooters, and motorcycles. Even if you want to cycle to work or to meet a group of friends, it is fairly dangerous to be a biker in this crazy traffic. Drivers are not really into respecting cyclists.
However, is this kind of progress actually better?
Cycling has a lot of benefits: a decrease in the risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetics, reduction of air pollution in the big cities and it makes traffic jams way shorter. In Scandinavia, citizens understand that, and the government supports them in that. While cycling is very common, drivers usually take cyclists into account and it is safer to cycle there. Moreover, you will not need to drag yourself to a gym every day which is a very popular thing to do worldwide. In Scandinavia, you just go to work and have your workout done!
Why do People Want to Live in Scandinavia?
Taking into account all the benefits of living in Scandinavia, it is not at all surprising why people want to live there. It is peaceful, it is focused on living and not surviving, they have the nicest food and the way to not worry about eating too much of that foo. The whole concept is beautifully packed in a Scandinavian aesthetic. So you get what you get – a perfect place to live in!
Why do People Want to Live in Scandinavia? is written for Daily Scandinavian by Cheryl Hearts. Cheryl is a writer and journalist from Boston, Massachusetts. Her passion for writing started at an early age and evolved during the high school years. She enjoyed creating her own stories, so she decided to make writing her career. After earning a degree in Journalism, Cheryl started running her own blog CherylHearts.com where she’s covering topics of great interest to society.
Feature image (on top): Caitlyn Wynne/Unsplash