Why Swedes don’t speak to strangers

Why Swedes don’t speak to strangers Peo Quick/Alamy Why Swedes don’t speak to strangers In Sweden, casual chattiness is seen as needless, since conversation is used for exchanging real, meaningful information. For the past four weeks, Luleå, the 80,000-person capital of Sweden's northernmost county, has been encouraging residents to greet to one another as part of an official campaign aptly called "Säg hej". In fact, people in Luleå are known to speak so little to one another that the word "yes" is often replaced with a sharp intake of breath. WATCH: Click the play button above to watch "How the Swedes survive without small talk" Beyond Luleå, visitors to Sweden who attempt to start an informal conversation with a shopkeeper or waiter, even with the local greeting of “hej”, are likely to be met with a flat “hej” in response, often with a subtext of faint irritation or mistrust.