Tom M. Novak’s Post

'#Smalltalk in #Sweden is seen as futile, and is referred to as #kallprat ("cold talk") or #dödprat ("dead talk"). To avoid ending up in these situations, many #Swedes have made an art of avoiding #eyecontact with strangers and acquaintances they might come across in the street by looking at their phones or staring at shopping windows instead. For Swedes, the purpose of #talking is to exchange meaningful information, and engaging in purposeless chit-chat simply hasn't been valued Some say that this aversion to chit-chat could be linked to relatively low levels of immigration to Sweden until the 1960s. Minimal exposure to other cultures historically meant that Swedes were less likely to take up this decidedly un-Swedish practice. Yet, despite their seemingly cool exterior, Swedish people will almost always be polite and friendly, albeit simply in a different way to those from more talkative cultures. In a country that revers #simplicity and #practicality, it’s best not to talk without a reason.'