Today, I am going to show you how to elevate your sense of humour and enhance your life and work relationships by embracing the core principles that permeate humour in the Nordics.

By doing so, you will be able to take life not so seriously, keep yourself grounded, and foster trust and authenticity.

Most people today lose their authenticity when it comes to humour. They either self-censor to project a specific image to others or become overly sensitive to it.

Humour is still very much alive – it’s just evolving in response to the world we live in. However, the lack of authenticity and the desire not to show vulnerability have made modern humour problematic.

At its core, humour is not about the laughs or just jokes. It’s about how people approach life circumstances and respond to adversity when things take unexpected turns.

The modern culture today allows no room for failure, so how can someone make a joke about something, trivial or not, in which they failed? As a result, humour has become primarily directed at others, and this extra sense of sensitivity makes people take everything too seriously and personally.

Humour isn’t just entertainment – it’s cultural DNA. The way people joke reveals more about society than politics do.

Surely, we can’t acknowledge the fact that our society has evolved so that humour once seemed acceptable (usually targeted at specific groups of people, minorities, or personal traits) is now seen as outdated or even offensive. And that’s a good thing. Humour is one thing, but ridiculing or punching down at other people is a different story.

We need to seek a new balance where humour shifts more inward, towards self-reflection, self-deprecation, and personal insight, without implying that it should be inward-looking only. Humour thrives when it comments on society, relationships, and the world around us.

However, leaning into self-aware humour can make it more thoughtful, more resilient, and maybe even more meaningful.

The Nordics are a notable example of such a sense of humour, and there are a few lessons we can learn from how they do it.

Why So Serious? The 3 Core Elements of Nordic Humour

“What do Norwegians say when they win Olympic gold? Not bad!”.

That’s bone-dry, ironic, and unexpected, but encapsulates the essence of Nordic humour.

Nordic humour is not loud, like in many other countries and cultures, but quiet, cutting, and deeply ingrained in everyday life.

Here are its 3 core elements:

• Irony and Sarcasm. It’s the art of saying the opposite of what is expected. People in the Nordics don’t just use irony, they live it. And despite being among the happiest people in the world, they love to joke about misery. It might be summer, but a Swede could say, “It’s only 5 months until darkness swallows us again!”.

• Dark humour and Coping. Bad days or circumstances get better when you joke about them. It’s a way to cope with challenging or shifting realities. They say it’s sometimes cathartic and can help process hard truths. Icelanders joke about their unpredictable weather: “If you don’t like the weather in Iceland, just wait five minutes. It’ll get worse.”

• Self-Deprecation and Modesty. The motto in the Nordics could be “No one is above a joke”. As they say, Nordic people make fun of themselves first, so no one else needs to. In Denmark, if someone makes a big mistake, they might bring a kvajekage (failure cake) to work as a way of admitting their failure. Finnish self-deprecation is also legendary: “How do you tell an extroverted Finn? He looks at your shoes instead of his own.”

Needless to say that Nordic humour – staying true to the Nordic mindset – thrives on economy of words. So, don’t expect long jokes or using complicated phrases or expressions to convey humour. Instead, it relies on few, simple, and meaningful words.

A Finn might say in the sauna, “The sauna is a bit warm today!“, meaning it’s way too hot inside for a human being to survive.

Or a Norwegian might comment, “We could go skiing today. Or move to Spain!”, meaning it’s spring but the weather is still wintry, while contemplating their life.

Humour As a Social Tool – Connection Through Wit

Humour is not about jokes or comedy. It’s also a tool to build stronger and more resilient human connections. And that works in all directions; horizontally (in everyday situations) and vertically (top-down, from leaders).

It’s a way for everyone to be more authentic and it is in this authenticity that people can build more trust to each other, because they know what they see is what they get, be it a success (that people in the Nordics mostly downplay) or a failure (that people make respectful fun of).

In the Nordic countries, humour is a kind of social lubricant that helps people connect in subtle but meaningful ways.

It’s often used to break the ice between people who don’t know each other well (or at all). Commenting about the weather is a common dry humour example that can often defuse awkwardness and initiate more natural conversations. If it’s raining heavily, a Dane might say, “Ah, perfect beach weather!”—a dry, ironic remark that invites laughter and conversation.

Nordic humour often used moments of silence or discomfort as opportunities for subtle jokes that make even the most tense situation instantly more bearable. If a conversation stalls, Swedes might naturally say, “Well, this is going great!“.

It can also be used as a way to express one’s emotions in a more indirect way and without overexaggerated sentimental displays.

Speaking of directness, people in the Nordics know well how to blend honesty with wit. It’s a way to be brutally honest but softened with sarcasm. A Dane might say after a meeting at the office, “This meeting was pointless. Well, that was a revolutionary use of our time”. No one will get offended and everyone will return to their desks slightly amused.

Humour is also very much used in workplaces (with the examples above being only a fraction of what can be and is told). However, it’s never used to push people’s boundaries but rather serves as a manifestation of how much authenticity and flat hierarchy are appreciated in Nordic business.

A leader (like a company’s CEO) may often make a speech sprinkled with self-deprecating comments or jokes (without traces of arrogance). Leaders in the Nordics don’t avoid humour; they leverage it to humanise, challenge, and inspire.

Even Prime Ministers in the Nordics occasionally leverage humour publicly and show their authentic side. A notable example is Danish PM, Mette Frederiksen, bursting to laughter during a parliament debate about circus elephants. Her humour was exceptionally witty and quickly became contagious making the whole chamber burst to laughter, too.

Nordic Banter: Where Even a Diplomatic Crisis Would Just Be a Laugh

Humour transcends borders in the Nordics and that’s why a lot of inter-Nordic jokes have emerged, without causing any diplomatic row (not even casually being frowned upon). One of the most legendary moments was a satirical video a Norwegian TV show aired back in 2006, highlighting how difficult it is for Norwegians (and other Scandinavians whatsoever) to understand the Danes when they speak, even for Danes to understand each other.

It’s a common joke in the Nordics that the Danish language sounds like speaking with a hot potato in your throat (or having your mouth full of marbles). That parody made headlines at that time and was well received even in Denmark. It has now become an integral part of a non-Dane’s initiation into the language.

Icelanders, know for their pride for their language;s purity (very close to Old Norse), have a joke that goes like this. An Icelander, a Dane, and a Swede walk into a bar. The Icelander orders a ‘drykkur’ (drink), the Dane orders a ‘drink,’ and the Swede orders a ‘dränk.’ This is to highlight how Icelanders prefer to avoid loanwords and at the same time mock how Swedish borrows words from English.

The Norwegians may also use humour to highlight the weird and immensely difficult to grasp number system in Denmark (where the word for 50 roughly translates to 2,5 times 20, and 70 to 3,5 times 20).

Nordic humour even transcends Scandinavia. Take for example the 2024 online campaign by Visit Sweden (Sweden’s tourist organisation) called “Sweden – NOT Switzerland” mocking how people from around the world mix up Sweden and Switzerland and starting a (parody) negotiation to decide what each country should talk about. That was again received well in Switzerland (causing no diplomatic row) which responded with a similarly witty video about the things Switzerland is better at than Sweden. See for yourself.

Applying Nordic Humour in Life and Work – A Survival Skill

You don’t have to be a Scandinavian to use humour like one. All the examples above serve to show that you don’t have to take life so seriously. You can use humour, no matter how dry, dark or self-deprecating, to be yourself more and take life as it rolls out.

Here are 4 ways to embrace and apply Nordic humour to your life and work, no matter where you live.

1. Irony is your friend. Instead of weaponising it to express resentment, you can use it to make people think not roll their eyes.
2. Start with yourself. If you can’t laugh at your own flaws, why should anyone else? Self-deprecation can make you instantly more relatable and likeable.
3. Turn bad days into punchlines. Instead of ruminating about what happened and feeling down, use humour as an emotional protective shield. A joke can flip your mood faster than overthinking ever will.

4. Build empathy. Humour is not universal. What’s funny in Sweden might confuse Americans or Canadians. And vice versa. Learn different styles and become more adaptable and empathetic towards other people and cultures.

Wrapping up

So, here’s the question: When did humour become a risk instead of a refuge?

In a society where authenticity is waning, where mistakes are dreaded, and where humor is often weaponised or exploited, the Nordic approach serves as a poignant reminder.

Humour transcends mere amusement. It serves as a means of survival, a bond between people, and a dynamic aspect of culture.

Imagine approaching life with the effortless confidence of a Swede jesting about the cold winter.

What if self-mockery was seen not as a manifestation of insecurity but as a testament to emotional acumen?

What if humor was your greatest tool, not just for wit, but for resilience?

The solution is to stop delegating humour to memes and comedians, and embrace it wholeheartedly.

So, go ahead, lighten up, find humour in your missteps, and observe how much more connected you become with your humanity.

Ultimately, humour isn’t solely about eliciting laughter from others. It’s about making life more bearable.