What did Nordic countries get right about wellness?
Avery Pardue
The Scandinavian region’s PR team has done a fantastic job of bearing the honorable ranking of being, on average, home to the world’s “happiest” people. Congratulations, for the sixth year in a row, Finland! (1). We obviously can’t all magically grow to six feet tall and have access to universal healthcare, but what can we do to execute a bit of this Nordic lifestyle and satisfaction at home?
The World Happiness Report uses a few different metrics to discern what makes a country happy: from social forces, such as “freedom to make life choices” and “generosity” to economic and political indicators, like “log GDP per capita” and “perceptions of corruption”, both the quantitative and qualitative data point to Nordic countries as having general success regardless of which happiness variable is being measured.
Yes, it may be true that cause and effect are increasingly difficult to discern from each other when it comes to what makes someone truly happy, or what may even count as happiness. However, if we disentangle some of the foundations of the Nordic lifestyle, we can perhaps recognize trends that can be implemented no matter how close we are longitudinally to the Norwegian Sea. A strong sense of community may be integral to overall health, but on the micro-scale, we can mirror the Scandinavian embedding of true wellness culture into our general lifestyles. Social media has made these wellness rituals spread like wildfire (despite the freezing temperatures of its origin).
Even though online viewers and practitioners are living in more mild environments, they still report feeling benefits from implementing the practices. What are some contributing factors to this general sense of wellness embedded in the Nordic lifestyle, and what are some health trends of years past that we can accredit to the region?
The Circadian Rhythm
Given the less-than-optimal climate and the inconsistency year-round in sunrise time, it is important for people so close to the Arctic to keep their bodies habitually conditioned to their own clock, as the environment isn’t very helpful as a metric. Trends like the “Scandi sleep method” and cold plunging have taken the internet by storm. The former encourages couples to use two separate duvets when sleeping in lieu of one shared one. By compartmentalizing cover coverage, people can prioritize their own sleep without disrupting their partner’s (2).
Cold plunging, Cold Water Immersion (CWI), and cryotherapy have been around for much longer than the the internet, and even the nations that comprise the Scandinavian region: ancient Egypt’s Edwin Smith Papyrus mentions cold therapy usage. The process in which cryotherapy alters blood flow and reduces inflammation is still the same, even if the means by which the end is completed has changed. Cryotherapy chambers and electrical-driven systems still produce the same result as Hippocrates’ reference to cold as a medicinal treatment (3).
The biggest difference between this understanding of cryotherapy and the modern Scandinavian cold plunge is the relationship between cold and mental health. Field surveys of participant emotions before and after cold plunges, as well as cortisol level and endorphin level tests afterward, both indicate that there are measurable differences in psychological state surrounding cryotherapeutic practice. Even though the immediate effects are notable, the most important discovery was that of resilience: “This reduced cortisol response not only diminished the stress perceived from cold but also potentially enhanced the body’s capacity to manage other stressors more effectively”, notes Stanford psychiatrist Vanika Chawla MD (4).
Nordic Walking: Good for the Mind, Body, and Soul
Even though it hasn’t caught on as comprehensively as cold plunges (thanks, Joe Rogan Experience podcast), Nordic walking is my trend prediction for 2026. Cultivated in Finland, Nordic walking itself involves utilizing a walking pole to engage more of your body (from 50% with regular walking to 80-90% (5)). Along with the obvious health benefits that come with moving your body and engaging more of it, implementing Nordic walking provides more stability. This makes it a great option for older people, who may have lower bone density, or people who don’t feel comfortable doing higher intensity exercise but still want to be outside and kinetic.
In an era plagued by isolation, working from home, and having to Google-calendar-coordinate a time to meet up with friends for coffee, Nordic walking could be a great way to socialize and keep in touch while staying physically active simultaneously. With algorithms pushing a multitude of wellness products and ways to buy into health, Nordic walking can be an investment in your body, your relationships, and your mental health that is entirely free.
Hygge & Wellness
Most of Scandinavia gets lumped together as people turn to them for wellness and lifestyle inspiration. However, each country houses its own unique culture and people regardless of the similarities in conditions. Instead of exhaustively trying to imitate all of these countries’ lifestyles and trying to squeeze Scandinavian values into another environment, it is better to focus on what we can specifically borrow from the Nordic people.
You may be familiar with the Danish word hygge, whether seen on a couch pillow your aunt ordered or maybe placed somewhere in an IKEA ad. Although there is not a recognized direct translation, hygge can best be understood as “taking time away from the daily rush to be together with people you care about – or even by yourself – to relax and enjoy life’s quieter pleasures”, as notes Denmark’s official website (7). Through focusing on the present and being truly grateful for it, you are practicing correctly! Byproducts of this are, obviously, positive mental health outcomes, and when paired with other Scandinavian wellness habits, potentially physical ones may result as well.
Keep it Simple
Simplicity is a virtue with hygge. It cannot be bought or performed, much like true wellness. There has been a mass misappropriation of “wellness” in the west: wellness should not be complicated or commodified, contrary to what the 20-step skincare routines and “5-9s before the 9-5s” may imply.
It’s hard to buy your way into simplicity. It must be lived. With a pared-down list of elements, it’s easier to perform and exemplify those elements well. Scandinavian culture as a whole is a stark contrast to the Western understandings of work hard/play hard, and exists entirely somewhere between these two polars: difficulty is not the pinnacle of life, and most of life is in these transitory phases of peace, that allow for mindfulness and recognition of the present.
PopSugar writer Rachel Chang hit the nail on the head when explaining fika, or a Swedish coffee-and-treats-esque break: “However short, a fika is really a well invested time in your own wellbeing (8).” Contrary to the idea of health we’ve had sold to us, you don’t have to get up with the sun to hear the birds sing, dunk yourself into an ice bath before forming a thought, or order a walking stick to be well. The biggest move you can make towards your health is looking around and being grateful for what is already there. Scandinavian people are healthy because they recognize the value of time and truly sit with it.
- https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2025/caring-and-sharing-global-analysis-of-happiness-and-kindness/#happiness-ranking
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/scandinavian-sleep-method
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9012715/
- https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2024/05/22/jumping-into-the-ice-bath-trend-mental-health-benefits-of-cold-water-immersion/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/fitness-trend-nordic-walking
- https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/hygge
- https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/hygge
- https://www.popsugar.com/balance/swedish-fika-editor-experiment-49343512