Nudity, separate doonas: 10 things Australia should adopt from Scandinavia

May 26, 2026 — 5:00am

Scandinavian nations are among the world’s most admired. Nordic lifestyle trends from hygge (cosiness) to lagom (balance) storm social media, and Denmark, Norway and Sweden feature prominently on happiest-country lists every year.

Still, you might doubt Scandinavians have the perfect life. After all, they’re also famous for films noirs, screaming paintings, gritty murder stories and glum philosophers.

But never mind entire lifestyle concepts or depressive art movements. Scandinavians have other admirable ideas that would give our lives extra Nordic niceness.

Acceptance of nudity

Scandinavians have an open-minded attitude to naked bodies and their imperfections. Nudity is considered natural, not something to be anxious about, and is widely accepted.

Scandinavians strip off whenever they can. Australians, despite the advantage of climate, simply don’t. Yet Nordic nakedness produces positive body images and greater feelings of equality, say psychologists.

On television, we Australians accept endless violence but not total nudity, which is a sad indictment of priorities. Scandinavian television lets it all hang out. As a result, experts also say women’s bodies are less objectified and sexualised.

In short, we’d feel more comfortable in our own skins and promote better gender relations if only we took our kit off. Time to get unbuttoned.

Saturday sweets

Swedes and Norwegians go without sweets all week, then gorge on sugary treats on Saturdays. The Danes, who like to be different, favour Fridays.

Supermarkets have impressive aisles of help-yourself lollies where families fill bags with jelly lips, liquorice and lolly bananas in preparation for the big day.

The “tradition” was launched by health authorities in the 1950s in an effort to combat tooth decay, but is now culturally ingrained.

Tooth decay has been reduced. But even better is that Saturday Sweets has become a much-loved family ritual and an occasion for sharing.

Milk in cartons

In Australia these days, milk comes in plastic jugs or bottles. Cartons are more eco-friendly, which is reason enough to switch, but Scandinavian milk cartons are also a source of entertainment.

The packaging might feature cartoon-strip stories, public-awareness messages, quizzes, recipes or biographies of dairy farmers, and it varies frequently. Christmas cartons are eagerly anticipated, and at Easter in Norway one company runs a whodunnit serial story.

Even more brilliant? You can win up to NOK100,000 ($15,000) by recycling. Norwegians write their name and phone number on flattened cartons, some of which get pulled at random from recycling centres. Bingo!

Dual bedding

We’re constantly being told how vital a good night’s sleep is for our physical and mental health. Many of us are sleep-deprived.

Scandinavian couples address one of the causes by each having their own doona. With two single doonas, you don’t have to wrestle with outsized bedding or have a tug-of-war over who’s hogging it.

Each person has bedding of suitable heaviness and warmth. Snuggling into your own doona is easier. And no, love isn’t dead. After a better night’s sleep, it might be more alive.

Lighting candles

Scandinavians have a cult-like attitude to candles, which they light at every opportunity and in abundance. They produce a welcome glow and tranquil mood. They twinkle from windows to please passersby in the street.

If not candles, then Scandinavians are using fairy lights, which aren’t just strung on trees and fences at Christmas. They’re permanently draped around cupboards and bookcases, or stretched across ceilings.

We could do with that twinkle in Australia. Everything seems warmer, more attractive and (with candles) more nicely scented. Not a bad way to get through cold evenings.

Rye bread

Pickled herrings, caramelised goat cheese, bananas in savoury dishes, salty liquorice: not all Scandinavian cuisine reaches New Nordic levels of distinction.

But plain old rye bread should be made compulsory eating. It’s dark, dense, sour, moist and high in fibre. It’s delicious enough to eat with just a bit of butter, but also perfect for open sandwiches.

And it comes in many varieties, such as Swedish kavring flavoured with caraway and fennel and a dash of treacle, the spiced Christmas vortbrod, or the crisp Norwegian knekkebrod.

Minimalism

Nordic design has long been celebrated for sleek and unassuming lines, airy space and absence of clutter, but we have another reason to embrace Scandinavian minimalism these days: consumer culture’s impact on the planet.

How much stuff do we need? Why are we causing climate change and overworking just to acquire more of it?

The Scandinavians answer that with their less-is-more attitude and favouring of functionality over fuss. Their houses seem more organised and calming, and less environmentally damaging.

And if that doesn’t convince us, I’m sure the reduced time spent dusting will.

Enjoyment of winter

Our winters are far less harsh than in Scandinavia, but do we enjoy them? Australians tend to hunker down and endure winter evenings. Cultural events fizzle out; summer rules.

Yet Scandinavians are out jogging, hiking country trails and going to parks in winter, and never mind the dark or frigid temperatures. It’s all part of their love of nature no matter the season.

Can Aussies claim to be an outdoors nation, or only a part-time one? Scandinavians are true outdoors people, irrespective of how fresh the air or biting the wind. Nature is good for your health, and that includes in winter too.

Cycling culture

Changes are afoot in Australian cities, with more space being devoted to cycleways and more people using share bikes, but we’re nowhere near the cycle culture of Scandinavia. Cyclists here deal daily with hostile drivers and stingy cycle lanes.

Copenhagen is a different story. It has hundreds of kilometres of cycle lanes and dedicated traffic lights and parking areas. Other Scandinavian cities have spaces on trains for bicycles. Hilly towns such as Trondheim in Norway have bicycle lifts to help you up the steepest slopes.

No need to explain the benefits of more cycling on our health and the planet’s. Time to get pedalling.

Food in tubes

Okay, controversial. I’ll admit this is gross and unhealthy, but there’s something playful about squeezing food out of a tube.

In Australia our opportunities are limited. In Sweden especially, anything goes. You can buy tubes of jam, pate, mashed sardines, seasoned mackerel or cheese spreads. The latter come in flavours such as reindeer, mushroom, pear, chorizo, lobster or crayfish.

Kalles Kaviar, a paste made of salted cod roe, potato flakes and sugar, is perhaps the most popular food in Sweden. It’s the taste, like Vegemite for Aussies, that Swedes miss when overseas.

Food in tubes lasts longer than in jars. With no mess created and no knife required, it’s efficient and convenient. It seems 1950s and space age at the same time. It’s child-like and amusing, and who wouldn’t want some of that?