Lagom is the new Scandinavian happiness fad

We all went a little bit Danish in 2016 — snuggling up in hand-knitted blankets, lighting pine-scented candles and sipping hot chocolate.

We were embracing the cosiness Danes call hygge. But with a new year comes a new Scandinavian buzzword: this time it’s the Swedish lagom (pronounced lar-gom, which is at least easier to say than hygge).

Lagom doesn’t have an exact translation but it means ‘just the right amount’, not too little but not too much. It’s one of the most frequently used words in Sweden — you’ll eat a lagom amount of food, live in a lagom house, drive a lagom car: in other words, just good enough to enjoy life but not over-the-top or ostentatious.

Lagom doesn’t have an exact translation but it means ‘just the right amount’, not too little but not too much

Apparently it comes from the Viking concept of sharing a horn of mead around the campfire, where you’d take just enough before passing it on so everyone had some.

Modern lagom isn’t just a word in Sweden, it underpins a whole way of life: moderate, modest, balanced and quietly content. And after a year of political turbulence, it’s looking pretty appealing, with Vogue magazine promising that ‘living lagom’ will be a big trend this year.

‘Lagom feels very timely for 2017,’ agrees psychologist Professor Jaime Kurtz, at James Madison University in Virginia, who runs a course in Scandinavia, examining why Swedes and Danes consistently top the global happiness charts. ‘I think part of the reason it’s taking off is that perhaps we’re ready for that idea of balance and a certain modesty in our lives.’

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Lagom has already crept into consumer products: it’s given its name to a Bristol-based magazine celebrating work-life balance; a London fashion label; and even a U.S. skincare range with the slogan ‘not too little, not too much’.

As you’d expect, Swedish furniture giant Ikea is also in on the action (its 90-year-old founder Ingvar Kamprad is so lagom he still checks supermarkets for the best value milk despite having a fortune of £55 billion).

As you’d expect, Swedish furniture giant Ikea is also in on the action (its 90-year-old founder Ingvar Kamprad is so lagom he still checks supermarkets for the best value milk despite having a fortune of £55 billion)

Ikea is running a ‘Living Lagom’ project, which this year will see 180 UK and Irish households get £300 of store vouchers to buy products to live more sustainably and save money on bills. They could be anything from LED lightbulbs to recycling bins or kits to grow salads in your kitchen.

‘We were looking for a way to describe this project without using the words eco or sustainable as it sounded too worthy — and lagom is perfect,’ says Joanna Yarrow, head of sustainability at Ikea.

To comedian Danny Robins, writer of the current Radio 4 sitcom The Cold Swedish Winter (his wife Eva is Swedish), lagom is the essence of Swedish life. ‘I think it goes to the heart of what’s so great about Sweden — what makes it a kind, considerate place where your work life is in balance with your family life.’

The Lagom life…

Eat Goldilocks meals

Eating not too much and not too little is one reason the Swedes are slimmer than us, says Jonas Aurell, who came to London from Sweden and set up ScandiKitchen deli and online store ten years ago.

Sweden has one of the lowest obesity rates in the OECD list of developed countries — it comes in ninth out of 41, whereas the UK is 34th. ‘Swedes don’t generally over-eat,’ he says. The last biscuit/slice of pie on a plate is known as the ‘Swedish piece’ in Scandinavia as a Swede would never take it for fear of seeming rude or over-indulgent.

Look under-styled

You rarely see TOWIE-style glamour in Sweden; instead, it’s all about looking as if you haven’t really tried.

‘Swedish women want a lagom balance in their appearance,’ says London-based Swedish stylist Christel Lundqvist, who has worked with Ellie Goulding and Pixie Lott.

‘Swedish women do wear plenty of make-up, but they want it to look natural.’ Think actress Michelle Williams at this month’s Golden Globes. With hair, she suggests a low bun, neat-ish but not too perfect with some flyaway strands.

‘Hair for 2017 is quite undone and natural, with plenty of texture and wave. ‘Dry your hair using your fingers instead of a brush and twist-dry the hair around your finger. Try to avoid straighteners.’

Be more eco

You don’t have to turn into an eco-warrior: the spirit of lagom is about making small changes.

‘Through a series of simple everyday steps you can make a real difference,’ says Ikea’s Joanna Yarrow.

‘People on the Living Lagom project have been cutting their bills by £1,000 a year.’

Buy fewer clothes

Swedish women buy less, but concentrate on quality — the kind of clothes that you find in Swedish High Street brand, Cos.

‘The Scandinavian minimalist utility look is big for spring/summer 2017,’ says Christel Lundqvist.

‘We tend to go for a minimalist look in black, white and monochrome colours, where less is more.

‘It’s in our culture to spend a bit more money on good design and craftsmanship.’

Leave work at 5pm

There is a famously good work-life balance in Sweden. ‘There’s lagom in the business culture — they go home on time and accept that some days go well and others don’t, but that at 5pm it’s time to get home to the family.

‘That’s something we can all learn from,’ says Professor Kurtz. ‘In the U.S. and UK you can always do more, stay later and check your work email one more time before bed.’

Eat in season

‘Swedes are very conscious of eating food in season and as much as possible locally produced — so in winter we eat a lot of root vegetables,’ says Swedish chef Anna Bonde-Mosesson, who taught Jamie Oliver to forage for mushrooms. ‘It’s also normal at the weekends to see families hunting for mushrooms or wild berries in the woods and hedgerows.’

Don’t try to be happy

Self-help books tell us we have to be happy, but that creates a pressure that makes us more miserable, says Professor Kurtz.

‘There’s an obsession with trying to be happy that the Swedes don’t have. Lagom says, you know what — maybe life could be a little bit better, but it’s good enough.

‘There’s an internal mindset of acceptance and contentment in Sweden. That’s part of the secret to being happy — don’t obsess about it.

‘That’s a welcome message for living your life in 2017.’