The Nordics are often said to be bound by shared values like trust, equality, and openness. Yet, each country expresses these in its own way – the Finns, stereotypically, with slightly fewer words šš, the Swedes with consensus-building, the Danes with a touch of hygge-infused directness.
This summer, I found myself moving between three of these Nordic neighbours: Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. As a Swedish-speaking Finn married to a Dane, and having lived, studied, and worked across the region, these landscapes feel deeply familiar. Each has its own rhythm; the quiet lakeside mornings in Finland, the bustling archipelago summers of Sweden, the beautiful dunes and grass of the Danish coast.
And in all of them, I feel at home.
Belonging isnāt binary
We often think of belonging as something you either have or donāt. But psychology tells us that this āall-or-nothingā thinking is a cognitive distortion – one of those mental shortcuts that oversimplifies reality. Life, and identity, are rarely this or that. More often, they are both/and.
I am Finnish and Swedish-speaking. I am Nordic and European. I am a coach and a political scientist. Home for me is not a pin on a map, but a set of places, people, and languages where I can be fully myself.
The neuroscience of multiple homes
Living between languages and cultures can sometimes feel like a gentle tug-of-war on your identity. But neuroscience suggests that rather than dividing you, this experience expands you.
Bilingualism and biculturalism have been linked to greater cognitive flexibility; the ability to shift perspective, adapt to new contexts, and solve problems creatively (Bialystok, 2011). Cultural neuroscience studies show that engaging with different cultural frameworks activates and strengthens brain networks associated with empathy, perspective-taking, and executive function (Han & Ma, 2014).
In other words, crossing cultural borders -whether literally or linguistically – can be like cross-training for your mind. It keeps the āmental musclesā of adaptability, curiosity, and openness in good shape.
The āboth/andā identity in practice
Sometimes, this means I feel equally at home walking the streets of Turku, Gothenburg and Aarhus. Sometimes, it means that a mix of Finnish honesty, Danish humour, and Luxembourgish multiculturalism lives in the same conversation.
Returning to Luxembourg – my current base -always feels like coming home too. Not because it erases my Nordic roots, but because it allows them to grow new branches.
An invitation
If belonging can be both/and, then perhaps āhomeā can be too.
Where are the places you feel most at home and what is it about them that makes you feel that way?
References:
- Bialystok, E. (2011). Reshaping the mind: The benefits of bilingualism. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 65(4), 229ā235. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025406
- Han, S., & Ma, Y. (2014). Cultural neuroscience: Cultural influences on brain function. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 335ā359. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115040
