‘Just enough’ is the answer to modern excess

The Swedes have another word for us to pretend we’ve always understood.

First came hygge, the Danish concept that persuaded the world to buy candles, wear socks with emotional intent and briefly believe that soup could solve existential despair.

Now comes Sweden’s answer to modern excess: lagom.

Pronounced “lah-gom”, it roughly translates to “just enough”.

Which sounds deeply unremarkable until you realise how aggressively modern life pushes us in the opposite direction.

Everything now arrives turned up to full volume: working harder, trying to save (and failing), optimising your health.

Hustle, upgrade, manifest and declutter.

And somewhere in the middle of all this noise, the Swedes appear to have wandered off quietly to drink coffee and sit near a window.

What separates lagom from trendier wellness philosophies is that it isn’t really about luxury at all.

In fact, it actively distrusts excess.

Researchers and cultural commentators often describe it less as a lifestyle trend and more as a social instinct — one rooted in balance, moderation, fairness and collective wellbeing.

You see it everywhere in Sweden: practical homes, shared social responsibility, modest consumption, children encouraged towards independence without being over-managed into tiny corporate interns by the age of six.

And perhaps that’s the interesting part. Swedish children seem particularly fluent in lagom.

Not perfectly, obviously.

No child on earth has ever calmly embraced moderation near a packet of sweets.

But there is a noticeable cultural tendency towards balance rather than performance.

Outdoor play continues in terrible weather.

Family routines are prioritised.

Children are often included naturally in daily life rather than endlessly entertained through expensive experiences.

Achievement matters, but not usually at the cost of childhood itself.

It’s a radically unfashionable idea in a world obsessed with more stimulation, stuff and pressure.

This, while millions stare down death in the face of starvation and abject poverty (and the 1% get fatter, and richer).

Scandinavian studies on wellbeing consistently point towards something missing in the modern construct: social trust, time outdoors, manageable expectations and strong community structures that tend to produce happier societies than relentless consumerism does.

The idea of lagom will likely appeal to people regardless of income bracket or social status: it removes the performance element from contentment.

You don’t need to own imported linen napkins to practise lagom.

Or live in an architect-designed cabin overlooking a frozen lake while eating cinnamon buns with emotional clarity.

It can look like leftovers eaten gratefully.

A smaller house with less debt.

A child building a fort out of couch cushions instead of needing a R12,000 entertainment system.

It can mean leaving a social event before you’re exhausted, buying what you need instead of what algorithms insist will transform your life, or understanding that “good enough” is often exactly that.

More importantly, it recognises that everybody deserves this — not only those who can pay for it.

I like this novel idea of “good enough”.

There’s a quiet rebellion in that phrase now.

Comfortable society has become strangely suspicious of sufficiency.

Somewhere along the line, moderation started sounding like failure.

If you weren’t constantly striving, scaling up or reinventing yourself, were you even trying?

The Swedes, irritatingly calm about the whole thing, seem to think you probably are.

Beneath the Scandinavian branding and aesthetically pleasing interiors sits a surprisingly ancient human truth: most people are happier when life feels manageable.

And maybe that’s the real appeal of lagom in a world permanently trying to convince us we are one purchase, one achievement or one self-improvement podcast away from finally becoming enough.

The Swedes, meanwhile, have quietly decided that enough was the point all along.