Law of Jante

The Law of Jante (Danish: janteloven [ˈjæntəˌlɔwˀən, -lɒwˀ-])[note 1] is a code of conduct[1] originating in fiction and now used colloquially to denote a social attitude of disapproval towards expressions of individuality and personal success.

[3] The "Law" was first formulated as ten rules in Sandemose's satirical novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor, 1933), but the attitudes themselves are older.

The ten rules state: The Janters who transgress this unwritten "law" are regarded with suspicion and some hostility, as it goes against the town's communal desire to preserve harmony, social stability and uniformity.

[6] Sandemose made no claim to having invented the rules; he simply sought to formulate social norms that had stamped the Danish and Norwegian psyches for centuries.

[9] While the original intention was as satire, Kim Orlin Kantardjiev, a Norwegian politician[10] and educational advisor, claims that the Law of Jante is taught in schools as more of a social code to encourage group behavior, and attempts to credit it with fueling Nordic countries' high happiness scores.