Swedish word of the day: is i magen

Is i magen directly translates to “ice in the stomach”, or more colloquially “ice in your belly”. It’s the kind of phrase you’ll often hear from politicians ahead of a big meeting or negotiation, or from athletes or trainers before a big game. 

You might even see it in a job advertisement, with the potential employer looking for someone with “ice in their belly”. The phrase also exists in Norwegian and Danish.

It’s roughly the same as the English phrase “to keep a cool head”, essentially meaning that you should stay calm and not make any rash decisions in a stressful or high-stakes situation. A synonym in Swedish is hålla huvudet kallt ("keep your head cold").

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Essentially, the ice represents you being in control of "hot" feelings, like anger, stress or anxiety. You don’t let these affect you and can make sensible decisions without your emotions or nerves taking over. 

Obviously, Swedes aren’t the only people who are able to keep their feelings under control in difficult situations (and of course, there are many who can’t), but it does reflect a very Swedish way of dealing with conflict or stress. 

In an argument with a Swede, a hotheaded, emotional or angry response (even one that would seem perfectly reasonable in many other countries) would usually result in you being dismissed as immature or too emotional to be reasoned with.

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Instead of shouting, crying or trying to explain how something makes you feel, you’re far more likely to be successful in getting your point across if you present it logically and calmly with concrete examples of the advantages and disadvantages of whatever it is you’re trying to argue for or against.

So, next time you find yourself in conflict with a Swede, try and have some ice in your belly and see if that helps you get your point across.

Example sentences:

Ha is i magen när fonderna går ner. Om du sparar långsiktigt behöver du inte oroa dig för toppar och dalar.

Keep a cool head when your funds lose value. If you’re saving over the long-term, you don’t need to worry about peaks and troughs.

Det är viktigt att alla har is i magen inför matchen på lördag.

It’s important that everyone keeps their cool before the match on Saturday.