00:00 When Jonas Bittner goes out, he makes sure to stay warm by putting two coats on.
00:06 Originally from Munich, the 20-year-old moved to Luleå three months ago.
00:11 He wanted to see what life was like in northern Sweden.
00:15 "Not for forever. It's too dark for that. But I thought it would be interesting for half a year."
00:22 He's off to a lecture and today it's minus 12 degrees Celsius.
00:27 Jonas quickly understood that he would have to get used to different amounts of sunlight.
00:34 "It gets dark at three o'clock already. Very different from Germany.
00:40 There's much less sunlight, it's mostly cloudy. It never really gets very bright.
00:45 You could almost go to bed at four."
00:49 There's plenty of light in the lecture hall to ensure students remain alert.
00:54 But it remains cold and miserable outside.
00:57 The industrial city of Luleå is not known for being the most beautiful.
01:02 There's a major steel plant here.
01:05 In the harbor, the icebreakers will soon go out to clear the ice in the Baltic Sea.
01:11 People often walk by one another, without greeting each other.
01:19 According to a recent survey, one in four people in Sweden feels lonely.
01:24 So a campaign has been launched to encourage people to just say "hey" or "hello" to each other.
01:30 Åsa Koski and Eva Britt Kjellqvist came up with the idea. And with good reason.
01:43 "There's research that shows that greeting people has a positive effect on well-being and health.
01:49 We felt that we had to do something."
01:53 The two are setting a good example in Luleå.
02:04 And it's not only older people who are lonely.
02:07 Koski says that people between 16 and 29 also often feel alone.
02:13 She's come to this high school to talk about the issue with the students.
02:17 "Do you say hello to your fellow students in the hall?"
02:21 "If someone goes past, I'll look up. But many just carry on with a determined look."
02:27 "I don't know if this campaign will be enough to change things."
02:33 "People's habits are hard to change."
02:37 Sometimes habits have to be broken, just like the ice in the Baltic.
02:44 The ice doesn't scare Pontus Wikström, who founded the Winter Bathing Association in Luleå.
02:50 And even young ones are braving the cold, too.
02:59 "It's more fun together. More social."
03:05 The association already has 500 members. Most of them come on the weekend.
03:12 But there's almost always a place to be found in the sauna.
03:16 Nothing is better for fighting loneliness than sweating together and going for a dip in ice-cold water.
03:23 "It's a good way of meeting people, especially for those who are not alone by choice."
03:29 "At least here they can feel better for a while."
03:35 There's still some darkness ahead as the days will keep getting shorter till the winter solstice.
03:44 Jonas Bittner has found a way of coping with the darkness.
03:49 He often goes for hikes in the woods with a friend.
03:53 There are many ways to fight loneliness in northern Sweden.
04:00 An open fire and a friendly hay can go a long way.
04:04 (thunder)
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