Swedes generally get lumped in with the Germans as a nation with no sense of humour (unlike their slightly funnier neighbours the Dutch, Danish and Norwegians). But it's not true! Or not entirely, anyway. Swedes do have a sense of humour, it's just a bit different. Here's The Local's contributor Richard Orange's guide to help you recognise when a Swede is trying to be funny.

In a way, talking about having a "national sense of humour" is outdated, given that so much of the comedy we consume on TV or through podcasts is international, or, in the case of podcasts, aimed at a small niche. The days when you could claim comedy shows on TV, such as Benny Hill, Monty Python, or in Sweden Hasse och Tage, as somehow representative of the nation are long gone.

But if you go beyond comedy and look at the jokes people themselves make in person or on social media, you can still make out national differences.

Every time I return to the UK, for instance, the person who checks my passport always seems to make some kind of light-hearted comment or joke, like, "You've got your hands full," if I'm travelling alone with my children.