Ringnes is the largest brewer in Norway. It was founded in 1876 by brothers Amund and Ellef Ringnes (Amund was the brewer, Ellef the administrator and salesman) and financial director Axel Heiberg. The company’s brewery in the Grünerløkka district of Oslo produced its first beer in 1877.
A well-known side effect of alcohol is lowering inhibitions. Areas of the brain responsible for planning and motor learning are dulled. A related effect, caused by even low levels of alcohol, is the tendency for people to become more animated in speech and movement. This is due to increased metabolism in areas of the brain associated with movement, such as the nigrostriatal pathway. This causes reward systems in the brain to become more active, and combined with reduced understanding of the consequences of their behavior, can induce people to behave in an uncharacteristically loud and cheerful manner.
The Jante Law has become symbolic of what many see as a permeating cultural code in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and other Nordic countries: it is frowned upon to appear to elevate oneself or claim to be better or smarter than others. Those who assert to the influence of the Jante Law often maintain that the values of the Danish and other Nordic welfare states can be credited to the persistence of the Jante Law, in particular their stress on social equality and their emphasis on fairness for all.