Why are so many English people so cold and reserved?

You read poetry with your boss? Ok.

Did you also scream in the Sistine Chapel?

Ive adjusted my own attitude at work.
I was very used to the open, emotional, very friendly way of my workplace in italy

In most work environments this kind of behaviour would be considered ‘too much’, a lot of people don’t see work colleagues as friends and don’t want to have open and emotional chats with them especially about personal issues and their personal lives

I think being from Liverpool and living here all my life it's a bit of a culture shock when I go to other cities and people aren't as friendly. There's even a difference up the road in Manchester! 😂

Very good post. It does seem to be a north/south thing and Beits certainly aren't reserved compared to some other northern Europeans (or even nationalities like the Japanese).
Neither is better. Being reserved doesn't make you cold. There are good and bad people from all countries.

Northern and southern Europeans express themselves in totally different ways. The former is traditionally more reserved while the latter is notoriously more demonstrative. Neither is right and neither is wrong. They are built on centuries of different histories, religious factors, cultural traditions and probably of greatest relevance - climate. There are people from both cultures capable of great kindness and people from both cultures who would walk over you at time of crisis. The further North you go, the more reserved the population. Have you ever visited Norway OP? If you think the English are stunted and damaged then you'd probably need medication to live there.

So you're not English. Hence your ridiculous post. FFS

Your Italian boss sounds terribly intrusive.

😂😂😂🙌🏼

It seems a little ridiculous to assume everyone in England is cold etc based on your interactions with a few people.

To challenge your view I work in a warm team of lovely people with an incredibly supportive manager. We laugh and joke at work, bring one another gifts/food. We hug, we socialise together.

I have a small social circle outside of work but I surround myself with positive, like minded people who bring joy to my life and fill up my cup. I hope that I do the same for them.

Maybe you just need to find a different group of people.

The ‘south’ doesn’t stop at London.

@gamerchick and others. Give over on the casual bigotry against London and Londoners. We are bloody brilliant, friendly and helpful. Coz I sez so!

People sense those who are a bit needy and need their hands held a lot. They think those people will latch on to them and want to visit them at home and not leave.

But I've found places like London for example incredibly unfriendly in general. North it's better.

Try getting the cakes in for your colleagues if you want to get to know them better.

That’s upper class posh British people, most working class would not be described as that

It’s crazy saying British people as Glaswegians are known to be the friendliest people, I’m not English but I’ve been to northern England and the people were warm and friendly. Had a different experience in London though

I think I need to get hired at your workplace then! 😂 I find work colleagues way too talkative, touchy, and intrusive, but then I work in healthcare so it seems to attract more of that personality type.

I do agree though that when I’m in south France/ Italy that people are more friendly than here. And for some reason I find it less annoying.

Sorry, but I'm a southerner who now lives up north in Yorkshire and I've noticed a real difference. Strangers are more likely to chat to me in the street here. If I get on a bus here, it's not unusual for people to chat to each other. I never saw that down south.
Of course many southerners are outgoing and friendly and many northerners are unfriendly. I'm just saying I've noticed a difference in general. My DH is foreign and also noticed the difference. My southern friends who come and visit always comment on it too "Oh aren't people friendly up here?"
Having spent time in Newcastle and Liverpool, I'd say they're even friendlier than Yorkshire people!

I wish some northerners wouldn’t say this. It’s a horrible stereotype of southern Englanders and it’s frankly not true. I’m from the midlands and I see no difference, just some people wanting to come across somehow “ superior in being welcoming” as if it’s a competition by doing down southerners. I see it as a bit of a chip on the shoulder type thing and it’s a real shame

You literally said English people are emotionally stunted

This post is so strange if it was about any other culture or race people would be kicking off screaming racism but as it's about England it's apparently fine

If you dislike this country so much go somewhere "nicer"

Why are English people so cold and reserved?
Why are Germans so humourless?
Why are Italians so dramatic and over emotive ?
Why are Eastern Europeans so rude?
Why are North Americans so superficial?
Why are all Australians so self congratulatory?

What a load of bull shit stereotyping OP. There’s good and bad the world over but if you’re not brought up in a culture then there’s a bloody good chance you don’t understand it or will fit in without trying to integrate and understand it and you can’t do that in a week.

Being reserved and taking your time to know people doesn’t equal cold. It equals reserved.

some of the coldest people I have met - and I mean real froideur, don’t have time of day for you - were the Italian mums at my daughter’s school. All bubbly and lively in those initial social moments but absolutely no interest in actually deepening the relationship, very surface, and clung to one another. I’ve come to realise Italians do this very well - the show, the drama, the charm, but it belies where they really want the relationship to go. Often they’re just about very close family