To ask about people from different countries

[TyraBanksEyeTwitch]

I don't know how well I can express myself here. Currently on holiday somewhere with lots of Europeans, Spanish, German,Italian, Scandinavian, French and of course British.

The Italians are outgoing, social, glamorous. The Danes are reserved, polite, healthy.
The Germans are practical, family orientated, humorous.
This is just my interpretation based on one holiday park obviously. I have spent time in all these countries too.
But how do different cultures form personalities? There must be Italian introverts, but on the whole is it the weather, location, history, language?
What makes them more likely to be engaging, social, care about appearances, enjoy chatting and laughing for long amounts of time?
I was thinking about our history and whether our status as an island made us rule breakers? Did it make us the rebellious, stubborn, funny, resilient people we are? Did our weather make us more prone to socialise with our immediate family more, compared to the bigger social networks of the Southern Europeans.
It's funny because I belong to two cultures but I am most definitely British. I feel my Britishness in every inch of my body. But would I have the same personality if I grew up in another country?

But what do you mean by British? I’m Welsh but culturally different to English, Scottish and Northern Irish. I think you’re looking for stereotypes.

I wonder this myself often. I grew up in Spain, and the Spanish are so different to the British, right from childhood. I think it is to do with the weather, socialising habits including meal times, and surrounding environment.

What do you mean by 'English'?

I'm from Wiltshire......... 🤣

I think the culture in which you grow up has a huge impact, even within countries, north vs south England there can be significant differences.

Yes you could probably change British to Welsh/English/Scottish in the OP, and that is sort of the OP's point. I'm Welsh and there's even a difference in culture within the home nations. The OP is just asking why that might be.

What makes a culture? So much! Weather, social, economic and political history, the influence of literature and the arts…

Not sure you can attribute it to specific countries. On a recent trip to Spain, I found the locals in Seville to be surly (towards tourists anyway) whereas the locals in Malaga city centre were friendly and welcoming (in spite of recent publicity saying they want tourists to "go home".

We went to a family run Italian restaurant in Newcastle, many years ago, our ds was about 6.
The clientele were mostly families and I’ve never forgotten the happy chatter, the well behaved dc and the feeling of warmth.
I've never experienced such a happy restaurant since.

Amusingly dh and I were in Switzerland and went to eat in an Italian restaurant. Turned out the owner was Greek. He insisted that we sit on the terrace so that he could talk to all of his clients and get us to talk to each other. By the end of the evening we were all chattering across the tables and the Greek owner was mortified that he had no Baklava when I asked if he did Greek desserts.

My dil is from S. Wales, different again to N. Wales. Dgs was born and is being raised in N. Wales and as a pre teen is very proud that he is welsh.

I think Northern hemisphere citizens tend to be outwardly polite but not as openly chatty as southern Europeans.
However I’m sure many people will have different experiences.

I think about this sort of thing a lot. Much of it is down to socialisation. So if you grow up with excitable people who have large outdoor gatherings you're more likely to develop that behaviour yourself. There will be outliers, of course, who might feel they don't fit in, because they don't like large groups or noise, for example.
Similarly, if you lived in Austria in the 18th century, you weren't necessarily born brilliant at music. But you were exposed to beautiful music from a young age and developed an appreciation early and became part of that huge audience that encouraged the great composers.
Liverpudlians are renowned for their quick humour. They can't all be naturally funny though (well, it feels unlikely). But they learnt how to quip and parry at their mother's knee and gradually became experts.
It all fascinates me... Great post, OP!

DH is German by birth but has been here since he was 10. Me and the DC born in England and speak very little German.
When we were in Italy last year everyone thought we were German and none of us are tall and blonde (some of us are tall and 1 of us is blonde but nobody is both). No idea why we seem "German", its happened in other countries too.
It tends only to be in Germany that people think we are English ironically

id it make us the rebellious, stubborn, funny, resilient people we are?

😂

I do think warmer weather might affect how people behave culturally. But it's hot in Spain and Egypt and those two cultures are very different.
I always think British people are really reserved and unfriendly to strangers. But not all of them obviously. Honestly there are too many factors that determine how people behave to pin it down.

We're just returning from a holiday on the Costa Brava, staying in an apartment in a complex with a pool, with mostly Spanish neighbours.

The pool area is absolutely gorgeous but we noticed most Spanish people only came down to swim and then returned to their apartments or went off somewhere else.

If we weren't heading for the beach we would lie by the pool for a good few hours, but often completely had the place to ourselves. I guess Spanish just take the sun for granted and don't actually want to lie in it for any length of time.

How do you know what country everyone is from?

I’m not from the UK or Germany, but Germans aren’t known for being tall and blonde!? I’d say the opposite, dark hair. Where I live you can spot the German tourists miles away. 😂 And there are lots of them at the moment.

If you travel a lot you soon learn to see where people come from.

I think that IS the German stereotype - Aryan.
No idea why we keep been taken for German though. I sometimes get English people think I am Spanish when we are in Spain, we do have a house there and so go often and my Spanish is reasonable but the locals know I'm not, its just The Brits who get confused.
My friend is married to a Frenchman and he says that its because we don't "seem English" but he couldn't say what exactly it was

If you travel a lot you soon learn to see where people come from.

This thread is about how people from certain countries have certain characteristics.

How do you see where they come from unless you base it on their characteristics.

I teach in an international school with people from all over the world. I cannot always match them with their nationality.

The thread seems to be saying people from country X have characteristic Y and we know they are from country X because they have characteristic Y.
Or alternatively people with characteristic Y have characteristic Y.

People in different cultures are socialised differently OP.

I travel a lot and couldn't tell you where someone was from by looking at them.

It usually follows that the further south the more laid back and gregarious the people and the further north, the more reserved they are. This does generally seem to follow. For example, the Scandinavians are known to be reserved and to greatly value and be very aware of their personal space. The Italians on the other hand (I lived there for many years) have no such qualms. They'll happily sit next to you on the bus, even if all the other seats are empty, and strike up a conversation.

Interesting post, op!

I’m from England but have lived in a Southern European country for the same amount of time I was in England. There are many different nationalities where we are and I can predict what nationality a person is probably 85% of the time. From the way they look, dress sense and the way they act. A lot of stereotypes are often very true indeed!

How are you confirming you are right 85% if the time?

Ok, I can.

That's a great talent to have!