British people=friendliest, nicest people

[Whyislifesocrapnow]

They honestly are.

I'm English, but live overseas, have lived in different places and travelled most of the world.
I was recently back in the uk for a month and once again i'm bowled over by the friendliness, helpful attitude and just general kindness and positive attitude-not everyone of course, but so many people.
Live in a beautiful place, but the people aren't like this, it starts to bring you down.
Coming home always heals the soul

Anyway, just wanted to say this!

Does anyone agree?

Scandinavian people are not into small talk apparently. They see it as pointless. That's why they come over as stand offshish. The ones I have known are lovely once you get to know them though.

Yeah they are. I'm part [western European country] and theres a guardedness you just dont get in the uk. In the uk people tend to treat strangers like potential friends from the get go. And no they aren't "honest" or "blunt" but why the fuck would you want that? People talk brits down like couching stuff in niceties and pleasentness is a bad thing. It isnt. I dont want to have my boss talk to me like a piece of shit because hey at least she's honest. I dont want to have someone serve me in a shop with a face like a slapped arse or walk into a new gym class and discover im being looked up and down like its the misery Olympics. People in the uk have amenability and humour as the baseline normal and that's as it should be, and its worth more than a lot of people who have never lived abroad realise

British people generally are friendly northeners but I have lived in several countries and I have found most nationalities to be friendly particularly Nordic and Scandinavian countries

I’ve always found many Parisians to be really friendly!

It's true. The train from Leeds to Scarborough is like some kind of reunion where everyone was best mates and are meeting up for the first time in ages. Nobody has actually met anyone before but that's not important. You leave the train feeling a new love for your fellow humans.

I’ve lived in a few different countries and I think UK people are generally the nicest and friendliest. They also have the best humour. Canadians are friendly too (apart from in Quebec where they are spectacularly rude) UK people are generally honest too although sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. It’s a shame that there are some awful people in UK.

This!

London and a few of the surrounding areas are the friendliest place for me as a (visibly)POC!

Other friendly places for me are mainly in Scotland or Wales.

Countries I find friendliest so far would be the U.S. and maybe Thailand.

We are middling on the friendly scale in my experience. Also there are friendlier pockets within the UK (Cardiff and Sheffield spring to mind - obviously I haven’t been everywhere). Friendliest people I’ve encountered are Canadians, then Japanese, although more restrained.

huh? I’ve never heard that reputation for being bad at hospitality. I know there’s an old stereotype of the “financially
prudent” Scot but that’s mostly died out now.

Afaik Scottish are known for being super friendly, jovial, witty and sometimes fiery.
Having lived in Glasgow I’d say yes to all the above.

So many Americans, Canadians in particular adore them far more than English.

Eastern Europeans are naturally reserved because of their history and they have to really trust you before they open up, so that's understandable. I was in Brittany recently and they were really friendly. Italy and Spain outside stressed tourist spots are friendly. But the absolute top in Europe is rural Romania. Lovely people who would welcome you into their home because you have children and they can relate to your family.

You’re saying it’s not that, but multiple people on this thread are telling you outside of London it can be very not friendly for non-white people.

New Zealand has been named the second-friendliest country in the world in the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.

Just missed out to Costa Rica in these awards.

I'm a fucking delight

I lived in Leeds for 18 months, it was the most unfriendly city ever lived in! From my partners friends of 20 years (I tried very hard to make friends) and the shop keepers, my new job.
But other Northern places have been nice.

I'm an Aussie living in Australia and my neighbour from the Philippines is one of the friendliest people I've ever met. We are a laid back sort of nice, she is genuinely sweet.

But did you go to Scarborough on the train 😁

This.... I think some (not all) British people have a tendency to be two faced. Other nationalities may be more direct and perceived as not so polite but it is better because what you see is what you get and you know where you are from the start.

I think there is a difference between being a friendly Country and being a Country where you can make friends easily. England is definitely a friendly Country, but wouldn't say it's a Country you make friends easily.

That would make more sense to me!

It must be lovely coming home and finding the people warm and welcoming. Some posts by Mumsnetters give a totally different impression. Intolerant, shouty, judgemental, and petty. Still, I’ve found others genuinely kind, supportive, helpful, and wise. But that’s not down to the UK. It’s just people being people. I LOVED my time in the UK. I found the people and culture amazing. I think of it as my second home.

That’s so nice. This just randomly popped up on my feed about two Filipinos meeting.

https://youtube.com/shorts/UFe2L7LO6uc?is=KK8QRl31o1IekuXs

I think we are fundamentally helpful and not unkind, but perhaps privately quite judgemental of each other . I think we are much more friendly to foreign visitors - we don't automatically expect them to know all the unwritten rules of social interaction, which are embedded into our culture, so there's more tolerance and acceptance and friendliness. They are given a temporary 'pass' because they are on holiday.
At the same time, I think we can be quite irritated with each other, but it's not meant on a deeper level - we can get pissed off with colleagues but still feel affection and friendliness towards them.
I do like that we aren't as publicly emotive as some cultures or as blunt as others. There's room for a bit of 'stiff upper lip' and tact. We are too quick to see everyone else as 'better' even in terms of friendliness, but I like how we are - I think we are the right mix of 'nice but don't take the piss' friendly!

It's definitely friendlier outside of London. I always think London is so busy and full of people rushing about. They definitely look at you as if you are a bit mad when you smile at them. So different from everywhere else.

What if "where you are at the start" is just: dealing with someone whose social norm is to talk down to everyone who isn't family or friends?

Agree, and you don’t even have to be non-white. I’m white, but from an ethnicity against which there has traditionally been prejudice, and London was certainly exponentially easier for me than elsewhere in England.