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In terms of openness or general friendliness- The colder the climate the colder the people or the warmer the weather the warmer the people? What's your opinion on this, especially those who have lived in both climates?
Last edited by Bo; 12-16-2008 at 06:57 AM..
Reason: Moved from General US.
In terms of openness or general friendliness- The colder the climate the colder the people or the warmer the weather the warmer the people? What's your opinion on this, especially those who have lived in both climates?
Even though we've had some cooler weather this week, I've ran into 3 people in the elevators at my office building say to me, "We have such great weather, and we're so fortunate" - and they seemed pretty happy and friendly. Of course, even though the people who make up Tucson are from everywhere, they seem like some of the nicest and most tolerant of many places I've been to.
All of those folks in rural Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, etc are some of the most cold, violent, god awful people I have ever ran into.
Interesting question...
While I kid around and call my northern friends "damn yankees" and am a Texas/Southern boy thru and thru and a fierce partisan of the same, to be honest, my experiences up north (mostly Ohio and Kansas) have really been very pleasant. Sure, there does seem to be a bit more "reservation" in stranger on stranger encounters, but most of the folks I met were not at all the rude, pushy, yankees I had braced myself to experience initially.
Anyway, I can't really comment on how cold weather makes for colder people, exactly, from personal experience...but I am sure there is likely something to it. Many northerners will say this themselves. One of the first things they notice when moving down here are how much "warmer" and polite Southerners are as compared to the lifestyle where they came from.
And I am sure a warmer climate has a lot to do with it. Plus that the South was more an agricultural region of the country with longer growing seasons due to the warm weather. This made for more interaction and socializing and dependency between neighbors. Even in larger Southern cities, especially in the days before air-conditioning, the warm early springs and the long, hot, summers has the effect of that many people would sit outside on their porches and visit with their neighbors rather than sit inside with the stifling heat (in many older style Southern houses, the front porches are very large, and were really just an extension of the "front room").
Very interesting subject....and one that's been discussed in the past. Probably we avoid it today for fear of getting into areas perhaps considered 'racist'....I don't know.
Assuming we're talking here about native, indigenous cultures, I think the jury's out on whether cold and gloom produce any noticeably different effect on cultures than sunny, warm climates do. There's evidence pointing to each, pro and con.
Scandinavians have the reputation of being notably more 'solemn' than, for example, Greeks or Italians. Climate-related? Maybe. The Irish have a rather 'nasty' climate yet seem cheerful anyway. The natives of the Russian steppes seem to have a pretty 'pessimistic' culture..but whether this is due to their stupefyingly cold winters, or just being 'savaged' by centuries of hostile invaders, is difficult to say.
The natives of extreme southern Chile (nearly extinct today) were reported by early explorers as having an extremely dour and pessimistic cultural outlook....and that area probably has one of the most depressing climates on earth. Yet early explorers ALSO mentioned the Eskimos (Inuit) as having a notably happy and carefree outlook, and lots of laughter and 'good times'.
Probably the clearest, SUNNIEST places on earth are the Middle East, most of Australia, and the deserts of the SW USA....yet I don't recall ever hearing that their indigenous cultures were notably 'warm' or happy.....but who knows?
It's an interesting subject. Does extreme COLD have a different effect on the human psyche than extreme GLOOM? Probably. Certainly individuals are affected..(look at the many posts about sufferers of the 'SAD' syndrome in northern climates). Yet whether this could affect the entire "atmosphere" or world view of an entire culture is hard to answer...
Lived in both climates and really have found no difference in the "warmness" of people. You get your Curmudgeons in either climate and your overly friendly people in both as well. Overall I think you will find what you are looking for anyplace. Expect everybody to be friendly and warm and they will seem so, expect everyone to be rude and cold and that is what you will find. It has more to do with your personal attitude and outward disposition than climate.
The only effect I notice due to climate is that it makes people cranky at different times of the year. Overall people are people no matter where you are at, and they are generally going to give back to somebody the attitude they get from them. Up North by Late February - Early March people are getting tired of the colder weather and snow and are a bit more grumpy. Down South by Late August - Early September people are getting tired of high heat and dry weather and get a bit grumpier. That is what I have seen, but then again, it could very well be because by those times that is my feelings toward the weather and is what I am expecting from others as well.
Good for you, Bydand you hit the nail on the head. Read the post early this a.m. and didn't comment because my response would have been less than my usual live and let live approach!
I have friends living in warm climes that are weather driven as much as people here in the midwest. I've found traveling around the USA (I've missed less than 10 states) and many other places, I'd never say one place is more friendly than the next. I was amazed how friendly people were in New York even though they were very busy and you hear stories about rude people.
I am very outgoing and friendly, maybe too much so sometimes, and no matter where I am I find people respond the same way. I think you get out what you put in and to generalize that weather in cold climates makes people a certain way, not a chance, personality and life experiences make a difference.
Lived in both climates and really have found no difference in the "warmness" of people. You get your Curmudgeons in either climate and your overly friendly people in both as well. Overall I think you will find what you are looking for anyplace. Expect everybody to be friendly and warm and they will seem so, expect everyone to be rude and cold and that is what you will find. It has more to do with your personal attitude and outward disposition than climate.
The only effect I notice due to climate is that it makes people cranky at different times of the year. Overall people are people no matter where you are at, and they are generally going to give back to somebody the attitude they get from them. Up North by Late February - Early March people are getting tired of the colder weather and snow and are a bit more grumpy. Down South by Late August - Early September people are getting tired of high heat and dry weather and get a bit grumpier. That is what I have seen, but then again, it could very well be because by those times that is my feelings toward the weather and is what I am expecting from others as well.
Good answer, this seems accurate and has some truth to it
Very interesting subject....and one that's been discussed in the past. Probably we avoid it today for fear of getting into areas perhaps considered 'racist'....I don't know.
Assuming we're talking here about native, indigenous cultures, I think the jury's out on whether cold and gloom produce any noticeably different effect on cultures than sunny, warm climates do. There's evidence pointing to each, pro and con.
Scandinavians have the reputation of being notably more 'solemn' than, for example, Greeks or Italians. Climate-related? Maybe. The Irish have a rather 'nasty' climate yet seem cheerful anyway. The natives of the Russian steppes seem to have a pretty 'pessimistic' culture..but whether this is due to their stupefyingly cold winters, or just being 'savaged' by centuries of hostile invaders, is difficult to say.
The natives of extreme southern Chile (nearly extinct today) were reported by early explorers as having an extremely dour and pessimistic cultural outlook....and that area probably has one of the most depressing climates on earth. Yet early explorers ALSO mentioned the Eskimos (Inuit) as having a notably happy and carefree outlook, and lots of laughter and 'good times'.
Probably the clearest, SUNNIEST places on earth are the Middle East, most of Australia, and the deserts of the SW USA....yet I don't recall ever hearing that their indigenous cultures were notably 'warm' or happy.....but who knows?
It's an interesting subject. Does extreme COLD have a different effect on the human psyche than extreme GLOOM? Probably. Certainly individuals are affected..(look at the many posts about sufferers of the 'SAD' syndrome in northern climates). Yet whether this could affect the entire "atmosphere" or world view of an entire culture is hard to answer...
Australians have a reputation for being very welcoming and fun people. I've found friendlier people overall in warm climates.
Australians have a reputation for being very welcoming and fun people. I've found friendlier people overall in warm climates.
I agree with your impressions...but I still think you'd have difficulty showing an absolute relationship between warm climate and friendly inhabitants...I just think it's too complex to define. Certainly Australia has a relatively warm climate, and a generally laid-back, informal, "friendly" population....for the most part. But Sudan and Somalia and Yemen ALSO have warm climates....and I'm not sure how they're regarded by most visitors, but I don't recall these places being referred to as notably 'visitor-friendly'...at least not at first glance. A century or so ago, Tahitians were famously friendly to foreign visitors...while Fijians regularly made "dinner" out of shipwrecked foreigners....yet BOTH cultures shared similar, near-ideal, warm climates.
Rural Montana and North Dakota (cold places) are probably "friendlier" overall, than Miami or Houston (warm places)....yet I'm not sure what inferences you'd draw from this, or that everyone would even agree. In addition to climate, there are a lot of OTHER differences in these places...
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