2 ms·

I wonder how much of it is just social upbringing I see a lot of people who are from Asia or outside of America make a lot more closer friends than Americans

• stuxnet79 2y ago
  Right on the money. After musing on this topic for a while and drawing from a lifetime's worth of experiences I've come to the conclusion that the social environment in America is very hostile and does not encourage developing close relationships. The prevalence of these articles really surprises me and makes me wonder if the people who write them have ever experienced living in a different (warmer) culture where the default mode of interaction isn't transactional.
  • 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y ago
    Sadly I haven't. Travel is expensive, the US is a big wide country, and other nations don't really want me hanging around unless I marry someone or drop a lot of money
  • stavros 2y ago
    As a non-American, I can confirm that I've noticed that Americans tend to develop lots of superficial friendships, but aren't very willing to open up, which keeps the relationship at arm's length. I remember I was really surprised when a coworker was telling me about how she had some condition, and then immediately apologized for telling me. I didn't understand why someone would apologize for opening up, but in the US that's considered oversharing, and is frowned upon.