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Is the UK an introvert's paradise?

Hi TSR,
I'm an American who is likely going to be studying in the UK (SOAS in London) next year, and I've heard that British people are generally very reserved and that casual friendships and relationships et al don't happen like they do in here in America? I've always been a bit of an introvert (and self-centered really) so I just want to hear from others what their impressions of the UK are.

Reply 1

AreYouDizzeeBlud_x

no person in the UK ever goes or has ever been outside. We all communicate through data communications.

Reply 2

The_master616

In the UK, we generally tend to bond on negativity.

Reply 3

milesofsea

You'll be a student, in central London, at a university with non-British students and cultures abundant. If the stereotype has some truth in it you're unlikely to notice it in a big way at SOAS.

I think as a general rule here, strangers keep themselves to themselves. A hint of over-friendliness with a randomer and you'll set the rapist/paedo/mugger/plain lunatic alarms ringing, rather than make a new friend on the bus home.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 4

boobooboob

Dude your going to SOAS an probs staying in London. You'll hardly see any British people anyway.

Reply 5

Uzi2491

Original post by boobooboob

Dude your going to SOAS an probs staying in London. You'll hardly see any British people anyway.

This. Find out about Arab and south-Asian culture lol.

try Iceland?

Original post by milesofsea

You'll be a student, in central London, at a university with non-British students and cultures abundant. If the stereotype has some truth in it you're unlikely to notice it in a big way at SOAS.

In general though I think the UK makes it more socially normal to be an introvert than in other countries. Maybe something to do with a lack of the strong family tradition you see in so many other cultures, and lack of tight-knit communities due to demographics and the pace of change. As a general rule here, strangers keep themselves to themselves. A hint of over-friendliness with a randomer and you'll set the rapist/paedo/mugger/plain lunatic alarms ringing, rather than make a new friend on the bus home.

This. In public the general "attitude" will eventually rub off on extroverts and they start keeping to themselves (on undergrounds etc) too.

I don't think it'd be any stretch to say that the UK has more introverted social norms than other countries, but I think this behaviour is just conformity in public; you'll probably find that in reality there are as many extroverts in the UK as in other countries, just that extroverts only behave as extroverts in certain places, such as clubs, bars etc, rather than display extroverted "friendly" attitudes in public which is not considered as socially acceptable as it is in, say, Spain.

So yes, in the UK you can quite comfortably be introverted assuming you stay away from nightclubs and obviously extroverted events.