Some cultures are very gregarious and lively. They like loud music, speak to each other loudly, etc.
Which cultures have you found to be more reserved? Not necessarily cold or rude, just not as loud in public?
I think the Nordics are generally very quiet and well behaved. Also some Germans. Also the obvious- Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese will try not to attract attention to themselves. Never seen many Sri Lankans together, but they seem quiet too.
Scandinavian and Japanese
How about city culture vs rural culture? You don’t have to devide culture only by nationality.
Scandinavia happens to have alot of the surface area covered by forrest, atleast sweden, norway and Finland. Shouldn’t be to hard to find a quite place to live which isn’t completely isolated.
Japanese
Portland-Seattle-Vancouver corridor
Austrian
Singaporean
Nepalese
Japanese.
You could drop a pin on the train or bus.
Americans.
When they are unconscious.
Japanese and Korean. Trains, planes, and subways are dead quiet. People don’t talk and keep to themselves, I found it’s very quiet even in coffee shops relative to western countries. It’s considered a social faux pas to converse or be loud, especially in those confined public spaces. By comparison, Europeans are considered loud, even Scandinavians by East Asian standards.
Japanese
Nordic countries
Japanese by far the most quiet culture I’ve ever had contact with.
Japanese people are pretty quiet, but Tokyo is full of noise. All kinds of machines making noise and announcements all the time.
Russians and Ukrainians are the quieter than I’m used to in America.
France
Japanese. Once I went into a restaurant in Nikko for lunch and it was full. But pindrop silence, like quieter than a library.
I think more reserved cultures can easily be seen as cold or rude by people who aren’t used to this. But that doesn’t mean it’s true. It’s just that the codes for social interactions are different and can be perceived as rude to those who don’t know the codes. This is my experience with Norway. I’ve heard a few people call Norwegians cold and rude, but I think politeness and friendship just works differently here that where I grew up. For example asking for something without saying please is extremelyrude where I grew up but fine in Norway. But there are other polite phrases I never think of saying because they weren’t part of what people say where I grew up. (Cold and rude people exist as well of course, but I wouldn’t call a culture cold and rude.)