Europe has for thousands of years been a center of culture and the arts, despite being one of the smallest continents both in terms of land area and also the total population it still remains the richest by far in terms of the wealth of the average person.
It is an intriguing little continent that has profound influences on the entire planet. In this article, we are going to be exploring what the mentality of people is in Europe.
What Does ‘Mentality’ Mean?
The term ‘mentality’ is used to describe the way a group of people generally things, acts and the beliefs that they hold about everyday life and the world.
What Is the Mentality in Europe?
Europe is an extremely diverse place with 44 recognized countries in the continent as well as an estimated 87 recognized ethnic groups. Therefore, it is not exactly possible to group all Europeans into one group with all of them being so different. This is why we are going to cover the mentality of major European countries below instead that make up the majority of people living in the continent of Europe.
Great Britain.
The British are known for being resilient and hard-working people who do not give up in the space of adversity with examples of this being the Second World War and the Napoleon Wars where the British were one of the last nations still standing against their enemies.
Generally, people from Great Britain enjoy order, with a stereotypical joke about the British being how they love to line up in orderly queues. Furthermore, the British are known for responding to difficult times with humor.
France.
French people are known for being idealists and dreamers after all the French republic was the first real democratic country in the world during the early 19th century. Despite France being the third-biggest economy in Europe, the French are also known as being very carefree with a love of weekends, good food and alcohol.
Additionally, French people are known as being very affectionate and artistic with France dominating the global fashion industry right now with fashion houses, such as Christian Dior and Kering.
Germany.
The Germans are an exceptional people, even after their country’s economy was destroyed during the Second World War and the country itself was divided into two the Germans still managed to rebuild it and turn into the biggest economy in Europe.
Germans are known for living very structured lives where they follow the rules, laws and social stigmas set out by society. Therefore, it is recommended that if you decide to travel to Germany that you make sure to follow the local laws and customs in order not to offend the locals.
Spain.
Spanish people are generally very expressive and confident about their views, with some people going as far as to describe them as noisy. Spain is also located in a region where for most of the year the people there experience a great climate, which is probably why Spanish people are known for their love of partying.
A somewhat unique trait of Spanish culture is the ‘siesta’ which means ‘sixth hour’ in Spanish, this is a mid-afternoon nap that takes place usually between 13:00 to 16:00 during the day when it is so hot that it is unbearable to work outside in the sun.
Italy.
The mentality of Italians is generally one of the pursuit of pleasure and happiness, which is done through food, drink, romance, fashion, music and other kinds of arts as well as showing off your materialistic possessions with Italians being noted for always wanting to be dressed well even if they are not able to currently afford it.
Italy is a very diverse place, if you go to the north of Italy you will find that people are a lot more reserved and formal while the further south you go the bigger difference you will find that people are a lot friendlier and willing to interact with you.
Russia.
Russians are known for being kind-hearted and polite as long as they already know, however they are well known for being a group of people that prefer to be left alone with socializing with strangers in Russia not being something easy to do as it is not readily accepted by the Russian culture.
If you ever become close friends or live with someone from Russia you will see that they strongly value manners and personal hygiene, with people who do not fit in these categories being looked down upon.
Poland.
Polish people are similar to the Russians in that they are highly individualistic and also that they value their privacy and that they do not take to heart people attracting attention to themselves in public by talking loudly on the trains, for example, or trying to strike a conversation with a stranger. Another stereotype of the Polish people is that although they love their country, they also love to complain about it.
Also, Polish people are one of the most religious groups of people in Europe which is something that you need to keep in mind when visiting the country with certain topics of conversation and jokes being off-topic.
Greece.
Greek people are very proud of their culture, country, and heritage; they will always remind you about famous ancient Greek figures such as Alexander the Great, Aristotle and Plato.
In fact, often you will find them longing for the past when Greek-speaking states most of the modern-day Balkans and the Middle East; this is not really surprising when you consider that Greece has some of the highest levels of debt from all the countries in the European Union.
Romania.
Romanian people are known for being very friendly and polite even if they do not know you or even have any particular interest in interacting with you. They are also known for being a very entrepreneurial and resourceful group of people who are always looking to improve their lives and standard of living.
Additionally, if you ever meet Romanians you will notice that they are honest and positive people that would want to help you if they can in some way.
Sweden.
Swedish people are often compared to the Japanese in terms of how conformity they are, with standing out for the sake of standing out in Sweden not necessarily be considered a good thing.
Swedish people are also known for valuing equality of the sexes a lot, with couples generally expected to split the bill when going on dates instead of letting the men pay every time.
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