I would need to be in very deep shit to make me approach a stranger unbidden. Conversely, I expect anyone approaching me is also in deep shit, so I wouldn't hesitate to help if asked. If somebody started talking to me without a significant reason, I will consider it weird and/or suspicious. I don't know how many Lithuanians think along these same lines, but I'm quite confident it's a significant portion. I mean, the only time my neighbour ever knocked on my door was when his elderly mother was sick and needed help getting to the hospital.
Regarding the final bit about the "hello" to your neighbours, it's considered polite to greet people you meet in your stairwell, but a bit intrusive if you meet that same person on the open street. Keep in mind that the almost imperceptible nod of the head while making eye contact for a second also counts as "hello". "How're you doing?" is not a greeting. It may follow a greeting as a way to express your appreciation and concern for someone's well-being. The expected answer is a half-assed "okay" or the more genuine "it's nothing".
Been living abroad in a few places for about 9 years now, so I suppose I have some of my own first-hand experience to share.
First of all, I pity the Irish fellow living in Lithuania. In my experience, when it comes to how people interact, the Irish are our polar opposites. They are VERY outgoing people, to the point where me, as a more extroverted Lithuanian, get's tired of all the talking and chit-chatting and I need to take a break quite often from social life while I live here in Ireland as it is just too much to handle at times. I found that many Lithuanians share that sentiment with me to a greater or lesser extent.
I think it is also fair to mention how northerners are generally more introverted. There are always jokes about Finns or Estonians being extremely introverted, although jokes aside, in my experience I find the Nordic and the Baltic folks quite similar on this one, save for Danes who are usually a bit more crazy.
Lastly, when I moved from Lithuania for the first time, I used to think that we are indeed quite unfriendly and maybe even excessively rude at times when we don't have to be. Afters years of meeting all sorts of different people and seeing how others are, I found that's not the case at all. What defines "polite" can vary greatly from country to country, region to region. For some politeness is smiles, small talks and other sort of small things like that. For Lithuanians politeness is respecting peoples personal space and not bothering them with talks and smiles unless you have a specific point to make.
All in all, we are our own people, with our own way of understanding manners. And just as Lithuanians do their best to be more open and warm while abroad, people who come to Lithuania will have to adapt to the lack of warm welcome and smiles. Once they get through the initial hurdles they will see that we are in fact as friendly & warm as it gets. ✌
About restaurant culture: look, when youre at work eating lunch, its considered rude to disturb eating person with conversations unless you directly ask or know a person well. This exactly translates to culture in restaurants. You eat – you dont speak.
I lived here for 5 years and I do see people here opening up. It also depends how you reach out to people. From my experience, their is desire to share if certain trust is there. I have experienced coffee shop baristas giving staff discount on second visit, guy sharing his personal family troubles on first meeting and government official letting me host event after first meeting.
Pritariu piliečiui: we dont need fake smiles. Tačiau tikras draugas lietuviui brangiau nei brolis. Taigi leiskite gyventi kiekvienam kaip nori, ir jums leis gyventi taip pat.
If you don't go towards the foreigners whose kanguage you can't understand and speak, it does not mean you are an introvert or unfriendly, of course. Lithuanians are thaught not to speak to strangers and not to try to solve their problems if even they understand their kanguage and the problem… and that doesn't mean they are not friendly. It does mean that strangers are strangers and strangers don't need you to interfer, if they don't ask for it themselves. If you quietly go around without a smile on a street in a cold time of a year, it does not mean you are unfriendly or an introvert either. It just means it's cold, you have your own problems to think of or something similar. Well, if you had lived in the USSR and after the USSR, you would not trust strangers, and you would have a lot of your own problems to figure out and solve. You would have gotten used to go with a worried tired face, and see others around going likewise.
I definitely believe its a generational thing, a relic of the soviet times. Just moved in an apartment and the old geezers are unfriendly, while young families want to chat. Of course not all older people, for instance, one of your points were that people from small villages might be more closed to interaction, but I find that it's the exact opposite. In the village you say hello to everyone and in the city you barely talk. Also a good portion of old folks have broken through that old mentality and some old babushkas might want to chat for hours, so be careful as they might trap you with kindness.
As an American of Lithuanian great grandparents I have met native Lithuanians who are very outgoing and friendly. Some of them I met were in my age group and we are very talkative about Lithuanian culture and Baltic culture.
Lithuanians are Northern Europeans. And they stoped living in a complete dictatorship just 35 years ago. They mind their own business and think it's ok.
Lithuanians greet their neighbours if there are not more than a hundred of them in one building and if they can know everyone who is living in their building, and who is just a visitor of those who live in the same building. And Lithuanians could be friends with their closest neighbours, but not every loud Italian foreigner will get to know or notice this, if the house is big and he/ she lives far away from those people.
I think it's old habit that still passed along with generations. In soviet times you never knew who was snitching on you, or reporting on your even on simple small things. So you don't talk and you don't disclose anything by accident.
In short, we aren't the most introverted or most closed off people, but we simply dislike small, meaningless, fake talks. And yes, the elder generation still looks at any stranger suspiciously, which is the consequence of the soviet occupation.
When my sister and niece visited Lithuania in 2015, they were approached by Lithuanian strangers who commented that my niece looked so Lithuanian. Neither my sister nor niece speak Lithuanian, although my sister's heritage is completely Lithuanian. I guess that there are some outgoing Lithuanians. When I visited my relatives in Lithuania in 1993 for the first time, I felt included and warmly greeted and treated.
1:20 – it stands BE CALM on the car. It means DO NOT WORRY well take care of this and that in this case, but anyway. Calm means happy and well enough for a Lithuanian. But Lithuanians (and, maybe, Danes) are considered the loudest, the most emotional, the least calm of all the Northern Europeans. They have been thaught, often by their own life experience, not to be too optimistic, open, not to trust strangers too much, be cautious. If you’ll laugh out loud a lot, you might have to cry after that, the older Lithuanians used to say (it was their superstition).
In Belarus, we have a teacher in university from Lithuania. He himself is pretty extraverted person, even worked on radio station back in Lithuania and he said belarusian people seemed more opened up generally
Learn Lithuanian, then you'll notice that people who know each other chat to each other in the busses. Nobody asociates smiling with weakness here. But they aren't used to smile to everyone they see, just because they see you. If you'll smile to a Luthuanian you don't know for no reason, he or she might think that you noticed something strange and funny with him. But you don't have to look serous, if you really feel happy. And Lithuanians don't look serious all the time. I think there are all kinds of Lithuanians nowadays. Some look serious and don't talk to strangers, some know English, French or German and don't live in Lithuania, some are young and happy, some are old and grumpy, some are worried, some are careless. Some are drunk and don't know what they are doing… some are loud, some are quiet. Some are local Russians, but live in Lithuania, and can be judged or doomed as Lithuanians by some foreigners. Well, I don't know what to say. We are not French because we never have been French. And we are not gonna quickly change for the French, so moan or not, if you live here, you will have to deal with us as we are.
And… if you came to Lithuania quite recently (after the climate change), you haven't experienced the real cold winter, so you don't know what it would be like to stand a chat to every stranger on the street on the ice, in the snow, and when it's -15 or -20 of Celsius.
I agree with your assessment that generally Lithuanians are introverted, I have lived in the city and in a small village and also have Lithuanian family that this applies to. At first I found people very cold, rude and unfriendly but over time I have got used to it and adjusted my expectations accordingly. I agree with the statement concerning occupation, not just in soviet times but by the Nazis as well, this must have had a huge psychological effect on the population. I think the younger generation are moving on from this trauma with the help of travel and multicultural views and having so much more access to the outside world.
You could actually go and greet people in Lithuanian there in Ireland, in France, in Italy, in Germany. They would probably look shocked. Especially if you'd go on chating to them in Lithuanian and they would not even know what a language that is.
Do we mean being introverted or reserved. The English can be very reserved and it can take time for them to accept you into the group. Having seen Lithuanians cut loose on a few occasions, it’s pretty extroverted behaviour.
I personally am introverted and see this as a positive. When a stranger approaches I tend grow nervous(but am still put together) that is mostly because my dad's paranoia carried over to me. For example if listening to music with headphones leave one ear opened, always be aware of your surroundings, glance around every couple minutes, have something to defend yourself with(keys or smth), always lock doors.(He grew up at the end of the occupation). So when they approach I grow nervous, suspicious or concerned (since there could be an emergency). The one time I interacted with foreigners (Two Americans) I was quite surprised that they wanted to know more about me(how my english was so good) it left weird impression on me since strangers rarely talk more than they need to(or compliment eachother).
I'm Irish too but consider myself a little more reserved than most, it's true that many people will stop and chat to each other in Ireland or at least say a quick "hello" as they pass in the street, even if they're complete strangers! This is particularly true in rural areas of Ireland where communities are closer knit. The Irish are social creatures, it's just part of the culture.
I actually love the more reserved attitude of most Lithuanians, it's refreshing to see a people who are straight to the point and don't waste time on small talk but remain polite and considerate of each other while doing so. There's also a great sense of community in Lithuania that I don't think people always appreciate, this really shines during national holidays and especially around Christmas time.
Finally, speaking the language is obviously a game-changer in most situations, many times I've broken the ice by simply attempting Lithuanian which is either met with astonishment or a giggle, but at the very least always seems greatly appreciated.
This is well thought out and expressed fairly . People can get (too)easily offended when a discussion on character comes up . I have been there . Id say you hit on every relevant point . Language is significant . Younger generations speak more English. And the comment about the Soviets is extremely relevant . There were paid (and non paid ) KGB rats everywhere . Prior to '91 a regular person could expect to be followed when landing and see the same car parked outside for weeks. "Trauma " is an accurate word. At 3am you will hear what the Russians /Soviets did to them. Family going missing overnight was a regular occurrence . I found the people extremely warm and giving…as mentioned , once you've established a rapport . I mean extremely generous as in " stay here 2 weeks if you want , here's a room, here's a remote , here's 3 huge meals a day ..". And they're proud of their culture and happy to show it off . Even the Frank Zappa bust downtown Vilnius.
You are not taking into consideration the absolute normalization of bullying in Lithuanian schools People are taught early on by the culture to keep to themselves or experience abuse. A lot of this 'introversion' is early life trauma either directly or just from having witnessed it done to others.
When I was growing up in the 90's it was somewhat dangerous to interact with strangers, in Vilnius at least. You had to be cautious because there were quite a few people living in desperate conditions who could've done anything to make their lives less miserable. A lot of the people had very little money and used drugs and alcohol to fight depression. I'd say there's more reasons why lithuanians are the way they are, but these are just a few of the top of my head
Best way to put it is – we are really straightforward when it comes to interacting with others – we will gladly help you, you just need to ask, we will talk to you, but only if either of us has got something meaningful to say. Generally we are a really friendly culture, it's just that we see no point in fake smiles, absurdly intricate politness and meaningless small talk. Our understanding of politeness is being honest and respectful to the other person, since humilitly, and respecting other's privacy are some of our core values
Generally, I view strangers approaching me with caution. I remember during Sostinės dienos I was standing around trying to read a poster. One foreigner came up and asked if I am okay:D I just looked at him and was quiet cause I didn't understand what he wanted from me (I guess my expectation is that when someone approaches you = they're in trouble or want something from you). We chatted for a minute or two and parted ways but throughout the whole conversation I just kept waiting for him to ask something! I couldn't believe that someone would come up just to have a small convo 😀
One more thing to ad: people who were born and raised in the USSR did not get any psychology lessons at school. And they got some rude behaviour towards themselves at school and at work for sure. That's one more reason why I dislike(d) the USSR very much. Poverty and stressful lives of the former generations could be another reason why they are closed, reserved, never too sweet and sometimes seem just rude villains to fhe Western people. They are not careless, they are preoccupied. They didn't leave their homes for fun most of the time, but for some serious reason.
That list shows Brazil as 5th in introverted behavior with strangers, is that right?? I guess we should also consider in that mix modern life with way too much exposure to screens and social media, this affects every nationality making people more individualistic or just shier having lost some soft skills that hinder communication.
Introverts aren't people who don't talk a lot and start conversations, they are people who get energy by being with themselves and introverts can be friendly and "not cold" and talk with people and in my opinion it's not that Lithuania has a lot of introverts, it's just that from Lithuanian culture you are expected to "be quiet" and not talk with every stranger you pass.
A Lithuanian software developer I am supposed to be an introvert by default, yet I have gone long way to initiate communication, open up and establish a connection with the author of Lithuania Explained 🙂
47 Comments
i don't mind making effort to connect with someone, it's normal, but sometimes seems like you need to do it all the time.
Also there's huge language barrier for me at least. I think it's easier when you know lithuanian
I would need to be in very deep shit to make me approach a stranger unbidden.
Conversely, I expect anyone approaching me is also in deep shit, so I wouldn't hesitate to help if asked.
If somebody started talking to me without a significant reason, I will consider it weird and/or suspicious.
I don't know how many Lithuanians think along these same lines, but I'm quite confident it's a significant portion.
I mean, the only time my neighbour ever knocked on my door was when his elderly mother was sick and needed help getting to the hospital.
Regarding the final bit about the "hello" to your neighbours, it's considered polite to greet people you meet in your stairwell, but a bit intrusive if you meet that same person on the open street. Keep in mind that the almost imperceptible nod of the head while making eye contact for a second also counts as "hello".
"How're you doing?" is not a greeting. It may follow a greeting as a way to express your appreciation and concern for someone's well-being. The expected answer is a half-assed "okay" or the more genuine "it's nothing".
Been living abroad in a few places for about 9 years now, so I suppose I have some of my own first-hand experience to share.
First of all, I pity the Irish fellow living in Lithuania. In my experience, when it comes to how people interact, the Irish are our polar opposites. They are VERY outgoing people, to the point where me, as a more extroverted Lithuanian, get's tired of all the talking and chit-chatting and I need to take a break quite often from social life while I live here in Ireland as it is just too much to handle at times. I found that many Lithuanians share that sentiment with me to a greater or lesser extent.
I think it is also fair to mention how northerners are generally more introverted. There are always jokes about Finns or Estonians being extremely introverted, although jokes aside, in my experience I find the Nordic and the Baltic folks quite similar on this one, save for Danes who are usually a bit more crazy.
Lastly, when I moved from Lithuania for the first time, I used to think that we are indeed quite unfriendly and maybe even excessively rude at times when we don't have to be. Afters years of meeting all sorts of different people and seeing how others are, I found that's not the case at all. What defines "polite" can vary greatly from country to country, region to region. For some politeness is smiles, small talks and other sort of small things like that. For Lithuanians politeness is respecting peoples personal space and not bothering them with talks and smiles unless you have a specific point to make.
All in all, we are our own people, with our own way of understanding manners. And just as Lithuanians do their best to be more open and warm while abroad, people who come to Lithuania will have to adapt to the lack of warm welcome and smiles. Once they get through the initial hurdles they will see that we are in fact as friendly & warm as it gets. ✌
About restaurant culture: look, when youre at work eating lunch, its considered rude to disturb eating person with conversations unless you directly ask or know a person well. This exactly translates to culture in restaurants. You eat – you dont speak.
I lived here for 5 years and I do see people here opening up. It also depends how you reach out to people. From my experience, their is desire to share if certain trust is there. I have experienced coffee shop baristas giving staff discount on second visit, guy sharing his personal family troubles on first meeting and government official letting me host event after first meeting.
Comment for the algo
Pritariu piliečiui: we dont need fake smiles. Tačiau tikras draugas lietuviui brangiau nei brolis. Taigi leiskite gyventi kiekvienam kaip nori, ir jums leis gyventi taip pat.
If you don't go towards the foreigners whose kanguage you can't understand and speak, it does not mean you are an introvert or unfriendly, of course. Lithuanians are thaught not to speak to strangers and not to try to solve their problems if even they understand their kanguage and the problem… and that doesn't mean they are not friendly. It does mean that strangers are strangers and strangers don't need you to interfer, if they don't ask for it themselves. If you quietly go around without a smile on a street in a cold time of a year, it does not mean you are unfriendly or an introvert either. It just means it's cold, you have your own problems to think of or something similar. Well, if you had lived in the USSR and after the USSR, you would not trust strangers, and you would have a lot of your own problems to figure out and solve. You would have gotten used to go with a worried tired face, and see others around going likewise.
I definitely believe its a generational thing, a relic of the soviet times. Just moved in an apartment and the old geezers are unfriendly, while young families want to chat. Of course not all older people, for instance, one of your points were that people from small villages might be more closed to interaction, but I find that it's the exact opposite. In the village you say hello to everyone and in the city you barely talk. Also a good portion of old folks have broken through that old mentality and some old babushkas might want to chat for hours, so be careful as they might trap you with kindness.
As an American of Lithuanian great grandparents I have met native Lithuanians who are very outgoing and friendly. Some of them I met were in my age group and we are very talkative about Lithuanian culture and Baltic culture.
Lithuanians are Northern Europeans. And they stoped living in a complete dictatorship just 35 years ago. They mind their own business and think it's ok.
O čia kažkas blogo? Mėgstam privatumą. Į svetimą kultūrą atvykus nereikėtų teisti.
Į tą pačią paminėtą Japoniją nuvykus juk nepradėsim jų versti glaustytis ir bučiuotis.
Visos kultūros unikalios ir įdomios.
Introversion is the most accurate way to describe national lithuanian character
I also heve heared that we in this regard are similar to japanese, from japanese themselves.
Lithuanians greet their neighbours if there are not more than a hundred of them in one building and if they can know everyone who is living in their building, and who is just a visitor of those who live in the same building. And Lithuanians could be friends with their closest neighbours, but not every loud Italian foreigner will get to know or notice this, if the house is big and he/ she lives far away from those people.
I think it's old habit that still passed along with generations. In soviet times you never knew who was snitching on you, or reporting on your even on simple small things. So you don't talk and you don't disclose anything by accident.
Those who say that Lithuanians are cold and unfriendly have never met Swedes
In short, we aren't the most introverted or most closed off people, but we simply dislike small, meaningless, fake talks. And yes, the elder generation still looks at any stranger suspiciously, which is the consequence of the soviet occupation.
When my sister and niece visited Lithuania in 2015, they were approached by Lithuanian strangers who commented that my niece looked so Lithuanian. Neither my sister nor niece speak Lithuanian, although my sister's heritage is completely Lithuanian. I guess that there are some outgoing Lithuanians.
When I visited my relatives in Lithuania in 1993 for the first time, I felt included and warmly greeted and treated.
I would call this reserved or calm.
Small talk, no fake smiles best description for us Lithuanians, but once you become our friend you can be sure we will be there for you
1:20 – it stands BE CALM on the car. It means DO NOT WORRY well take care of this and that in this case, but anyway. Calm means happy and well enough for a Lithuanian.
But Lithuanians (and, maybe, Danes) are considered the loudest, the most emotional, the least calm of all the Northern Europeans.
They have been thaught, often by their own life experience, not to be too optimistic, open, not to trust strangers too much, be cautious.
If you’ll laugh out loud a lot, you might have to cry after that, the older Lithuanians used to say (it was their superstition).
Lithuanian ppl are very afraid of gays. Thats why they dont speak with strangers… can be gay. It's very good
Try Scandinavians at first and then come back, then we will discuss about cold Lithuanians
In Belarus, we have a teacher in university from Lithuania. He himself is pretty extraverted person, even worked on radio station back in Lithuania and he said belarusian people seemed more opened up generally
You make it sound like it's a bad thing to be an Introvert ? Some people really should just keep it to themselves and respect boundaries of others .
I'd agree. I find it easier to make friends with foreigners.
Learn Lithuanian, then you'll notice that people who know each other chat to each other in the busses.
Nobody asociates smiling with weakness here. But they aren't used to smile to everyone they see, just because they see you. If you'll smile to a Luthuanian you don't know for no reason, he or she might think that you noticed something strange and funny with him. But you don't have to look serous, if you really feel happy. And Lithuanians don't look serious all the time.
I think there are all kinds of Lithuanians nowadays. Some look serious and don't talk to strangers, some know English, French or German and don't live in Lithuania, some are young and happy, some are old and grumpy, some are worried, some are careless. Some are drunk and don't know what they are doing… some are loud, some are quiet. Some are local Russians, but live in Lithuania, and can be judged or doomed as Lithuanians by some foreigners. Well, I don't know what to say. We are not French because we never have been French. And we are not gonna quickly change for the French, so moan or not, if you live here, you will have to deal with us as we are.
And… if you came to Lithuania quite recently (after the climate change), you haven't experienced the real cold winter, so you don't know what it would be like to stand a chat to every stranger on the street on the ice, in the snow, and when it's -15 or -20 of Celsius.
I agree with your assessment that generally Lithuanians are introverted, I have lived in the city and in a small village and also have Lithuanian family that this applies to. At first I found people very cold, rude and unfriendly but over time I have got used to it and adjusted my expectations accordingly. I agree with the statement concerning occupation, not just in soviet times but by the Nazis as well, this must have had a huge psychological effect on the population. I think the younger generation are moving on from this trauma with the help of travel and multicultural views and having so much more access to the outside world.
You could actually go and greet people in Lithuanian there in Ireland, in France, in Italy, in Germany. They would probably look shocked. Especially if you'd go on chating to them in Lithuanian and they would not even know what a language that is.
Can you do a video on how to get to Klaipeda? I've seen videos ON Klaipeda but now on how to get there. It would be appreciated a lot!
yeah they are
"Introverted" is a wrong word obviously – because it is a trait of a person, not a cultural thing. Lithuanians are reserved.
Do we mean being introverted or reserved. The English can be very reserved and it can take time for them to accept you into the group. Having seen Lithuanians cut loose on a few occasions, it’s pretty extroverted behaviour.
I personally am introverted and see this as a positive. When a stranger approaches I tend grow nervous(but am still put together) that is mostly because my dad's paranoia carried over to me. For example if listening to music with headphones leave one ear opened, always be aware of your surroundings, glance around every couple minutes, have something to defend yourself with(keys or smth), always lock doors.(He grew up at the end of the occupation). So when they approach I grow nervous, suspicious or concerned (since there could be an emergency). The one time I interacted with foreigners (Two Americans) I was quite surprised that they wanted to know more about me(how my english was so good) it left weird impression on me since strangers rarely talk more than they need to(or compliment eachother).
I'm Irish too but consider myself a little more reserved than most, it's true that many people will stop and chat to each other in Ireland or at least say a quick "hello" as they pass in the street, even if they're complete strangers! This is particularly true in rural areas of Ireland where communities are closer knit. The Irish are social creatures, it's just part of the culture.
I actually love the more reserved attitude of most Lithuanians, it's refreshing to see a people who are straight to the point and don't waste time on small talk but remain polite and considerate of each other while doing so. There's also a great sense of community in Lithuania that I don't think people always appreciate, this really shines during national holidays and especially around Christmas time.
Finally, speaking the language is obviously a game-changer in most situations, many times I've broken the ice by simply attempting Lithuanian which is either met with astonishment or a giggle, but at the very least always seems greatly appreciated.
This is well thought out and expressed fairly . People can get (too)easily offended when a discussion on character comes up . I have been there . Id say you hit on every relevant point . Language is significant . Younger generations speak more English. And the comment about the Soviets is extremely relevant . There were paid (and non paid ) KGB rats everywhere . Prior to '91 a regular person could expect to be followed when landing and see the same car parked outside for weeks. "Trauma " is an accurate word. At 3am you will hear what the Russians /Soviets did to them. Family going missing overnight was a regular occurrence . I found the people extremely warm and giving…as mentioned , once you've established a rapport . I mean extremely generous as in " stay here 2 weeks if you want , here's a room, here's a remote , here's 3 huge meals a day ..". And they're proud of their culture and happy to show it off . Even the Frank Zappa bust downtown Vilnius.
You are not taking into consideration the absolute normalization of bullying in Lithuanian schools People are taught early on by the culture to keep to themselves or experience abuse. A lot of this 'introversion' is early life trauma either directly or just from having witnessed it done to others.
When I was growing up in the 90's it was somewhat dangerous to interact with strangers, in Vilnius at least. You had to be cautious because there were quite a few people living in desperate conditions who could've done anything to make their lives less miserable. A lot of the people had very little money and used drugs and alcohol to fight depression. I'd say there's more reasons why lithuanians are the way they are, but these are just a few of the top of my head
Best way to put it is – we are really straightforward when it comes to interacting with others – we will gladly help you, you just need to ask, we will talk to you, but only if either of us has got something meaningful to say. Generally we are a really friendly culture, it's just that we see no point in fake smiles, absurdly intricate politness and meaningless small talk. Our understanding of politeness is being honest and respectful to the other person, since humilitly, and respecting other's privacy are some of our core values
Generally, I view strangers approaching me with caution. I remember during Sostinės dienos I was standing around trying to read a poster. One foreigner came up and asked if I am okay:D I just looked at him and was quiet cause I didn't understand what he wanted from me (I guess my expectation is that when someone approaches you = they're in trouble or want something from you). We chatted for a minute or two and parted ways but throughout the whole conversation I just kept waiting for him to ask something! I couldn't believe that someone would come up just to have a small convo 😀
One more thing to ad: people who were born and raised in the USSR did not get any psychology lessons at school. And they got some rude behaviour towards themselves at school and at work for sure. That's one more reason why I dislike(d) the USSR very much.
Poverty and stressful lives of the former generations could be another reason why they are closed, reserved, never too sweet and sometimes seem just rude villains to fhe Western people. They are not careless, they are preoccupied. They didn't leave their homes for fun most of the time, but for some serious reason.
That list shows Brazil as 5th in introverted behavior with strangers, is that right?? I guess we should also consider in that mix modern life with way too much exposure to screens and social media, this affects every nationality making people more individualistic or just shier having lost some soft skills that hinder communication.
Compared to Swedes I find people in the Baltics, including Russians to be more social than Scandinavians. I never considered Lithuanians introverted.
Introverts aren't people who don't talk a lot and start conversations, they are people who get energy by being with themselves and introverts can be friendly and "not cold" and talk with people and in my opinion it's not that Lithuania has a lot of introverts, it's just that from Lithuanian culture you are expected to "be quiet" and not talk with every stranger you pass.
A Lithuanian software developer I am supposed to be an introvert by default, yet I have gone long way to initiate communication, open up and establish a connection with the author of Lithuania Explained 🙂