Social Animal YouTube Channel

[kangarunner]

I've been watching the Social Animal YouTube Channel. He's a guy from France and he goes around America (Miami, Atlanta, LA) and meets up with his subscribers where he then films them going up to random people and making conversation. On the surface, everyone they interact with seem happy and cheerful to talk to....

Hmm, makes me wonder if the people who fit into America perfectly really are on a different wavelength.

Another thing I noticed, a lot of the guys say things like "I have social anxiety talking to new people and I want to fix that" or "I want to get out my comfort zone more" or "I have trouble keeping a conversation going". BUT......when you see them go up and start conversation none of them appear to be hesitate or be nervous/anxious at all and their conversations are fluid and energetic with the people they talk to. PLUS, all the guys are good looking. In fact, I haven't seen one subscriber on the video that is not good looking. This makes me think that they may be ACTORS!!!

[kangarunner]

@Winston This video was filmed in Austin, Texas. Doesn't everyone look happy and cheerful and open to talk to?

[jamesbond]

I think they might be actors, the goal of a YouTuber is to get subscribers. So if you have to pay people to act a certain way to increase your subscriber base, you will.

[dancilley]

ACTORS!!!

I noticed this too, that all the guys are good looking.

I hate fake videos like this. What's the point of making videos that are experimental or educational, if they are fake?

YouTube is trash.

[kangarunner]

@Lucas88 This episode is in London and the people are outgoing and friendly. But when you speak of British social culture, I'm assuming you mean everywhere in England except London?

[Lucas88]

@Lucas88 This episode is in London and the people are outgoing and friendly. But when you speak of British social culture, I'm assuming you mean everywhere in England except London?

No, not really. As far as I know, British social culture is cold and unfriendly in every part of the UK.

You seriously believe that Londoners are outgoing and friendly based on a YouTube video? Lol. The video is edited and so the charming foreign guy László - I assume that he's Hungarian with a name like that - might be only showing us his few successful approaches. For all we know, he might have been ignored by many other women but chooses not to show that footage. Moreover, some of those women who he approached are foreigners. One outright tells the guy that she is from Greece and some of the others have a foreign accent. They're not all native British girls.

In the UK it is often said that Londoners are for the most part cold and unfriendly. Even many Londoners themselves say this when they come up north and make cultural comparisons. A few cases of people acting friendly on camera doesn't change the fact that most Londoners are generally unfriendly for the people who actually live there. @Pixel--Dude lived in London for about 7 years since the mother of his daughter if from there and he tells me that the people are mostly unfriendly and self-absorbed and only give a shit about themselves. Maybe Pixel--Dude could weigh in and tell us about London.

Even people in the north aren't that friendly. Northerners might greet you, smile and exchange basic pleasantries but it is still quite hard to form meaningful friendships here. British people don't seem to value friendship or deeper social interaction that much and are extremely flaky to boot. I remember the social situation at my old MMA gym in my hometown. We only went out for a team meal once and that was after two years of training together. My wrestling gym in Spain on the other hand was a different story. After just three weeks of training with the guys there I was invited out to dinner with them and made friendships which would last for a few years. Spaniards and other Mediterraneans are way friendlier than British people. That's just the truth of the matter.

British girls are generally not that easy to talk to either unless you have the right kind of British communication style. In my experience British girls tend to be hard work and won't give you much to work with. Spanish, Italian, Russian and of course Latin American girls are much easier to talk to. I had far better social interactions with them during my stays in Valencia for immersive Spanish school. The difference really was night and day. In fact, the British girls at the school were the only ones who I didn't get along with - with the exception of a particular group of nouveau-riche Korean girls who were just unbearable.

[kangarunner]

No, not really. As far as I know, British social culture is cold and unfriendly in every part of the UK.

You seriously believe that Londoners are outgoing and friendly based on a YouTube video? Lol. The video is edited and so the charming foreign guy László - I assume that he's Hungarian with a name like that - might be only showing us his few successful approaches. For all we know, he might have been ignored by many other women but chooses not to show that footage. Moreover, some of those women who he approached are foreigners. One outright tells the guy that she is from Greece and some of the others have a foreign accent. They're not all native British girls.

In the UK it is often said that Londoners are for the most part cold and unfriendly. Even many Londoners themselves say this when they come up north and make cultural comparisons. A few cases of people acting friendly on camera doesn't change the fact that most Londoners are generally unfriendly for the people who actually live there. @Pixel--Dude lived in London for about 7 years since the mother of his daughter if from there and he tells me that the people are mostly unfriendly and self-absorbed and only give a shit about themselves. Maybe Pixel--Dude could weigh in and tell us about London.

Even people in the north aren't that friendly. Northerners might greet you, smile and exchange basic pleasantries but it is still quite hard to form meaningful friendships here. British people don't seem to value friendship or deeper social interaction that much and are extremely flaky to boot. I remember the social situation at my old MMA gym in my hometown. We only went out for a team meal once and that was after two years of training together. My wrestling gym in Spain on the other hand was a different story. After just three weeks of training with the guys there I was invited out to dinner with them and made friendships which would last for a few years. Spaniards and other Mediterraneans are way friendlier than British people. That's just the truth of the matter.

British girls are generally not that easy to talk to either unless you have the right kind of British communication style. In my experience British girls tend to be hard work and won't give you much to work with. Spanish, Italian, Russian and of course Latin American girls are much easier to talk to. I had far better social interactions with them during my stays in Valencia for immersive Spanish school. The difference really was night and day. In fact, the British girls at the school were the only ones who I didn't get along with - with the exception of a particular group of nouveau-riche Korean girls who were just unbearable.

Thanks for the detailed response. I've always wanted to go to the UK and Europe and your contributions on this forum definitely are interesting to read.

[Lucas88]

Thanks for the detailed response. I've always wanted to go to the UK and Europe and your contributions on this forum definitely are interesting to read.

Much appreciated, man!

When it comes to Europe, the Southern regions such as Spain, Portugal and Italy and generally friendlier and more socially open than the UK and other Germanic/Northern European countries, but how people treat you in each region is also subject to hidden variables. Your social experience will be informed to some degree by what nationality you belong to, what ethnicity you are, what language you speak, etc.

For example, in Spain people will be friendly towards you if you speak Spanish well and are able to integrate into Spanish society. This is my experience since I've been speaking Spanish since I was 17 and am obsessed with Hispanic culture. Foreigners who don't speak Spanish on the other hand don't receive the same friendliness or inclusivity. They are just seen as tourists who Spaniards must tolerate but don't really want to have to interact with since most Spaniards are only comfortable speaking Spanish. This is why some tourists think that Spaniards are unfriendly. But it's not that Spaniards are really unfriendly. They just prefer to communicate in their own language and are often extremely cordial if you have enough Spanish to hold a conversation.

Portuguese people have a greater affinity to foreign languages and are near-universally friendly towards visitors. My Peruvian ex-girlfriend who now lives near Lisbon has told me this.

Certain Northern Europeans like Swedes for example might be cold and unfriendly towards their own (I've heard Swedish men talk about social alienation in Sweden and being treated coldly by their own women) but at the same time tend to treat British people and Americans well since they idolize the English language and everything Anglo. British and American guys can go to Sweden and be treated well by the ladies while Swedish men complain about being treated like shit. Being a desirable foreigner has its advantage.

How you perceive the level of friendliness of any given country will also depend on your own needs.

If you are an American visiting the UK for a few weeks, you are just a tourist and will be content to have a few superficial associates who will drink with you at the pub for a good time. You might come away with the conclusion that British people are friendly.

But if you were to become a permanent resident, your friendship needs would naturally be greater and you might find that few people are interested in maintaining deeper or more substantial friendships beyond the occasional piss-up. In that case you could end up suffering from loneliness and then realize that the UK isn't as friendly as it first appeared to be.

I try to base my analysis concerning the level of friendliness of a country on experiences with the people as a long-term resident if possible. It gives me a better understanding of how friendly and socially open a country really is.