Are Japanese More Introverted?

The US is a very extraverted country. It seems that the majority of people are very outgoing. Maybe that's because we are a country of immigrants. But it seems that older countries have people that are more quiet and reflective. Like Britain, Japan, China.

What do you think?

Hehehe.. I myself havent met too many of the 'introverted' British... All of the british I have met have been VERY extroverted, in a good way of course

However at a guess, most people who are prepared to travel out of their country perhaps are more extroverted, and its not correct for me to make such assumptions... as I have met a lot of very confident asian people, im sure as a whole perhaps the nation that they generally reside in is more introverted than perhaps the US. Having never been there, I wouldnt really know though.

CreativeChaos said:

The US is a very extraverted country. It seems that the majority of people are very outgoing. Maybe that's because we are a country of immigrants. But it seems that older countries have people that are more quiet and reflective. Like Britain, Japan, China.

What do you think?

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I agree that most Japanese can seem introverted compared to e.g. Americans, however, I don't entirely agree on the postulate that the older countries have people that are quiet.
Let us take Denmark for instance, which is a very old country with many legends and an old (ancient) history with Vikings plundering Europe in throughout late antiquity/early Mediaeval/Mediaeval ages.

The Danes do not seem to be very introvert....in fact, in my opinion, they are very extrovert, especially compared to the Japanese of course. Danes are extroverted when you get to know them, they might (along with other Scandinavians) seem to be very introverted at first.

Instead of stating that the older countries have quiter people, I would change it to; the colder countries have introverted people.

However, Scandinavians can seem to be quite introverted in situations which foreigners experience. I remember that after having visited many countries and many foreigners from different countries; e.g. French, Italian, American, Australians, Africans, Jamaicans, Arabs and more, the Scandinavians seemed to be difficult to get close to and befriend in foreign countries.
I believe it is the Scandinavian climate! The colder the country is, the more people stay inside and don't go out....I remember the Finnish people were very introverted and minded their own businesses at first, however, when I got close to some Finnish people - they were very extrovert!

Hmm...that's a very interesting theory, and I think you are probably right. The people in the north of the U.S. are "less friendly" than people in the south. This does not mean they are introvert, really, but they keep to themselves. I do think the climate has a large part to play in peoples behavior.

I just wonder about Asian cultures, and particularly the Japanese. Japan is a more tropical country, yet they tend to be very private people. I wonder what is the reason for that?

CreativeChaos said:

The people in the north of the U.S. are "less friendly" than people in the south. This does not mean they are introvert, really, but they keep to themselves. I do think the climate has a large part to play in peoples behavior.

I just wonder about Asian cultures, and particularly the Japanese. Japan is a more tropical country, yet they tend to be very private people. I wonder what is the reason for that?

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Subtropical to moderate is more likely...Hokkaido can be very cold in the winter, and quite cool even in the summmer, whereas the Ryukyuan islands are definitely subtropical.

I think to classify regional personality traits according to just one variable of climate would be rather too simple a model to base typology on, but I know what you're talking about. Perhaps shifting the variable just a bit to "a number of environmental-social-industrial restraints that leave little freedom for socializing, exploring, adventuring" would affect a more encompassing result covering a broader range of peoples and cultures.

1) debilitating climate conditions that keep people indoors for an extended period of the year

2) a socially demanding, harsh, and punitive atmosphere might make people more reserved than outgoing

3) a heavily industriallized and consumption oriented society might keep the people too busy working and spending with little time-juice left for socializing--basically too busy and tired after all the job duties and spending activities

4) also the degree of industrialization might have broken down the social fabric of extened clan type families into nuclear families, childless families, 1-child families, or simply celibate individuals-- these cases are both the by-products and assets of a thriving industrialized economy

5) a society with highly developed personal entertainment--my PC, my car, my house, my anime, my manga, my playstation, etc. ?
btw: Have you noticed any substantial differences between the French speaking Candians and English speaking Canadians, and the Inuits (US or Canadian) regarding the 'introvertedness' that you've been observing ? Not in a stereotyped kind of way, but reflecting reality, of course. But generalizing is always fun; it is a general human trait to simplify when there is too little info or too much of it, or you just wanna have fun !