Are people friendlier up north?

66Mustang

What do you think??

It's often joked that people are friendlier up north but I am wondering if there is actually something in it

I live relatively down south but often go up north and I find that up there more people are chatty, if you say “hi” to a stranger they don’t act surprised  

This does still happen a bit down south too... when we are out in the countryside down south for a walk people more often than not do actually say “hi” when walking past, and quite often people will stop for a longer chat as well. However, to me the difference is in the urban areas…when in a southern town people keep to themselves, but up north even in towns people seem quite open and will greet you and stuff

What do others think?

Please take this with a pinch of salt, obviously you get friendly and unfriendly people everywhere

Albus_Scope

I've found people from 'oop narth' tend to be more open to chats, but also can be grumpier!  This is just going on personal experience. It'll definitely be different with each person you meet. 

I was very confused when people smiled and said hello to me when I was working on a film in Newcastle. I honestly thought they knew me and I had forgotten who they were!

66Mustang

@Albus_Scope

That's an interesting idea... so like up north people can have more extreme moods whether that's positive or negative, and down south we are just kind of more neutral all the time  

Zimba

I’ve lived in both and have found people friendly in the south and north but like you said there is friendly and unfriendly people everywhere, I work with a lot of unfriendly people sadly but there are one or two that seem ok but I wouldn’t call them friends. I find having a dog helps me as dog people always want to stop and ask about your dog or ask to pet him.  I make an effort to say hi when I pass someone while out walking if they ignore me I’m fine with that as maybe the next person will smile and say morning 🙂. 

vikingqueen

   Hey I'm from 'up north' and we are not grumpy... just intolerant of the softy southerners  😜 

66Mustang

@Zimba

We notice the same when we are with the dog!! 

Apparently there is a common perception that people often look a bit like their dogs - my Dad says he is happy for people to think that because our dog is quite handsome  

Zimba

@66Mustang  I hope I don’t look like my dog he has a one old wrinkly face 😂 on him but we love him.

chiarieds

I think people up north are very friendly (& likely friendlier), particularly Northumberland, & Newcastle is very dear to my heart as I lived there for 17 years! Of course Yorkshire is hard to beat too And no, we northerners are not grumpy in my experience! Where I live there's a great sense of community, & we all help each other.

Having a dog does help; everyone knows my neighbour's little dog whom I'm look after for 3 days on (then 3 days off); they fuss him first, then speak to me to ask after him! I also get to 'borrow' my son's dog, who is also well known as the only Bedlington that lives around here.

noman

vikingqueen said:

   Hey I'm from 'up north' and we are not grumpy... just intolerant of the softy southerners  😜 

Ditto!!

Sandy_123

I find londoners are mainly less likely to acknowledge you in the busy city main parts, as there all rushing somewhere, but most are only visiting. Further out in London I find people do talk and that. I'm in the middle in between South and North, we're all an ok bunch here but depends on the person. I have family in newcastle so we used to visit often and everyone was alright too.

Albus_Scope

 vikingqueen said:

   Hey I'm from 'up north' and we are not grumpy... just intolerant of the softy southerners  😜 

I'm right down south, so that would explain why I'm such a softy. 

Though I'm much more likely to respond to someone's dog than I am to the human.   

Zimba

I am still in touch with my old neighbours and a really good friend from up north we had a lovely small community between us even though it was very urban, we looked out for each other, we still text each other on birthdays and for updates. I was once lucky enough to do a house sit on a small holding not too far from Hexham, its a beautiful part of the world, one very early morning after I’d seen to the animals, I took my coffee outside to take in the view and I was lucky enough to see a Stag in the near distance, we both froze staring at each other, it’s one of the calmest feeling I've ever had. 

Steve_in_The_City

 vikingqueen said:

   Hey I'm from 'up north' and we are not grumpy... just intolerant of the softy southerners  😜 

You are very judgmental. I am from London. Feel free and be intolerant of me, I don't care because you don't even know me. Your attitude is just another form of racism; disliking people, and negatively labeling them, because they are not from your neck of the woods. Why you want to be intolerant of people from The South is beyond my ken.

I have lived all over the U.K. and there are good and decent and friendly people everywhere, and that is a fact of life. And if you have a dog you will know you are welcome everywhere and they are great ice breakers.

People from The North are no friendlier than people from anywhere else in the British Isles.  Why not pop down to The West Country and find out?









 

Albus_Scope

I think it was a bit of light hearted banter @Steve_in_The_City

honestjon

Steve_in_The_City said:

 vikingqueen said:

   Hey I'm from 'up north' and we are not grumpy... just intolerant of the softy southerners  😜 

You are very judgmental. I am from London. Feel free and be intolerant of me, I don't care because you don't even know me. Your attitude is just another form of racism; disliking people, and negatively labeling them, because they are not from your neck of the woods. Why you want to be intolerant of people from The South is beyond my ken.

I have lived all over the U.K. and there are good and decent and friendly people everywhere, and that is a fact of life. And if you have a dog you will know you are welcome everywhere and they are great ice breakers.

People from The North are no friendlier than people from anywhere else in the British Isles.  Why not pop down to The West Country and find out?









 

Steve if there was an emoji to say that comment went straight over your head I would have posted it here now 🤣🤣🤣

A_CRUCE_SALUS

Funny you should say that. I recently moved to Newmarket from t'sticks (Im actually a londoner/Essex boy)

The pople donw here it seems on walkies are mostly east europeans and just dont get manners such as hello etc. Tho even the engleesh here just not talkative at all. I see 24hr A&E and stuff up North and they seem so lovely like good old fashioned Brits used to be down here. The yanks are worst they just dont get please/thankyou...if you offer something its usually "yes" "no"...not on purpose of course, they were just not brought up with english manners like good morning , please, thank you etc.

Then theres the sign of the times.........................we really are doomed!! I pity the future.

poppy123456

I have lived in both and would say in the South it depends on where you live. Some parts of the South i haven't found friendly at all and other parts are really friendly. Up North is much more friendly in general. 

A_CRUCE_SALUS

Steve_in_The_City said:

 vikingqueen said:

   Hey I'm from 'up north' and we are not grumpy... just intolerant of the softy southerners  😜 

You are very judgmental. I am from London. Feel free and be intolerant of me, I don't care because you don't even know me. Your attitude is just another form of racism; disliking people, and negatively labeling them, because they are not from your neck of the woods. Why you want to be intolerant of people from The South is beyond my ken.

I have lived all over the U.K. and there are good and decent and friendly people everywhere, and that is a fact of life. And if you have a dog you will know you are welcome everywhere and they are great ice breakers.

People from The North are no friendlier than people from anywhere else in the British Isles.  Why not pop down to The West Country and find out?









 

You cant be from London or you would have a sense of humour. The joke he made was a good old fashioned bit of banter. Something us Londoners love.

Jimm_Scope

I grew up in The North and spent a lot of my early adult years in Scotland. I think you have the same mix of friendly and unfriendly people across the UK, but in The North and Scotland people are more likely to interact with you. So you get the perception people are friendlier as friendly people are also more likely to interact with you! 

In London especially (I also lived there for a few years!), I think it's not that people aren't unfriendly it's just they keep to themselves more. There's more of a sense of not wishing to "bother" other people.

I will say, when I went to the States people talk to you in public all the time, but for me it got to a point where I'd purposefully avoid people! It was just a bit much, and sometimes the friendliness felt a little forced? I think it's just a cultural difference though.

Steve_in_The_City

I am enjoying this discussion!

vikingqueen

    Wait till I start on the 'Lancashire Yorkshire' divide that'll put the cat amongst the pigeons