30 Of The Biggest Culture Shocks People Have Encountered When Visiting The United States
"You guys have air conditioning in your house?"
A Redditor kicked off a thread that instantly turned into a greatest-hits reel of culture shocks, asking European visitors to the US the one question you can’t answer politely: what surprised you the most?
The answers came in fast, and they weren’t subtle. People talked about everything being comically huge, like the portions, the roads, even the way strangers talk to you, with “honey” and “love” flying around like it’s normal weather. Then there was the stuff that messes with your brain, like the confusing tax system, where a kid could stare at an ice cream price tag and still get told it wasn’t enough.
And sure, some of it was fun, but the real chaos starts when you realize your “normal” assumptions do not survive first contact.
The Redditor asked European visitors to the US, "What was the biggest culture shock you experienced?"
Reddit/draiou1. Everything is huge!
THAT EVERYTHING IS SO BIG.Cars, food portions, tips, roads, people, attitudes.Always fun though.
Reddit/kuridono, Unsplash/Amine Ben Mohamed2. The tax system is confusing.
I Lived in America for a year when I was around 8, and foolish me didn’t understand the tax system.I remember my mother giving me money to go to the store to get ice cream, and being really confused/upset when the cashier told me my $3 was not enough despite that being its labelled price.I remember thinking to myself how stupid the cashier must be that she couldn’t read the label properly.
Reddit/shakypancakey, Unsplash/Fikri Rasyid
Culture Shock and Psychological Adjustment
Experiencing culture shock can lead to significant psychological distress. Moving to a new country often forces individuals to confront their preconceived notions and adapt to unfamiliar social norms. This adjustment can trigger feelings of anxiety, confusion, and isolation, particularly when individuals struggle to find their place in a new environment.
Research shows that successful adaptation often hinges on one's ability to navigate these feelings and seek support from both locals and fellow expatriates.
3. Oh, hey honey!
Everyone calling me honey/love/sweetie. Those words/terms of endearment aren’t used that casually over here (Netherlands).
Reddit/Pale-Assistant-9561, Pexels/Gary Barnes
4. "You guys have air conditioning in your house?"
You guys have air conditioning in your house????? I was astonished.
Reddit/churchbellsring, Pexels/ready made
That’s when the thread started piling up the big stuff, like the shock of realizing cars, portions, and even roads are basically on a different size setting in the US.
5. Things aren't cheap.
It's been almost a decade so things might have changed, but I have a few:Positive: it's very easy to connect to complete strangers, up to the point me and my wife got invited to a pick-up beach volleyball game after we met some people in a bar. Was great fun!Negative: price on fresh vegetables in a grocery store was just staggering, I completely understood why poor families would buy take away instead of freshly cooked meals.Negative: the amount of "normal" looking homeless people in San Francisco was just insane.- ThrowRA_1234586
6. The elite customer service.
Entering a store in Germany: opening the door to silence or a brief hello. Entering a store in the US: 'Hello! How are you today? What can I do for you?' Aaargh, can't you just ignore me like at home? That was way too much communication.
Reddit/Satures, Unsplash/Blake Wisz
Psychological studies indicate that individuals experiencing culture shock may benefit from developing cultural competence. Individuals who actively engage with the local culture are more likely to experience positive adaptation. This engagement can include learning the language, participating in local customs, or forming connections with people from the host culture.
7. The buildings are all the same.
Honestly two things that stuck me, lack of walkability and repetitive buildings or grid layouts.
Reddit/_Its-a-me-mario_, Pexels/Milan Pieteraerents
8. They work til they drop.
The work till you drop culture.There have been people who are proud of the fact they don't see their families or miss occasions because they work for 'the company'.I used to work for a grocery store and it was close to a cult.
Reddit/ZealouslyJaded, Pexels/Nicola Barts
9. The lack of public transport.
- pretty much zero public transport- the bars are all so...clean? Every bar I went to was like a fully air-conditioned sports bar, with the tvs and everything. Where I live, the more lived-in, the better the pub.- everything is sweet. The beer was sweet, the bread, the traditional, home-cooked meals, the f*****g cheese
Reddit/Russiadontgiveaf**k, Unsplash/Dorrell Tibbs
The Emotional Toll of Culture Shock
Culture shock can have significant emotional repercussions, including feelings of homesickness and frustration. These feelings can lead to stress and decreased overall well-being if not addressed. Understanding the stages of culture shock can help individuals normalize their experiences and seek appropriate coping mechanisms.
These stages typically include the honeymoon phase, frustration, adjustment, and acceptance, each presenting unique challenges and opportunities for growth.
10. Service with a smile.
Mine is going to sound really dumb, but just the way I was treated when in a shop buying clothes. Hello on the way in, always someone trying to help, and then they actually asked me if someone help me when I went to pay for my stuff.In Spain you walk in, buy what you want and most of the time you're lucky if the cashier is nice enough to say hello (in all fairness they get paid a s****y wage and have to deal with lot's of idiots).The rest of the stuff (I was in New York) didn't shock me much. The tipping situation is certainly different, but I was expecting that.
Reddit/morgancaptainmorgan, Pexels/Edgars Kisuro
11. They eat dessert for breakfast.
Some of them would eat dessert for breakfast - things like pancakes, syrup, fruit, sweet waffles etc.
Reddit/jeelio, Pexels/Ash
12. There's no privacy.
Toilets with not enough privacy.What’s with the big gaps around the doors and rest of the cubicle?
Reddit/HeyHeyBitconeeeeect, Reddit/Goodnight_Gromit
To mitigate the effects of culture shock, individuals are encouraged to develop coping strategies. Seeking social support, maintaining contact with loved ones, and engaging in mindfulness practices can help ease the transition. Research indicates that those who cultivate resilience and adaptability are better equipped to handle the emotional challenges of moving to a new culture.
It also echoes the AITA argument over an uneven travel expense split with a friend.
13. Kids on leashes.
Kids on a leash in parks. Omg i was not ready for that.
Reddit/Roukess, Reddit/strooples
14. The streets aren't meant for bikes.
Being from The Netherlands: severely bike unfriendly roads/urban layouts. Everything is designed for car traffic mostly.
Reddit/TheJurri, Unsplash/Logan DeBorde
15. The homelessness.
The homeless problem. I couldn't believe the extent of it, it made me really sad.
Reddit/AnnaLiffey, Unsplash/Jon Tyson
Building Connections in a New Culture
Building connections in a new culture can significantly enhance the adaptation process. Forming relationships with locals and other expatriates can lead to increased feelings of belonging and community. Engaging in social activities, attending local events, and volunteering can foster these connections and enhance the overall experience of living abroad.
Additionally, social support has been shown to buffer against the negative effects of culture shock.
16. People are willing to lend a hand.
On a first gas station in New York state after crossing border with Canada, I started pushing my car for fun. Just to check if I am able to move it. Imiedialetly some man in an old pick up truck stopped next to me and asked if I need help. It was mind blowing to me because in my country even if I would wave to people asking for help I would wait at least an hour for somebody who would willing to help me.
Reddit/Jager_anfanger, Pexels/KoolShooters
17. So much food!
The food. This was 2001 and I'm from the UK/France. I'd never seen refillable drinks before. I couldn't believe you could just have as much soda as you wanted and no one was going to think you were stealing. When we ate dinner, entire loaves of bread and a ramakin of butter. Supermarkets packed so high and wide. Turkey drumsticks the size of a t-rex. I was bowled over.
Reddit/The_Queef_of_England, Unsplash/Josephina Kolpachnikof
18. Eating out is interesting.
When paying in restaurants they took my debit card away from me and took it away with the waiter. I thought that was really weird.The waiters were also like obsessive at the table every 2 minutes “everyone okay? Can we get you another drink?” And then before I had even asked for the bill they brought it at the end of the meal, I wanted a pudding but I didn’t know what to do after they brought me the bill without me asking.Also the meals and drink sizes were huge, the McDonald’s and coke tastes weird and off. All the food had like weird after tastes.In the supermarket you have like a 100000 different versions of each food, like I had never seen so many different types of Oreo’s in my life.Having to tip someone 20% for simply doing their job was annoying, like I ordered a pizza and the person yelled at me for not giving him a tip and I had no clue we were even meant to do that
Reddit/BoardingSchoolBoy, Pexels/energepic.com
19. They're so nice.
I know it's popular to dunk on Americans, but honestly, for me, it was how friendly everyone was.
Reddit/Lexi_Phenex, Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio
After that, the surprises got more personal, like being constantly called “honey” or “love,” because apparently that kind of casual endearment is not a Netherlands default.
20. They sure do love Jesus!
I was prepared for taxes not being included in price tags and the tipping stuff etc. I was not prepared for the "I love Jesus"/ "Jesus loves me" people with megaphones, banners, t-shirts and flyers walking around everywhere.- KiwiJules59
21. What's with the fake hot dogs?
I hate, with a flaming passion, those fake hot dogs. I believe they're called water dogs. The ones that taste like plastic. When I went to New York City, we got one of those, and it was disgusting. It tastes like nothing. Why not just use pork sausages like the rest of the world? It has a weird chewy outer skin, and then the squishy 'meat' on the inside. And why is it a beige/pink color? Two bucks for a hot dog that tastes like my local landfill. I have eaten Lego bricks more tasty.
Reddit/MonkeeBoi123, Pexels/cottonbro studio
22. The savage advertising.
Adverts (commercials). We generally don’t have medical or adversarial (mentioning competitors directly) adverts, at least in the UKMy kids picked up on this when we went to the cinema and there was a Samsung advert directly trashing Apple. They were like “What the hell was THAT?”
Reddit/noconnor40, Pexels/Nothing Ahead
23. They like to talk to strangers.
Not necessarily related to the country, but more to the people itself. Americans are by far the most social people I have come across in my travels. It seems like they have mastered the art of small talk with strangers. This has been mostly positive for me as it is really easy to be featured in their social groups. Kind of the opposite is the case in my country (The Netherlands). It has helped me understand why American immigrants in my country struggle with being happy.
Reddit/daaniscool, Pexels/Tim Douglas
24. All the flags.
My uncle from Ireland driving around Texas: "Is there some sort of national holiday going on that I don't know about? Why does everyone have a flag showing?" I had to explain about the flags.
Reddit/desertsail912, Unsplash/Ben Mater
25. The weapons.
I moved to America for 3 years when I was 18. The first time I walked into Walmart there was a very tall man with a gun and a knife strapped to his belt. It definitely took me by surprise and at first made me feel a little uneasy.- ALEXRavison94
26. The best donuts!
56 flavours of donuts in a gas station in the middle of nowhere. 56! I counted!
Reddit/RenoRamone, Unsplash/Annie Spratt
27. They're always smiling.
Everybody smiling to one another, as a polish person i just can't understand that. Everybody is expected to smile to you even if they are sad.
Reddit/VicMag24
28. Their obsession with the military.
Military fetish. I knew it existed but just wasn't prepared for how pervasive it was. Any kind of public event there were announcements asking veterans to stand up and be applauded. Not special military events. The two that come to mind were the Grand Ol' Opry and a Labour Day thing in Washington DC, but there were other occasions.I was in the (British) Army Reserve and so kept joking to my wife that I would stand up too and we had a laugh about it . Like "imagine actually lapping this stuff up, lol."People wearing an army uniform in public. Weird. (And I was told I mustn't do that off-duty when I was a reservist.)People wearing baseball caps with like "USS Eagle. Operation Iraqi Freedom." And medal ribbons on it or something. Never ever seen a British soldier or ex-soldier wearing something that indicated military service just while they're going about their civilian life. People who have been in or are in the American military seem to define their *life* by it, even in their civilian affairs/day-to-day life.In a Bass Pro shop and other places there were all kinds of s****y themed wall "art" like clocks and random ornaments and s**t that said like "LAND OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE."A (chain of?) Military fetish themed BBQ restaurant with like uniforms and medals on the wall and stuff.Compared to any place I've ever been that whole thing is what stands out as the MOST weird and uniquely American. Nowhere else does anything like that.
Reddit/Saxon2060, Pexels/Thang Cao
29. Ads for days.
As someone who grew up there, returning now always gives me culture shock. The worst is probably when I go to Florida to visit my sister. The radio is nothing but pay day loan advertisements. Even my son listening to them says, "that sounds like a scam." Just the amount of blatant and obvious predation on consumers is jarring and it didn't used to be that bad.
Reddit/GrumpiestOldDude, Pexels/Breakingpic
30. It's so loud!
Everything is loud. All the time. The TV ads, the billboards, the radio, the air conditioning. Everyone is trying to get heard in a country where being #1 is the only acceptable goal. It's a loudness war to get to your brain, and it's exhausting.
Reddit/OnnKelvezenn, Pexels/Marcus Herzberg
So, there you have it! 30 of the biggest culture shocks people have encountered when visiting the United States.
Did any of these surprise you? Or were they what you expected?
We would love to hear your stories and thoughts about the USA. You can share them with us in the comment section.
Experiencing culture shock is an inevitable part of visiting a foreign country, and the article highlights the various ways travelers encounter this phenomenon in the United States. The anecdotes shared about surprising behaviors, such as the casual nature of greetings or the peculiarities of tipping practices, illustrate the emotional rollercoaster many face.
Moreover, the importance of actively engaging with the local culture cannot be overstated. Travelers who immerse themselves in American traditions and seek connections with locals often find that their experiences are not only more enriching but also help mitigate feelings of dislocation. This proactive approach fosters a sense of belonging, ultimately enhancing emotional well-being and making their journey memorable.
By the time you’re processing “everything is huge” and “why is the receipt lying to me,” the culture shock already won.
Still confused by US money rules, check out the AITA where a traveler left friends behind for refusing to pay.
