Why are the dutch unsocialable?

Question

I've been living in the Netherlands for over a year now and find the dutch to be somewhat unsocial and not very friendly. I find that when i'm out walking and smile or say hello to people they do not respond back. Many times the people look away. I would think that living in a smaller country people would be more social, but i'm not finding that here. How can a culture be so similar to others yet so different?

Answer 1

may be cause you dont speak there native tongue

people are alot nicer when you speak there language they feel some kind of connection to you

thats and the natives are probably fed up with all the Pot heads coming to there countries for drugs

most of the natives dont even care for such things

Answer 2

You probably live in a big town right? If you're in a small village it's completely different.

I live in a small village everyone says hello when you pass each other, even to strangers that aren't from here. People are polite but they don't always show it too much.  

Answer 3

Where in the Netherlands did you notice this behavior?

If it was in a town, I would agree with you, but when you go to villages it is much different.

There is a big difference between town/city life and small town/village life.

The Dutch are, generally, very direct, will tell you what they think, even when it is not nice. But that is only after you have started talking with them. When greeting someone in passing they behave like most people I have noticed everywhere in the world.

I often make eye contact when walking in town, even in big towns like Amsterdam and Rotterdam and smile or nod. More often than not I get a smile and a nod in return.

In the smaller towns, like the one where I live, most people will greet all the people they know, the people who they meet often even when never been introduced.

In villages and the countryside it is common to greet everybody, whether you know them or not.

That is not much different than in other countries. The Netherlands may be a smaller country than some others, but the attitude of people depends on the size of town, not on the size of the country.

Answer 4

I have to side with Willeke here.

Where have you been living, and where have you visited to see this behavior?

Because in the smaller towns / villages people are less ' closed '.

In the larger cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag etc.) things are different.

I think that the community where you live influences your behavior.

Also, due to the addition of a lot of different cultures, different values also pop up.

My experience is that outside of the ' Randstad ' and in the smaller towns and villages, people are more open.

Also, in the northern provinces (Groningen, Friesland) people are very different than in say Noord & Zuid Holland.

So, don`t give up yet.

Oh, btw - generalizing an entire people based on limited experience is kinda, well, rude, don`t you think?

Answer 5

I've not found that to be true; but then I've not lived there, just visited every year for the past ten years.  

Perhaps it's a reflection of their "live and let live" attitude, where they feel that a person's privacy is important, and as such they aren't as gregarious in their social interactions.  

Answer 6

I think it's because the Netherlands is so densely populated. The more people you put into any defined space, the harder they'll work to keep their distance from each other.

Answer 7

That was not the case of my experience and I agree with Willeke and USS Enterprise comments.

I live in Rotterdam and so far I find Dutch people are quite friendly in the street. Sometimes people greet me "morgen" in the morning when passing me in my neighbourhood. But of course in busy areas such as Centraal Station or Centrum, people are just rushing and don't bother to look at others. Whenever I walk my dog in my neighbourhood, Dutch people usually smile and some of them even stop by and tried to make short conversation about dogs. My Dutch is quite improving because of that.

However, I find that it is difficult to make friends with Dutch people. They are mostly having their own peer-group and don't bother to make new friends. But it doesn't make them unsocialable.