14 Differences Between Europeans and Americans (USA)

Here’s a summary of my observations as a Swiss girl on the differences between Europe and the United States of America.

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These are obviously the main trends and of course that exceptions exist everywhere. Irish and Polish citizens, for example, tend to be closer to the American mainstream than some of their European counterparts. Canadians are in the middle, sometimes more European, but often closer to their southern neighbours.

Let’s start!

1. Sensitivity of Time and Distances

Photo by Marina Leonova from Pexels

Our perception is shaped by our environment. A 100-year-old house or church is considered new by Europeans, but old by Americans. I’ve even heard Americans think that 200 years was “ancient“, an English word that for Europeans usually refers to the Ancient World, that is, to antiquity, not to antiques!

Perceptions are reversed when it comes to distances. Europeans would tend to think that driving 100 km (62.14 miles) is quite long, while for Americans it would be quite less time. This is due to the higher…