Growing up in the US, everything we’ve seen, heard and got involved in has always been our norm. But to a foreigner’s eyes, a number of Americanisms are actually plain weird. From our personality traits to our everyday habits, we’ve selected 12 of the weird things Americans do that we don’t even realize are odd.

1. Saying “ma’am”

Politeness is something that most countries uphold to some extent, but even the extra-courteous Brits don’t call people “ma’am”. This is definitely an overused word in America, but hey, it’s respectful, so why not?

2. Putting the AC on super cold

We get it, some states in America really need the AC – but does it have to be on such a low setting? Isn’t the whole point of air conditioning to cool you down, not make you chilly? And AC gets overused all over the States, unless you’re telling us that New York really needs all that air con. Um – nope.

3. Over-confidence

Foreigners know Americans to be overly loud and brash, and this comes from our unrelenting confidence. Americans can be confidently right, even when they’re wrong. Well, you know what they say: fake it ’til you make it.

4. The gaps in the toilet cubicles

If you’ve never traveled out of America, you might not even know that it’s not normal to have such large gaps in the doors of toilet cubicles. Visitors to the States have talked about the awkwardness of catching eyes with someone waiting in line to use the toilet through that unnecessarily large gap down the side of the door.

5. The hundreds of flavors

In America, you can get a snack flavor for every mood, season and occasion. Yes, we take the pumpkin spice flavor very seriously in fall. And yes, our Lays and Oreos come in the sorts of flavors that shouldn’t have ever been invented.

6. The restroom

There’s something awkward to Americans about saying the word “toilet”, “loo” (a Britishism) or even “bathroom”. Foreigners visiting the country become confused when Americans mention the “restroom”, like the aim is to take a nap, not use the toilet.

7. Weird doctors’ commercials

Nowhere sells their healthcare quite like the US. For non-Americans, watching an American commercial for a doctors is kinda strange. In most countries, people just choose their doctors by searching online, but not America.

8. Sneakers

There’s a different name for sneakers around the world – Brits call them “trainers”, Aussies call them “runners” – but we all know that “sneakers” is very much an American thing. Plus, Americans are known for wearing sneakers, and it’s assumed that if a person has a pair of sneakers on, they’re American.

9. State pride

Americans always like to mention which state they’re from during introductions. In other places around the world, it’s enough to just say what country you’re from, but to Americans, their state is very important.

10. Singing aloud

Another Americanism that relates to over-confidence is singing aloud. Americans just aren’t afraid to share their singing voices with the world, even if they’re best off being reserved for shower songs only. To some people, it might be annoying, but hey, it’s doing no harm.

11. Mandatory tipping

One of the things that tourists can’t get their heads around in America is the mandatory tipping rule in restaurants and the like. Why can’t businesses just pay their employees a full salary without the need for additional public contribution? It’s pretty baffling when you think about it, especially as tipping isn’t mandatory anywhere else in the world.

12. Small talk in elevators

What is it about us Americans that makes us unable to resist striking up a conversation with a stranger in an elevator? We’re not even sure if we’re just being polite, or we’re genuinely here for the chat. Either way, foreigners find this far too awkward and invasive.

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Source: Shareably