American Culture
American society is an amalgamation of diverse cultures, and American cultural norms and behaviors reflect a wide range of beliefs. Cultural standards in the United States can be fairly predictable, however. For example, when two friends greet each other, they will shake hands or hug, depending on the closeness of the friendship and the gender of the persons involved. Generally females are more prone to displays of physical affection in public such as hugging or kissing. Also, casual words of greeting such as, "Hi! How are you doing?" are common when friends greet each other. Strangers who meet for the first time will usually shake hands and smile at each other. Younger people use different slang and body language than their older counterparts but the basic rituals are the same.
In a grocery store check out line, sometimes people will avoid making eye contact or speaking to strangers. However, friendliness is not generally discouraged in the United States and in many cases two or more strangers will begin a light conversation. Behavior in this case is highly individualized; there are no true universals in this instance.
When people first enter a restaurant, they will tend to act polite and reserved. However, some people are slightly more aggressive when dealing with hostesses. Again, this is largely due to individual differences in personality. If someone entered a restaurant and immediately started talking loudly, other customers would probably turn to see what the commotion was all about. Staff members would feel uncomfortable because asking the customer to quiet down might anger him or her.
Some American cultural practices are ethnocentric: when people confront social habits different from their own, for instance, they tend to make fun of them. For example, in many European cultures it is customary to kiss others on the cheek several times. In the United States this practice is not common. Similarly, in many cultures it is customary for men to hold hands when walking down the street; in America when men walk hand in hand chances are they are gay. Drawing this conclusion from the body language indicates a certain degree of ethnocentricity.
