Calm Californians and Neurotic New Yorkers
When most Americans think of a Californian (someone who lives in California), they think of someone who is very relaxed, someone who is laid-back. A New Yorker (someone from the state of New York) is often seen as having the opposite personality, someone who is stressed out (feeling very anxious, under a lot of stress). These are very popular images, but are they true?
Some psychologists have begun to test the residents (people who live in a certain place) of different states to see if they have certain personality traits. A trait is a characteristic, something that is stable over time. These psychologists gave a 44-question personality test that looked at five different personality traits: extraversion (how much you like to talk to other people), agreeableness, conscientiousness (how careful you are or how carefully you follow the rules), openness (whether you are open to new ideas and experiences), and neuroticism (having a mild mental disease usually related to stress and anxiety).
What did they find? The most open people tend to live on the West Coast and western US, including the states of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. People who live in New York and Massachusetts were also very high in openness. This may or may not explain why these states tend to be more politically liberal than others. The most extroverted people tend to live in the upper Midwest, which includes the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. These are states where people are more likely to talk to people they don’t know and to interact with other people. Certainly this is true of me, having grown up in Minnesota.
People in the upper Midwest also tend to be the most agreeable, meaning they tend to be perceived as being nice to other people. The state of New York is the opposite, with people who are considered very disagreeable in terms of their personality test results. People who live in the central part of the United States tend to be the most conscientious. This would include the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.
What about neurotics? Well, not surprisingly (to me), these people tend to live in the eastern part of the United States, including the states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio, although people who live in the south-central part of the US, in places such as Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, also score high on the neurotic test.
Not all psychologists agree that these tests really show people have these different personality traits in different states or regions of the country, and many people who live in some of the states I’ve mentioned aren’t very happy about these results. They don’t want to be seen, for example, as being disagreeable or neurotic. Being a Californian, of course, I tend to think that there is some truth in these results, especially when it comes to the people of New York. (I should point out that there has always been a competition between people who live in Los Angeles and people who live in New York City as to which city is the most important or the best to live in. You can guess which city I selected.)
The more important question is: Why are people different in these places? What is it about California that causes people to be more laid-back? Is it the nice weather? We don’t really know. Perhaps it is because California is the home of ESL Podcast!
Jeff
October 23rd, 2008 at 4:40 am
The people who live in ChengDu, the capital of SiChuan province, in China, are more laid-back than others who live in other cities. One of the reasons is the pretty weather, not too hot in summer and no so cold in winter. The another reason, i guess, is that the produts are pretty good and cheaper, So there is no more living pressure. People lead a life of slow activity rhythm. So i guess the explanation why californians are more laid-back is the nice weather, at least, it is one of the reason.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:59 am
Yes, I think same as robin, good weather is quite a good reason to be laid-back (I like this new word) and it happened with me when I have been living in Torrevieja, a little city near to Mediterranean coast, that over there I was allways much more relaxed than living in Madrid.
One of my daughters than now is living in Canarian Islands always said the same when she came to Madrid, how all people I know is so stressed? She see all her family and
friends in a hurry and she can’t explain it.
Jeff, now is clear to me why are you so extroverted doing the marvellous e.s.l. podcast, You were born in Minnesota ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ and living in California, quite a good mixture.
But what about Arizona?. How are these people living in the desert so close to Mexico, always with blue sky, Sun, and so much HOT.
I agree with the study about personality traits, as living under certain circunstances they have a great influence over our personality, that’s for sure in my opinion.
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:02 am
In my opinion New Yorkers are mostly business people and Angelenos more related to art and perhaps it have something to do with their character or maybe their traits are like this because they live in those cities?
Ps. In reference to today’s ESL Podcast number 419 I want to point out that roundup written together is a very popular weed killer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:47 am
Well,certainly the climate of a certain area seems to influence our character.(I’m from Andalucia,in the south of Spain ,where the weather is usually lovely and warm ,and people say (not me), that in general we are more extrovert and outgoing than people from the north of the country).
By the way, I have a burning question,why is not surprising for Jeff that people living in the eastern part of the US like New York City are more stressed out than those of the west coast,like LA?
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Dear Jeff and Lucy~~
In my country, South Korea, people who live in cities, for example, Seoul, the capital of South Korea, tend to somewhat disagreeable in their character,
while people who live in country tend to be more agreeable, more polite and more peaceful in their emotion.
In my opinion, the reason of that difference is because of their environment including natural, social environment.
I always thank you, Jeff and Lucy AND all of your staff, for this excellent program, ESLPODCAST !!
October 24th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Well, here in Russia we have two city which compete with each other too. It’s St. Petersburg and Moscow. People who live in St. Petersburg think that Moscow’s dwellers are more angry and unfriendly. But Moscow’s residents think think that people in St. Petersburg are way too proud. I’m from Moscow myself, but I like St. Petersburg and reckon it’s more comfortable for living in.
October 24th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Well, I love these two cities S. Petesburg and Moscow, but only in my dreams or reading about them, it sure that I never would have the chance of visiting them, but Cuca and myself have been there so many times in our thoughts or seen some movies.
Here we have also one of the more beautiful countries, Andalucia, and yes my wife and me have the chance of seing it so many times. Even our daughter Eva was married in
Sevilla because her husband was living there.
Do you Know Pedro that Sevilla is the most mentioned city in all Opera music?. I am from Madrid but enthusiastic about all andalucian cities. Well I have to say that I am
enthusiastic about all Spanish countries and cities.
Talking about other emotive question Just today I have been watchiing on the tv. the Principe de Asturias Rewards to some of the most significant people of the world, like Ingrid Betancour, Rafael Nadal, M. Atwood, Google searcher, some drs. who are fighting against Malaria in Africa, and so on. And the city where the rewards are given is Oviedo, and old and marvellous cities of my loving country Spain.
Thank you all you for your patience reading this “patriot pamphlet” , but I am very moved listenig to the speech of Ingrid Betancour that has been so touching till the tears, She has calling all good people from the world to go out the streets just in Christmas Time to call for the liberation of so many persons that has not liberty, that are
prisoners along years same as she has been for nearly eight years.
She is a lovely person that forgive her jailers but do not forget about other persons that are in the same condition she has been, and claim to liberate them as soon as possible.
Regards.
October 24th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I think Sun makes me feel good! I’m not so different from other people. Then, Californians are happy because of the climate. New Yorkers are more involved in business and it is not so good all the time. Imagine nowadays how stressfull are theirs life …
I was in Callifornia last month for the first time. I’d asked myself: why is Callifornia so differrent from the other American states? My answer for this question was because of the its geography and the its history. Jeff what do you think?
October 25th, 2008 at 2:54 am
As you know, Jeff, Spain is quite more small than EE.UU, however the diference betwen northern and southern respect to average temperature, or, to average of rain is considerable.
One things is certain, the people who are from northern are quite different of people are from southern. Why? I don’t know but it’s true, however this don’t signify that they be better or worse, simply signify that both are quite different.
As far as I’m concerned, I prefer more the southern, or rather, the people who are from places where the temperature is warm the mostly part of the year, although this is only speaking in general terms.
Greetings.
October 26th, 2008 at 5:06 am
My dearest teachers Lucy and Jeff,
Again, you guys blew my mind.
I listened to the series of stories that you posted on The Podcast just recently. I found them very interesting and educational .The concept of each series are easy to grasp ,yet rich in vocabularies and expressions.
What I like the best about the three parts of each series is the continuum of them.The three parts of each series share the same story line with the slight change of chracters in each part; this unique characteristic make it easier for us to get a proper hang of English structure in general.
Again, Thaks for your generous help . you guys need to tap behind your shoulders. hope you guys provid us with this luxury over and over and over
Regarding the above articles,how about California The Golden Province
October 26th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Here in Brazil there are many diferentes kinds of people and kinds of personality among them and their country´s part
but i think all the parts of Brazil has something in common ( the extraversion)
whatever u go always will be people that can talk to you normaly and with no problem whatever if they are streessed out or not…
bye Jeff
October 27th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Thanks for the article. I enjoyed a lot reading it.
I think that weather plays a very important role in humans’ behavior. In a place where the weather is nice, people tend to be extraverted and outgoing. People tend to walk along the streets enjoying the high temperature. People tend to be agreeable because they want to be treated like this. They try to know more about others and they accept more easily their customs. The day is usually longer and the chances to talk with other people are bigger than places where the weather is bad.
Bad weather makes usually people in a very bad mood.
Of course, I am not from beautiful California but I am from a beautiful nice weather country. ?
Marina
October 27th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Im from Cartagena, Is a sunny City in Colombia, people here is laid back, and work in low Rytmns, and everybody think in parties. Personally I Thinks the weather has a strong influence in the liveways and the people behavour
October 27th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I think that the weather have some influency in the personality. Others things that probably has influency are religion and kind of economy (here, in industrial cities the people are more stressed out than people that live in touristics cities).
I live in Brasil and here we have many differents traits among the differents regions. The south is different from the north, the coast is diferent from the inside. The city that I´m living now, for example, is very different from the cities around here because, I think, the main religion here is Protestant and in the majority of the others cities are colonized by catholics.
Here, in Brazil, appear that people from the coast are more laid-back, I think because the weather and nature have good influency over the people.
In Brazil is not so easy to analise these kind of things because the country was colonized for a lot of diferents people from all the world but of course that some things influence in the development of certain personality traits.
Regards.