

Ask HN: Is there a better mindset in the US? - chris_dcosta

I'm from Europe and I come to the conclusion that Europeans are really negative contributors on forums, and I wondered what other peoples experiences are.<p>I have no evidence for this but just a gut feeling. Europeans appear to be happy to downvote than give positive feedback. I've noticed this on a number of forums such as this and stackoverflow for example.<p>My impression is that if you post a question in Europe daytime, you run the risk of criticism and downvoting, but post it during US time and a bad comment will generate comment, and general positive advice, rather than outright criticism.<p>Of course I prefer this approach, and find it almost a hidden "code of conduct" when US timeframe replies come in.<p>Is this just an illusion or are people generally more keen to avoid downvoting wherever possible in the US?
======
anigbrowl
No, it's for real. I'm European, and this is a big reason why I prefer living
in the US, people are more positive here. Of course, there are negatives to
that, from hypocrisy to overconfidence to simple avoidance of unpleasant
realities, but there are trade-offs wherever you go. I personally prefer the
US approach, but likewise there must be many American people that would find
Europe offers a better match for their work style.

tl;dr the differences are real, but the significance of these is subjective.

------
kls
I would venture to guess that some of it may be due to American exceptionalism
or better put the belief in it. Until recently optimism has been a pretty big
trait among middle class Americans. It was not uncommon to have a conversation
with someone and have them say something like it will all work out, or
brighter days are ahead, with both parties taking it as an absolute truthful
forgone conclusion. As such perception is reality, when people believe that
they tend to not allow their mind to venture towards the negative and tend to
offer advice that while valuable, is only geared towards the positive outcome.
This may in effect reinforce the perception of optimism and exceptionalism. I
could be wrong but I would suspect that it is a contributing factor.

