Collectivism and socialization in Spain, Sophie Danish

One of the most prominent differences I noticed in Spain was the perception of socializing. In the United States, people treat social interactions often as a chore. There are many introverts who dread socializing, doing anything they can to avoid social interaction. Today, many people in the United States work remotely, being able to go months without social interaction if they choose to. Americans treat their social health like their physical health, and feel like they need to interact in order to stay healthy similar to exercising, rather than because they want to be connected to others. In Spain, I was shocked to witness how much people interacted with each other, at the store, work, and school, taking time out of their day to spend time with those they loved. I first noticed this one day at UPO when I was eating lunch. Like most days, I elected to eat lunch alone in the cafe in order to get school work done. I always do this, as I like to multitask and get as much work done when I can. At my school in the United States, this is the norm; During lunch you will see most students eating alone doing schoolwork in public places. At UPO, I was shocked by the large groups of students drinking beers and eating lunch all together, as if they were almost at a party. I could never imagine devoting that much time to socializing with friends on the weekdays, as I am always thinking about what more work I can do when I am free. To emphasize this, it was found that Americans spend only 54 minutes a day socializing (2020), and while there was not a study done for Spain, I have noted Spanish people spend at least 2 hours a day socializing, specifically over coffee or a meal. At first I was overwhelmed and exhausted by the oversocialization, but at the end of these 4 months I find that is something I appreciate. I find myself seeking out more time with friends, and feeling lonely eating alone now. I do not rush everyday tasks as much as I did in the United States, and find myself choosing to be friendlier and electing to socialize more. I believe people in the United States would benefit from the Spanish lifestyle, and they would find one of the best parts of life is staying connected with others.

References 

“American Time Use Survey Summary.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22 July 2021, https://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm.