If you’re an American or you’ve observed us for any length of time, you’ve surely noticed that we tend to be an enthusiastic bunch. Not all of us, not all the time, but in general we’re kind of known for being glass-half-full smilers who like to say “awesome” and “amazing” a lot. A recent YouTube video I watched the other day on Americans and exaggeration got me thinking… are Americans overly enthusiastic? Is that a bad thing? Is it something that makes us endearing? Or makes others uncomfortable?
Read on!
On that American enthusiasm
First, there are people of all nationalities that have all different kinds of personalities.
There are overly enthusiastic people all over the globe, including America and France, just like there are people who always see the glass half empty and everything in between.
Sometimes we’re all of these things… over the course of the same day. But I do think it’s true that Americans, in general, tend to be more enthusiastic about things than the average French person. And I love it!
American Christina Rebuffet has a fantastic English-language YouTube channel that’s aimed at French professionals looking to improve their English in a business context. Her recent video titled “Why do Americans exaggerate all the time?” got me thinking about American enthusiasm as a whole and how I express myself.
While I don’t agree with everything Christina says, I do think she provides some good examples and context that will come in handy for French people experiencing this American enthusiasm for the first time.
I don’t think that enthusiasm is necessarily exaggeration.
Case in point:
The other night, I opened up a container of yogurt that I had never tried before. It was from a local farm, came in a cute little glass jar, and luckily tasted as good as I had hyped it up to be in my mind. I immediately told Tom it was one of the best yogurts that I’d EVER tasted and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
But it was true!
You see, I make these little proclamations pretty often. A TV show that was one of the most interesting shows I’d ever seen, a movie that was really one of the best ever made, a new restaurant that really nailed it, etc. Tom thinks it’s funny because this American enthusiasm stands in stark contrast to his French commentary.
To show you what I mean, my French father-in-law also had the same yogurt as I did that day. I offered him a container of the same farm-made yogurt after our meal… and his reaction? Silence. He didn’t offer up any commentary, so I asked him what he thought of it to try and elicit a response.
As I expected, since he doesn’t get too excited about things like this, he told me it was “pas mal.” Really? REALLY???? It “wasn’t bad??”
Unless his taste buds were on strike, there was no way that was the best he could muster up. That yogurt was BANGIN’ and deep down he had to know it… right? This wasn’t some commercially produced brand (which is actually quite good too!) — it was homemade from a local farm! And all he could come up with was “not bad.”
This brings me to the idea of perception.
Everyone’s perception of a situation or experience is going to be different. One way of seeing things isn’t any more or less wrong than another way of seeing the same things. It’s just, well, different.
In the moment, my affirmations full of superlatives are genuine.
The TV show or movie really was impressive. That yogurt was one of the best I’ve ever had. That sunset really is amazing. I’m not one to be fake or plaster on a superficial smile for the sake of politeness. Not my jam at all.
If I think a yogurt is really good, that’s the god-honest truth and I will tell you as much. I’m not going to be over the top about it and jump up and down and go on and on for 10 minutes, but I think being positive and optimistic can only foster more positivity.
When I’ve eaten something delicious while home alone or watched a really great video on YouTube with only Dagny next to me on the couch, I swear to you I’ve turned to my dog and said, “Wow, that was really awesome!”
Why? Just to put that little moment of positivity out into the world.
Silly? Overly American? Maybe.
But fake, exaggerated or superficial? Nope.
I’m enthusiastic about a lot of things. Not in a smiley, hyper kind of way, but in a genuine, appreciating-the-moment kind of way. I think it’s really important to find the little joys in life and to get excited about things! Holidays, birthdays, little trips to the supermarket and sunny days.
37 Things that make me ridiculously happy >>
What’s the point of living if everything is just meh all the time?
Surely something has to excite you? I have no problem giving credit where it’s due.
If I see a stranger in front of me in line in the grocery store who has awesome boots on, I’m going to tell her. A compliment will give her a little boost. Why NOT speak up? I’ve had full conversations after chatting up someone, convos that have started with random compliments.
For the record, no one in France aside from my family members has ever complimented me on anything I’ve ever worn. I’m sure it’s possible nothing I’ve ever worn has ever appealed to someone else, but come on, I’m not THAT bad. OK, that was random but I think I’m a little sore about that.
Anyway…
What about that American obsession with the word awesome?
I’ve even started to hear French people incorporate it into French speech. Yes, really.
I think that Americans have become very accustomed to choosing from a handful of maybe 4 or 5 words to express satisfaction. So instead of just saying OK or great or cool, we say things like amazing and awesome to mean “ok great.”
Now was something really amazing or awesome? I don’t know — who am I to judge how someone perceives something? But in some cases, it’s just a word we rattle off to acknowledge something someone else said. A recent regular French reader of mine brought this up when he mentioned a waiter replying awesome after giving his food order. It’s just a synonym for “OK” sometimes.
But if I had to pick between the French pas mal and awesome, I’d rather hear awesome. It’s just an overall more positive tone, even if it is overused and fake at times! Kind of how the French will say bonne journee to everyone even if it’s not sincere. It’s positive and upbeat and I like it.
Now let me mention that there are plenty of Americans – and people of other nationalities – that are over the top, dramatic and superficial with their enthusiasm. It’s a put-on and gratuitous and anything BUT genuine. I don’t think that’s a decidedly American trait. I think we all have moments like this.
But most of the time, our enthusiasm is just how we express ourselves. It’s how we connect with others. It’s us putting out the type of energy we want to share with the world.
So is American energy and enthusiasm fake and exaggerated?
It can be — depends who you’re talking to. But for this American, it’s genuine and 100% in the moment –- and contagious! The kind of thing that I wish there were more of in the world.
Tish Jett did a post today on French pessimism, kind of a bookend to this.
My kid, who is half American but who has only lived in France, routinely says things are trop bon or trop cool, or that it is the best or worst day EVER.
The compliment a step up from pas mal is c’est correct.
FANTASTIC JOB!!!
Oh cool, I am not familiar with Tish but going to google now. 😉 And love hearing kids say “trop mignon” or “trop cool” or anything. Like I said in the post, life is too short to be “pas mal” about everything!
after a few months in California, I noticed how I tended to adapt my speech to the language.
In French:
– alors, c’était comment ton week-end à xxx?
– c’était pas mal, on a vu des trucs sympa.
in English:
– so, how was your week-end in Xxx?
– OMG, it was awesome, we had an amazing time!
But then, how do you know if something is great? for instance, a friend of mine told me about this truly amazing chocolate mousse she once had in France, and how she never got to find another one that tasted so good. So I made some for her. She told me it tasted amazing, but I wonder: was it just ok, or did it really live up to the standard she had in mind? no way to know for sure.
the compliment thing… yeah, never got random compliments like I get here. and it’s true that you feel lift up for the day when someone just says “I love your shirt” in passing 😉
That’s an interesting point you bring up about adapting your speech to the language. I’ve noticed it as well in my own speech — saying silly things in French like “desolee de vous deranger” before asking someone in a store doing their job for help finding something.
But anyway, back to enthusiasm. Your little dialogue is typical of American vs. French speech. Was the American’s weekend really AMAZING? Was it just OK and they’re lying? I don’t know, depends on the person. I think perception, as I said in the post, plays into it and some people are just naturally bubbly and smiley and are always going to say things were amazing. I had an aunt who would always say everything was delicious. Even TV dinners you put in the microwave. But she adored food, any kind. To her, it was 100% truthful and she thought everything that touched her lips really was delicious.
Then there are other people who will say things are fine or OK. Kind of a downer way to go about life.
About compliments, I told a guy who takes the same cycling class as me that I liked his sunglasses and that Ray-Bans are pretty popular in the USA. He seemed shocked that I complimented him. I loved the glasses, couldn’t help it!
Great post! My husband always makes fun of my exaggerated vocabulary. I always LOVE things or HATE things, but there never seems to be a middle ground with me. 🙂
I think our exaggerated vocab makes us endearing! I think living here has rubbed off on me because before I’d say I hated something and now I just say pas mal. But I LOVE a lot of things!
It’s not endearing, just amazingly mediocre and ultimately hurtful, like handing out participation medals to everyone. If no one gets any serious feedback and constructive criticism, why try harder.
Yesterday I was shopping & had these glorious (there’s an enthusiastic word for you) flowers in my basket. A lady rushed to me and went into OMG/trop cool mode….
She wanted the particular flowers so much, she said…she actually hugged my arm a bit, just the joy of finding out the store sold the flowers & I could point her in the right direction. It delighted me!
You don’t always see such forward enthusiasm is the US, but it shines bright when it is exhibited!
Oh yes, love glorious. I like that something as simple as beautiful flowers just delighted this woman. Makes me happy to hear that!
Yes, Americans often exaggerate but we absolutely love this quality. If you’re having a good time or like something then you say so. We English are much more reticent (more likely to exchange glances or whisper between ourselves) which can be hard to judge. Are they having a good time or not? If you’re enjoying something then you come right out with it. We love it!
Happy to hear that. 😉 I’m happy to speak up if I”m enjoying something. No guesswork needed!
j’adore l’enthousiasme americain, ce que j’aime mois c’est d’etre appellee par mon prenom par des personnes que je viens juste de rencontrer.
I know when I see American tv shows I think do American’s really that excited about stuff, now you tell me they do so that question has been answered
I get so tired of everything being Amazing and Awesome. I think it’s because we have such limited vocabulary. So unimaginative. I’m sure English people would have so many more words to describe things because they use more words more often. Sometimes I have to strain to think of a different word to use besides the A words. Sometimes, I hear women in the ladies’ room with high-pitched, “Hi! How are you!” (everybody is always great.) But, I know they can’t be that excited to see each other, and most people complain about others behind their backs (I hear it every day on the way to my train), and are more miserable than they try to appear.
Good Post! When folks ask me how I’m doing, I will answer “Near perfect.” Always gets a response. Or another answer would be “Better than most, but not as good as some!” That one always gets some interesting looks and comments. But those are both truthful answers. Just a different way of expressing how you feel.
Saw your post today on this on FB so I thought I’d read and comment here! I really liked reading this because I am equally as enthusiastic. I was actually talking about this exact subject this past weekend with some of my French friends and they said they found it quite endearing for the most part since it’s not common to express themselves in such a way.
I think as you said people can sense when it’s genuine or not and that can make a difference into how well it is received. So I say we keep being our fabulous selves and expressing our sentiments to things with enthusiasm! 🙂
P.S. – I too, will talk to my dog about a show that I thought was good if he’s sitting by me. He usually just blinks and then walks away though. Le sigh…
American is (way) too general and englobes (way) too many countries… this is the united-states, united-statesian.