British reserve
Understated emotional control
British reserve is the cultural tendency among the British to maintain emotional restraint, avoid overfamiliarity, and keep personal matters private.
It manifests as understatement, reluctance to complain, and discomfort with displays of strong feeling: His British reserve made it hard to tell if he was pleased or devastated.
The trait is often contrasted with American openness or Mediterranean expressiveness.
- queuingStanding in ordered sequence
- understatementIntentional diminishment for effect
- quite goodModerately above average
- politenessCourteous, respectful conduct
- small talkPolite trivial conversation
restraint · apologizing · terribly sorry · composure · stiff upper lip · chin up · keep calm · self-control · detachment · emotional distance · decorum · discretion · stoicism · modesty · indirectness · self-deprecation · formal greetings · diplomacy
British reserveeffusiveness
Unrestrained emotional expression
exuberance · demonstrativeness · gushing · wearing one's heart on one's sleeve · ebullience
British reservegregariousness
Love of being social
warmth · extroversion · friendliness · sociability · approachability
British reserveopenness
Quality of being accessible
candor · oversharing · familiarity · transparency · gregariousness
British, Britain, Briton, Britons, Britishness, reserve, reserved, reserves, reserving