When I visited the US, New York specifically. A lot of girls expected nice restaurants, and expected me to pay for them. Sure, most of them are still fine with coffee. But I definitely felt that more of them need "grand gestures" than you'd see in Iceland.
@@Erowens98 - Birki, those were N.Y.C. “Gold Diggers” imposing on Foreign traveling dudes- to GET as much a$ they can from you. Even happens to ‘Visiting ppl’ from elsewhere in the US! Meeting Locals in their OWN Neighborhood ->Less likely!
Honestly, Hrafna, most first dates in my area of the States usually involve just getting together for coffee or something. Much like the situation you describe in Iceland,
@@280zjammer You mean that sex before dating doesn't happen much or at all? Apologies if I misunderstood. That's not been my experience. It's actually rather mixed from what I've seen, as in it happens often enough that it could be regarded as "common", but isn't necessarily a frequent occurrence in most peoples' experience.
@@Desperoro New York is pretty much the same way. Women like to go to the hip restaurants. And hip restaurants are expensive in New York period but also there's a lot of women that just getting men to take them out to eat but they never have intentions seeing them again or getting serious with them. That guy is called the food dude
In my life experience, dating - especially first dates - were always like the movies. It's that the morals and values went down the drain, so unfortunately many men slack off with offering park dates or coffee dates. If a woman doesn't know her value then she will accept these kinds of "dates" which require little to no effort on the man's part. Most of these women are modern day feminists too. So many men love to complain they can't find a quality woman in the USA but the truth is they are all over. Men prefer to be lazy instead of courting a woman properly, and end up with masculine type women that they realize they don't really want.
Yeah and the realities of manual labor low wage slavery even if not low wage- nothing available allowable or affordable, and those who get paid big bucks for doing nothing and having everything at lower cost. EXAMPLE. low wage manual labor worker ($10 dollars per hour) car payment for junk car through rip off car lot buy here pay here $250 or more per week. car payment for mercedes through financing as low as $325 a month- for rich people and their children. Dating a girl? She is probably giving head in a microtel changing sheets, is the highschoolers and business men tourist attraction, oh take out to or bring her lunch? The police are called by the female managers who have deals with them and say you kidnapped her and drug her outside by her hair because you came in , saw her giving head IN THE LOBBY before check in hour but in the same hour or when it was slow at lunch time, she giving head to the new owners and the dad's and rich sons watching in satanic ceremony.. The police point a gun to your head and tell her, " If you don't get an order of protection, then i shall kill you and him and make it look like he did it" Now what was all of this about even owning an apartment or car and being able to stay afloat in a completely out of reality view, when mc donalds and movies say anyone can just have a job and a car a place to live go to college on 1200 dollars a month working at mc donalds 40 hours a week. it CANNOT be done its a LIE and the only ones doing it have all their family helping and get all kinds of great deals and hand me downs and nurturing . So there it is. People knowing they are going to hell, make god's people go through living hell because they know they are damned and they know they are going to hell and their victims are going to heaven.
Wow, that's striking Irina. I'm a bit old fashioned and I'd like to be very straightforward when dating a girl and taking her to a nice place, although I've never dated anyone 🤣
Elaborate first dates are only a thing for high-maintenance girls and men who are willing to spend money to catch one. Most initial dates in the US are as you described for Iceland.
@@nemovalerius185 I think it is to late for me. I'm 66 to and has not had a date in 9 years. When I was much younger I always had a date. Most of the time I had a different girl every weekend.
@Tony Hansen I've been burned 2 times. Both lasted 13 years each. Really the best thing that happened was 2 beautiful daughters! In some ways the internet has not helped,...you know, the grass is always greener on the other side, or state! Then when they find out it's not they're begging for you to take them back saying I'll be better this time. Don't fall for that can of worms!
Just got back from Iceland today. The women are .... gorgeous. The landscape is gorgeous. Amazing country. It's as close as a perfect world I can imagine.
Most dates in the states are very casual especially if you're not upper middle class or not in an urban area or just not into that type of dating some men and women love that luxury lifestyle some of us love things more relaxed it kind of depends on the people. Half the time people don't even ask anymore its more so just hanging out
I used to take women out mine exploring for first dates. One girl met up with me one night at 8pm, we drove 2 hrs, lugged my dive gear 1/4 mile underground then I dove a flooded section of a mine while she was standing there holding a flashlight with my dive line tied to her, wondering what she'd gotten herself into.
A lot of these “American stereotypes “ are just things they do in movies and are not common occurrences, like the huge displays of romance. Sex is a lot less casual here, but sex on the first date does happen here and it is kinda common. The forwardness of Americans is surely a thing though, this goes for both men and women. We tend to ask for what we want and if you don’t, your opportunities will be far less than people who are shy or afraid to do so.
Huge displays of romance only work in movies. In real life, although girls will wrongly tell you they want them, they actually creep girls out. If you want to be an intel, act like they do in movies. If you want to get a girlfriend then just have a purpose to your life, be fun, and act normal.
@@tristanoronce4433 Out of curiosity, do you mean East Asia and/or Oceania? Quite a big continent, with a massive difference in cultures between the regions. I'm assuming you aren't talking about South Asia, for example.
@@zzospreyzz55 that's true I'm way to shy and awkward but you know what this inspired me to break out of my shell maybe I'll find a quality man that way 🤣
Lovely series of videos. I was stationed in Iceland for two years while serving in the Navy. Of all the places that I have been, Iceland is the one place that I wish that I could return. I found the people engaging and interesting, your culture (as I found it) was fascinating and there are not enough words or hours to describe the natural beauty found in your country. On behalf of U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen that have been there, please ignore our movies, the mainstream media and media outlets as a depiction of US lives.
@@steveboy7302 Iceland is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but has no standing military of its own. The United States and Iceland signed a bilateral defense agreement in 1951; it remains in force, although U.S. military forces are no longer permanently stationed in Iceland. US Naval Air Station Keflavik - The mission of the station was to intercept and shadow all Soviet aircraft in transit in and from the GIUK gap which passed through the detection range of its radars and relay to the NAS Keflavik Radar Operations Control Center (ROCC). Keflavik Air Station was decommissioned on 28 June 2006.
I am from New Orleans. Here, first dates are usually coffee at a café during the daytime. Maybe lunch if there is an existing relationship, such as school/work related. The relationship then progresses or not.
In Iceland it appears to be just the opposite. They have sex first, and then go for coffee and lunch. The sex has worked up an appetite and they're ready for lunch
I’m from the US. I’ve lived in New York City, Los Angeles and in small towns in the Midwest. It really depends where you live but in the city it’s all usually really laid back and chill. Very casual but also depends on the person. Especially now the trends are very about vibes you pick up from people. The Midwest is very chill about dating. First date can be big and fancy/romantic but typically meeting at a bar or just hangout at someone’s house. Again i think it depends on the person. Some like fancy some like to be just casual.
You know, this stuff is exactly what i do like in internet. People from different countries like Iceland, USA, Germany and so on will tell you the truth about their real life, not some stereotypes, but the real truth. Greetings to all of you, people from this world - i wish to all of you to find your true love :)
Mental health problems in the US bleed into all aspects of life and is a problem here. I think part of the contributing factor is we live in crazy abundance of products, media, etc. It lowers our tolerance for anything less than what we are used to. I tried taking my last girl to Iceland for a week and she completely shut down after hearing just a couple things about iceland. She couldnt tolerate the differences for just 1 week to experience a different culture. She was also highly addicted to social media and alcohol. Not a good person at all. We are obviously no longer together.
In the Native American community there is a semi-joke “she’s your cousin”. Because there is a pretty good chance she may actually be your real your cousin. But, Now she may be your 3rd or 4th cousin or your mom just doesn’t like her or someone in her family. So your mom tells you that, so you won’t try and date her😁
@@lucassmith2504 100 years? Im in the same town my ancestors have been in for 1300 years lol but yeah u do make a good point, we in different times now
You never fail to deliver an amazing video. Thanks for sharing this informative video on life and times of the way things are in different places. Well done young lady.
Very good video. I am an American, a lot of the social differences aren’t that far apart with us and Iceland you can’t always trust what you see in the movies on sitcoms on TV shows.
Hrafna, i have one question, did it ever cross your mind to read audio books? Your voice has such a lovely and sweet tone to it, I'd definitely listen to them.
That's because they are more or less the same kind of people. That's why they will most probably have similar traits but just divided by region and language.
@@netshaman9918 They also have long , very long nights for 6 months of the year… getting dark at 3:00 pm until 10 am… they better get busy to make it interesting.
@@ΝίκοςΜπέτσης-ΗΠΑ yup, I’m Dutch. I guess I’ll visit Iceland during the winter times and walk around in the dark. Let’s see how many woman will ask me out.
When I was in the military I spent some time in Iceland. It was awesome. I loved the culture and the people. I love how straightforward and welcoming they were. I also love the morning breakfasts from the families.
I've been to Iceland. It's not only beautiful country but the people were very warm, open and friendly. It also helps that everybody speaks really good English because icelanders is extremely difficult to pronounce and they prefer you don't even try 🤣 One thing I would say is after this whole covid mess nobody really approaches anybody in person anymore. At least in my region. I honestly can't wait to go back to Iceland again it was amazing and even though I did see a good bit of the country I feel there was much more to see.
@@MonkiEnglish1 Unless you visit Reykjavik, known to be the most expensive city in Europe. But maybe you can squat at Björk's island house. She doesn't actually live there.
It's funny because the U.S. is so large and has a wide array of cultures and dialects. We are can differ based on where in the states we live (i.e. northern vs. southern states, and East coast vs. West coast). I live in Texas (which is one of the largest states) so dating can vary greatly depending on if you live in the "country" vs living in a city like Austin or Houston. Socioeconomic differences plays a big role as well in terms of dating. Someone with a more humble background may typically be more casual with their dates and don't overly spend money to impress the other. On the other hand, someone with a lot of money might do the opposite and spend money at expensive restaurants and try to impress the other party (depends on the person).
It seems like Icelanders have a lot less "walls" when it comes to dating. More open to sex, sex with the same people, both sexes asking each other out. But when it comes to actually asking each other out, they only do so under certain circumstances. They don't just approach each other whenever or where ever they see someone attractive.
The U.S has a puritan heritage, and sex outside if marriage is seen as immoral and abstinence is taught as a virtue. Promiscuity is looked down upon for women and promoted among men, so it becomes a game of "who gives it up" on the first date. Thus dating in the U.S becomes a zero sum game and sex becomes a "prize" or "reward" rather than being something that is natural or normal. Iceland and other Nordic countries seem have a more chill attitude towards sex in general.
*good question. they might be heading towards low fertility rates IF the STD rates rise ( a whole body condom has not been invented yet -- "safe" sex is not 100% safe )
Hahahaha im from iceland and its so true most guys here are a type of steriotype cocky or fake and if you find i timit guy who is not egotistical and real you have found a good target but they are really few just like in the rest of the world since like here in iceland people tend to follow the flock since most people here are simplistic
Walking up to someone and asking for their number is more common for Americans in the same way that we are more likely to strike up a casual conversation with people near us while standing in line. We are not shy that way. Sex on the first date is more common now than it used to be as we move farther away from our puritanical roots.
I went to a high school with about 1K students and maybe 100 were cousins. One family had like 14 children and those children had a bunch of kids. So some people had to figure out if they were cousins. More than likely got more difficult to figure out who was related as time passed.
"I feel like that's because we're shy and we keep to ourselves". Meanwhile... "It's totally normal to have sex as soon as you meet someone! Sure...no problem! Sex is no big deal."
You do not have an accent and you appear very down to earth. That makes you likable and credible. Thanks for a fun and informative content. Also you are Gorgeous.
Regional Australian high school had a pretty small population (like 600? 700 people?) so it was super normal for people to date each other's exes. It'd most often involve a conversation like: A: you still like C? B: nah, that ended ages back A: neat coz I like them B: you two would be cute together!
I'm a foreign born and raised Asian guy. I've always felt connected to Scandinavian culture. My first girlfriend was from Sweden and I've found out thru genetic testing that I can trace my ancestry into that area. I've recently been studying Icelandic and Norse culture and actually thought about possibly living in Iceland, without feeling too alone. Thank you for this video.
In the Olden Days there was a guy called Ed Sullivan, who hosted a television variety show. He pronounced 'show' as 'shoe', as in "We have a really big shoe tonight."
I went on a casual date with my now ex and though we just went to a casual date, I did bring her flowers. They weren't roses because that was too serious for us but they were still flowers and she enjoyed them. I think its just people trying to start out on an "impressive first step". It is a bit much, I agree. And often the other party expects things down the road due to their efforts or the amount of money they spent. It's hard.
I took a trip about 6 years ago to go visit the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach after seeing it in a music video. I loved Iceland and how relaxed everyone was, no hustle and bustle like in America. Well, one night as I was on the beach one of the local girls was talking to me when I was taking pictures of the beach at sunset, and after about 20 minutes of talking she just straight up asked me "want to go back to your room and have sex?" I was like WTF?! I since found out that it is very common to just have casual sex in Iceland. There were even a few RUclips videos made on the topic. And while I was VERY attracted to her, I'm more of an old-fashioned romantic than most Americans and told her I wasn't wanting to rush into things like that...and she actually seemed both impressed and disappointed by it. We didn't have sex, but we did kiss...and she was a GREAT kisser. We still keep in touch too.
Very well explained. It's the same here in Sweden. Here it's something that feels more natural but that is also very positive. Because both women and men are completely free to find out who they are really a good match with before they are bound in marriage. I've been with the same woman for 20 years now and we never bothered to get married. She could pack her bags and leave now if she wanted to, and in a way I really like that. In fact, even though it would break my heart, I would prefer that she was happy with someone else than unhappy with me. That's true love in my opinion - to want the best for your partner no matter what it might cost you, even if it cost you everything. And when someone stays by your side through better and for worse, when it is so easy to leave at any time, that really means something. But there are also downsides. One downside is that some people only go out to find someone they can have a one-night-stand with, which sucks if you are looking for someone to have a serious releationship with. But in my opinion, a simply solution to this is to not look for a partner at nightclubs, but rather in a coffee shop, library or whatever. Another big downside is that alot of women raise their children alone these days, which apparently isn't good for the psychological development of the children (regardless of how good mothers they are). It turns out men and women are different (who would have thought 😅) and raise children differently, and these differences complement eachother very well. Every girl and especially every boy needs some sort of a father figure in their life that has an active and regular role in the upbringing. P.S. Yes, we also have similar words, like "buksvåger" (buk = belly, svåger = brother-in-law, buksvåger = belly-brother), but it's mostly used jokingly. 😅
Sexual revolution does it's work. You're not ashamed to have one-night-stand and don't have to get merried after it, but nations have to raise children by women alone, thus the populations getting psychologicaly ill. Children replicate disfunctional family model as adults and build the same families as they came from - the disfunctional ones - or even do not build family, because non of any sane person will not reiterate the same hell they came from, where mom and dad do not love each other. And it will be repeated again and again untill total population death. You have to pay the price and choose between lust and family, grand children. Only like that.
Your comment is lovely. Here in Costa Rica it's the extreme opposite. We care so much about tradition, appearance and what others may think. This leads to many disfunctional marriages staying together but also many people who get married, have children and then divorce. It's kind of a mess right now. I guess there's no silver bullet or absolute dogma when it comes to relationships.
Another self righteous Swede. Swedish women initiate 70 percent of all divorces, and Sweden has 50 percent divorce rate. The sexual revolution literally destroyed Sweden and the West in general.
I am wrestling with the idea of whether to accept casual sex or reject it for my own life. I've never tried it, as I have always grown up with the belief that sex is reserved for people who are special and who you share a relationship with. I understand why people want to wait for marriage and the religious reasons behind it, but it is also important to really know someone that you are with before committing to spend the rest of your life with them. Sex is a big part of relationships, that's for sure. I'm not sure if the progressive ideal (casual hookups, sex is meaningless and for fun and pleasure) or the conservative ideal (sex is sacred for marriage) which is better for society long term. I think humanity has been monogamous for all of modern civilization, and it's worked pretty well. Children need a mother and a father to raise them, like you said both men and women are not equal, but complementary. If a boy is missing a father he will go looking for him, and if a girl is missing her mother she will go looking for her. It's wrong for mother's to raise children without a father, they are unknowingly causing psychological damage on the child.
@@hirogibbly4050 If you are women you should reject the idea of casual sex. Women aren't biologically built for that type of lifestyle, since they get pregnant only once a year. They also have issues with pair bonding the more partners they have. Men however can be promiscious and not have any of these issues. Men biologically speaking, want to spread their seed with as many women as possible. So it makes sense for men to be naturally promiscious and they have 10-15 times more testo levels. In the modern day society, you as a man, must have more sexual expeience than a women or atleast just as much to learn how modern Western women behave and think. It's a shit show out here.
I really love all of the thought and effort that you put into this video! However, as a lot of the comments are saying, the extravagance that you see in movies is really not the reality of dating in the United States. In the US it is also very uncommon for people to just approach random strangers and chat them up, save bars/clubs.
I can relate to having to see if they're related. Did that when I was younger after an incident where a couple of my extended cousins accidentally hooked😲
I should have visited Iceland long ago! I love this low pressure culture. In the US there is a constant awareness to succeed, to perform and to excel in social status. This is very often related to who you would be able to date and marry. There is always pressure to reach what we call "the American Dream" to the point where it can make you feel inadequate to underachieve and can lead to social out casting. It can be very stressful to live in the US as an American which is very likely why we see the social problems that we do.
Growing up in the seventies was just like Iceland! The comments seem rather repressed, though. The Scandinavia shyness is balanced by their openness and forthrightness and practicality.
In England some people do date their friends/family’s ex’s but 9/10 times it turns out bad 🤣 I would not be okay with that, I just could never date someone who had been with a friend, especially not a family member, that’s very taboo. A lot of friendships end because of this in England
Agreed with Nathan. This isn't entirely uncommon in any western nation, including some Latin American countries. With pretty much the same type of outcomes, and attitudes toward dating another's ex.
It’s not uncommon but I don’t live in any other country and never have so I’m not gonna speak on behalf of any other country, which is precisely why I said “in England”
I'm a little confused. So in Iceland its not a big deal to meet someone at a bar and go home with them that same night. But it's weird to go up to someone and ask for their phone number because you think she's cute?
I'd like to see video of what day to day life is like for men and women are like in Iceland, work, religion, government, politics, laws, relationships, marriage, divorce rates, etc
I’m not shy, if I like you I’ll tell you. I don’t care for alcohol so bars are not apart of my life tbh. But I’m not afraid to walk up and ask for someone’s number or ask them on a date
U shouldn't do that. First it says a lot about your personality and u might have some traits that guys don't like. Second it's like going up to someone and offer free money. They'll accept cause it's easy. Y would a guy not accept free ***
“Eskimo brothers” is a term that’s similar to your “stomach sisters/brothers” term! Not sure if it’s a ubiquitous term in the US, but that’s what I heard in Florida when I was in college.
The US. is a very busy place so first dates are generally a pickup in a bar or a meetup in a coffee shop or at a park or something and not some big event.
Hey I liked your video. Overall in the US, dating has an layer like system. Where the more experienced and success you have, the less effort you'll probably put into dating. What you described in Iceland is actually the dating experience for people who are "successful" here. There's 6 things I'd like to give you clarity on dating in the US: (1) Romantic Gestures on The 1st Date (Buying Flowers, Chocolates, & Other Gifts): Movies tends to go overboard when representing this kind of gestures. These kind of actions are considered "old fashioned", the men who do it are considered more inexperienced. The man could potentially do it. But honestly, usually it doesn't in well anyway. (2) Women asking men out: Not often at all. It's always viewed that the man has to make the first move, from the approach, to asking for her number, asking her out on a date, the first kiss, and initiating the first sexual encounter. It also considered a major turn off, if the man doesn't make the first move and make it relatively quickly, for a lot of women. Women can provide clues that she interested but most of this queues can be subtle and sometimes hard to determine. If a woman does happen that make the first move, it's usually considered a bad thing for the man and happened mainly because "He wasn't being the man in the situation so she had to." There's a lot of stigmas like that as well. (3) The First Date: The more of experienced you are, the less you'll have to do for a first date. It's common to do dinner at a restaurant, but those tend to not work out well, especially if you're one of five man that took her out that week. The men who do the best just go for drinks, or desserts like you said in your video. It's starting to become popular to do an activity like playing pool, or go on a nature hike, etc. (4) Sex Before Dating? The easiest way to put this is it's somewhat of a taboo subject. People don't really talk about it. It'll usually depend on your experience dating. The more experienced and/or "successful" you are dating, the more common it will be for you. Women across the board tend to have an easier time doing this. But it's still considered promiscuous behavior. (5) Cold Approach (Grocery Store Pick Up): That's not a very common place to do it, in generally. The people usually doing it are called Pick-Up Artists. Sometimes they try to push the boundaries of what normal, and challenge themselves to approach women in common places like supermarkets and at the gym. We call it Cold Approach, and while it could work in most cases it a long shot. As far as those PUA videos they only show the successes they rarely show is the 20 failed attempts or the 3-5 hours they've spend trying to get that one woman's number, for conext. Cold Approach does happen in public, but it'll be depend on a few things: the man's approach, how receptive the woman is, the chemistry between the two, the environment (Grocery Store, Park, Gym, Bar, etc.), confidently he can make his move, and ultimately what she was doing prior to being stop. A good majority of men don't consistently do this though. (6) Potentially Dating Family Members: It's rare, I guess but it could happen. Most people know enough of their family you wouldn't have to check. This is especially true in the smaller possibly rural communities where there's less people and everybody knows each other. Hope this helps!
In the US we call it "Eskimo Twins": Urban Dictionary defines it as, "When two males acknowledge having been intimate with the same female and remain on good terms, the men are now bonded by having shared the same igloo at one time or another."
Thankyou Hrafba, very good, and informative, so, here in Australia, the girl known as a sheilla, has to first ride a bunking bronco skull a beer or if in the outback ride a camel with two humps, in some country farms, she has to be good at shearing a sheep also. If she passes this test, then the bloke takes here to the local pub for chicken parmaigana dinner !
In Indian subcontinent girl asking guy for date is very rare 5% .It's always guy asking girls 95% of time.And sex is very big deal here even bigger than USA
Thankfully, attitudes are even changing where you are, if only slightly. According to what I've heard from Indian friends who live in urban areas, at least. I may be biased (being an American), but I think any loosening of roles, expectations, and especially rigid ideas about sexual purity is a good thing.
It is finally getting better related to "sex being big deal" spacially among young generation in urban areas...😅 But girls still don't initiate even if they like the guy.
I think that it’s definitely more common in the US to be romantic on the first date but it definitely isn’t an expectation. A lot of people appreciate casual situations because romantic ones are so much pressure if you don’t know the person. But romantic first dates are always in American movies so I definitely see why there’s that perception.
06:30 As long as there are proper boundaries after the fact, it SHOULDN'T be an issue but feelings and jealous are normal human reactions. I feel that people need to be prepared for the consequences of sex, casual or not.
I'm curious as to how Icelanders find out if they're related considering they don't use surnames. The whole not using surnames is a strange concept to me in general.
Even though most islanders don’t have surnames som do and those who don’t still have last names. The last name is usually based on the fathers name. So if someone is named Árni Jónsson that means that he is Árni the son of Jón. Jón in turn is the son of Ólaf so he is Jón Ólafsson, Ólaf is the son of Þór and so on. In some way this makes it easier to know who is related to whom since by knowing peoples names you also there genealogy. Names often repeat in clusters in the same family similar to royal families and it’s common for mothers to name their sons after their fathers and for fathers to name their daughters after their mothers. Jón has a daughter named Dísa Jónsdottir who has a son she names Jón who has a daughter named Dísa who has a son named Jón and so on.
Full disclosure.. I can never date an Icelandic woman, my wife simply wouldn't allow it. As far as the actual dating culture there, I can actually see how your culture makes sense. People should feel less stress or pressure when dating. Enjoy life more worry less.
So, I definitely thought your comparison were going to come from personal experiences; yours or people you know. Dating isn't like the movies. For most millennials dating is casual. Here in the US, we do alot of happy hour dates or events are common first dates(for most, some go all out like in movies). I laughed so hard at the stomach sisters term 🤣🤣.
@@afcgeo882 Yeah, it's definitely a generational thing. For clarification, "millennials" are Generation Y and Generation Z. So anyone born after 1980, roughly. Though the specific year is kind of arbitrary. Even Generation X was pretty similar though, and it actually began being less formal and more casual with them.
@@willsofer3679 Yup. I’m a Gen X, tail end and you’re right, it began with my generation. I may be slightly different, being from a major city (more progressive I guess) where things were always less religious or traditional, but it seems that by 2000 people were mostly being casual. We still don’t have an “anti-marriage” culture the way many Nordic cultures and Quebec (yes, that’s an interesting one) do now, but it’s heading that way.
In the US extravagant first dates aren’t usual. Don’t believe what you see in movies. Getting coffee or maybe lunch is far more common.
True. The more extravagant dates come later if the relationship blossoms into something meaningful.
I think it depends on the situation, but more often than not I’d have to agree with you.
When I visited the US, New York specifically. A lot of girls expected nice restaurants, and expected me to pay for them.
Sure, most of them are still fine with coffee. But I definitely felt that more of them need "grand gestures" than you'd see in Iceland.
I was just gone say that .
@@Erowens98 - Birki, those were N.Y.C. “Gold Diggers” imposing on Foreign traveling dudes- to GET as much a$ they can from you. Even happens to ‘Visiting ppl’ from elsewhere in the US!
Meeting Locals in their OWN Neighborhood ->Less likely!
Honestly, Hrafna, most first dates in my area of the States usually involve just getting together for coffee or something. Much like the situation you describe in Iceland,
US stereotype is more like LA stereotype
Except for the sex before dating part. That doesn’t happen much or at all.
@@280zjammer You mean that sex before dating doesn't happen much or at all? Apologies if I misunderstood. That's not been my experience. It's actually rather mixed from what I've seen, as in it happens often enough that it could be regarded as "common", but isn't necessarily a frequent occurrence in most peoples' experience.
gayyyy!
@@Desperoro New York is pretty much the same way. Women like to go to the hip restaurants. And hip restaurants are expensive in New York period but also there's a lot of women that just getting men to take them out to eat but they never have intentions seeing them again or getting serious with them.
That guy is called the food dude
There should definitely be a video about the differences between USA dates in movies and real life.
In my life experience, dating - especially first dates - were always like the movies. It's that the morals and values went down the drain, so unfortunately many men slack off with offering park dates or coffee dates. If a woman doesn't know her value then she will accept these kinds of "dates" which require little to no effort on the man's part. Most of these women are modern day feminists too. So many men love to complain they can't find a quality woman in the USA but the truth is they are all over. Men prefer to be lazy instead of courting a woman properly, and end up with masculine type women that they realize they don't really want.
Yeah and the realities of manual labor low wage slavery even if not low wage- nothing available allowable or affordable, and those who get paid big bucks for doing nothing and having everything at lower cost. EXAMPLE. low wage manual labor worker ($10 dollars per hour) car payment for junk car through rip off car lot buy here pay here $250 or more per week. car payment for mercedes through financing as low as $325 a month- for rich people and their children. Dating a girl? She is probably giving head in a microtel changing sheets, is the highschoolers and business men tourist attraction, oh take out to or bring her lunch? The police are called by the female managers who have deals with them and say you kidnapped her and drug her outside by her hair because you came in , saw her giving head IN THE LOBBY before check in hour but in the same hour or when it was slow at lunch time, she giving head to the new owners and the dad's and rich sons watching in satanic ceremony.. The police point a gun to your head and tell her, " If you don't get an order of protection, then i shall kill you and him and make it look like he did it" Now what was all of this about even owning an apartment or car and being able to stay afloat in a completely out of reality view, when mc donalds and movies say anyone can just have a job and a car a place to live go to college on 1200 dollars a month working at mc donalds 40 hours a week. it CANNOT be done its a LIE and the only ones doing it have all their family helping and get all kinds of great deals and hand me downs and nurturing . So there it is. People knowing they are going to hell, make god's people go through living hell because they know they are damned and they know they are going to hell and their victims are going to heaven.
@@irinaivanovic9792 I don't get it properly.
@@irinaivanovic9792 What's happened is women aren't up on a pedestal any more. Your comments suggest that women are to be valued more than men.
Wow, that's striking Irina. I'm a bit old fashioned and I'd like to be very straightforward when dating a girl and taking her to a nice place, although I've never dated anyone 🤣
Dating in Iceland sounds like going to do the laundry, then accidentally doing someone else's laundry...
Elaborate first dates are only a thing for high-maintenance girls and men who are willing to spend money to catch one. Most initial dates in the US are as you described for Iceland.
'Icelandic women are not afraid to ask the guys out'
Ayy, so I might be able to actually get a date in Iceland.
👀😂
Where are you from, i observe that we have the same first name😅
They are also a very closed society and they don’t talk to strangers. Scandinavians are very low key.
@@asianguy6174 It was just a joke, man. I don't think I could get a date in any country.😅
LETS GOOO
Time to move to Iceland. I'm not related to anyone! +1 to dating for me!
same here! yeah
Yep!
Me too
get the longboat ready boys! new horizon to explore!
Who's buying the boat? I love vacations, let's go
I was in your fine country all of 1967 at Keflavik US Navy. Will never forget the northern lights.
Damn, now that I am 65 I find this out. Why didn't know this back when I was 18, life is soooo unfair.
It's never too late. I am 66 and have no trouble getting dates or being approached.
@@nemovalerius185 I think it is to late for me. I'm 66 to and has not had a date in 9 years. When I was much younger I always had a date. Most of the time I had a different girl every weekend.
I feel bad for you 3 men im 20 never had a date
@Tony Hansen But you married an American girl, right?
@Tony Hansen I've been burned 2 times. Both lasted 13 years each. Really the best thing that happened was 2 beautiful daughters! In some ways the internet has not helped,...you know, the grass is always greener on the other side, or state! Then when they find out it's not they're begging for you to take them back saying I'll be better this time. Don't fall for that can of worms!
Just got back from Iceland today. The women are .... gorgeous. The landscape is gorgeous. Amazing country. It's as close as a perfect world I can imagine.
Yeah if you like overweight husky women sure… lol
@@123shono It is about compatibility and ability to communicate without hurting other people.
Most dates in the states are very casual especially if you're not upper middle class or not in an urban area or just not into that type of dating some men and women love that luxury lifestyle some of us love things more relaxed it kind of depends on the people. Half the time people don't even ask anymore its more so just hanging out
I used to take women out mine exploring for first dates. One girl met up with me one night at 8pm, we drove 2 hrs, lugged my dive gear 1/4 mile underground then I dove a flooded section of a mine while she was standing there holding a flashlight with my dive line tied to her, wondering what she'd gotten herself into.
@@syberphish ........okay you sir win the fucking day.
A lot of these “American stereotypes “ are just things they do in movies and are not common occurrences, like the huge displays of romance. Sex is a lot less casual here, but sex on the first date does happen here and it is kinda common. The forwardness of Americans is surely a thing though, this goes for both men and women. We tend to ask for what we want and if you don’t, your opportunities will be far less than people who are shy or afraid to do so.
I mean I do feel like we have this whole “sex before marriage” argument but other than that yeah dating is pretty casual in the us
Huge displays of romance only work in movies. In real life, although girls will wrongly tell you they want them, they actually creep girls out. If you want to be an intel, act like they do in movies. If you want to get a girlfriend then just have a purpose to your life, be fun, and act normal.
Sex on the first date is very common nowadays... even here in Asia.
@@tristanoronce4433 Out of curiosity, do you mean East Asia and/or Oceania? Quite a big continent, with a massive difference in cultures between the regions. I'm assuming you aren't talking about South Asia, for example.
@@willsofer3679 ahh, yes. You’re right, I’m sorry. I mean East and Southeast Asia.
do not believe everything you see in a movie.....we date much like you described y'all do
Of course, a lot of is based on real life.
Obviously within reason. I can't flap my arms and then fly, but you know what I mean. 😏
Except women don’t typically ask guys out in the US
@@zzospreyzz55 that's true I'm way to shy and awkward but you know what this inspired me to break out of my shell maybe I'll find a quality man that way 🤣
I’ve been searching for a different country to start a new life.
I’ve been really interested in Iceland...
Thank you for your Very insightful videos
Stay in your country,… unless your Scandinavian doin't go to Iceland.
Lovely series of videos. I was stationed in Iceland for two years while serving in the Navy. Of all the places that I have been, Iceland is the one place that I wish that I could return. I found the people engaging and interesting, your culture (as I found it) was fascinating and there are not enough words or hours to describe the natural beauty found in your country. On behalf of U.S. soldiers, sailors and airmen that have been there, please ignore our movies, the mainstream media and media outlets as a depiction of US lives.
Going to coffee, movies the park is more common. Going to an expensive restaurant may be a first date if you are rich. Everyone else not so much.
Why was a US navy man stationed in iceland
They were stationed there to leave their garbage (there's a true story about it, kinda funny).
@@steveboy7302 Iceland is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but has no standing military of its own. The United States and Iceland signed a bilateral defense agreement in 1951; it remains in force, although U.S. military forces are no longer permanently stationed in Iceland. US Naval Air Station Keflavik - The mission of the station was to intercept and shadow all Soviet aircraft in transit in and from the GIUK gap which passed through the detection range of its radars and relay to the NAS Keflavik Radar Operations Control Center (ROCC). Keflavik Air Station was decommissioned on 28 June 2006.
I am from New Orleans. Here, first dates are usually coffee at a café during the daytime. Maybe lunch if there is an existing relationship, such as school/work related. The relationship then progresses or not.
damn, new orleans suck big time if that's the case 🤔
@@Mac-ek8ug Why do you think that?
In Iceland it appears to be just the opposite. They have sex first, and then go for coffee and lunch. The sex has worked up an appetite and they're ready for lunch
Dating in the US is casual too. It’s not always fancy with chocolates and roses. Don’t believe everything you see in movies.
lol 😂
Go live in a rural area of a red state and you'll see it's not casual. I say this as a Texan who lives abroad.
@@macroxela I would guess not if it's only 5 people that live there.
@Light Roast Coffee perhaps the pandemic has changed things where you live but it definitely hasn't in other rural parts of Texas
I’m from the US. I’ve lived in New York City, Los Angeles and in small towns in the Midwest. It really depends where you live but in the city it’s all usually really laid back and chill. Very casual but also depends on the person. Especially now the trends are very about vibes you pick up from people. The Midwest is very chill about dating. First date can be big and fancy/romantic but typically meeting at a bar or just hangout at someone’s house. Again i think it depends on the person. Some like fancy some like to be just casual.
Nice 👌
Thank you for the video. I spent 1 year in Icland when I was in the Navy in 1973. I loved it and always had in the back of my mind to return.
You should go and meet your children and maybe pay some child support
@@carloscolon198 Child support paid in full.
Love the fact that is so relax and not having that presure of always is the man who have to have the initiative!!!🙌
In Denmark if 2 guys have been with the same girl they are called "hulfætre".. it is literally holecousins.
Same in Germany (by word)
In the US too they are called Eskimo brothers
@@sterlinga.1737 I always thought they called it just “cousins”, in the US.
In hungarian call this "lyuksógor" :D
@@zsombee1991 Ó, fuck😅
Szia kedves honfitársam!
Anyways, lyuksógor means "holebrother in law"
You know, this stuff is exactly what i do like in internet. People from different countries like Iceland, USA, Germany and so on will tell you the truth about their real life, not some stereotypes, but the real truth. Greetings to all of you, people from this world - i wish to all of you to find your true love :)
That is so nice of you! I hope you’ll find/found your true love :)
i was so confused I understood you saying "castle" hangout and thought huh...alright you fancy Iclanders first meet in specific castles :D
Casual hahaha
😂😂😂😂
I thought she said caserole hangouts :)))
That would be the best culture in the world
Very interesting
Very illuminating
I like Iceland even more.
I must visit more☺
What ever you sharing about Iceland’s culture, everything sounds so sweet and accommodating ❤❤❤
I love your dimples! Marvelous video by the way, mesmerizing is the only word that comes to mind.
Mental health problems in the US bleed into all aspects of life and is a problem here. I think part of the contributing factor is we live in crazy abundance of products, media, etc. It lowers our tolerance for anything less than what we are used to. I tried taking my last girl to Iceland for a week and she completely shut down after hearing just a couple things about iceland. She couldnt tolerate the differences for just 1 week to experience a different culture. She was also highly addicted to social media and alcohol. Not a good person at all. We are obviously no longer together.
In the Native American community there is a semi-joke “she’s your cousin”. Because there is a pretty good chance she may actually be your real your cousin. But, Now she may be your 3rd or 4th cousin or your mom just doesn’t like her or someone in her family. So your mom tells you that, so you won’t try and date her😁
Yeah I feel that, same thing for country people in ky.
Understand your problem . I'm from a small town so I went way out to make sure they weren't related to me.
@@lucassmith2504 nah as long as they aren't close relatives 4th cousins, its algggg 🤣🤷♂️
Apom I get it. My family and several others haves lived in this town for over 100 yrs. Same thing here.
@@lucassmith2504 100 years? Im in the same town my ancestors have been in for 1300 years lol but yeah u do make a good point, we in different times now
You never fail to deliver an amazing video. Thanks for sharing this informative video on life and times of the way things are in different places. Well done young lady.
@Linl both of them I'll go anywhere with you.
@Linl I have a good idea about that too.
@Linl I'll be anything you want me to be.
@Linl yes ma'am I understand that. thanks for the reply
@Linl I'm in north Carolina. USA
First dates are typically casual here in The States. We go out for coffee, beer or a glass of wine.
Very good video. I am an American, a lot of the social differences aren’t that far apart with us and Iceland you can’t always trust what you see in the movies on sitcoms on TV shows.
Hrafna, i have one question, did it ever cross your mind to read audio books? Your voice has such a lovely and sweet tone to it, I'd definitely listen to them.
👩🏼 👍🏼 👌🏽 👍🏼 👌🏽 👩🏼
YES !!!!!
Most of this dating things are almost the same in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland as in Iceland.
That's because they are more or less the same kind of people. That's why they will most probably have similar traits but just divided by region and language.
Fun fact : The countries that are the most cold in climate are the most hot on dating ! lol !
Not a real surprise though... ^^
@@netshaman9918
They also have long , very long nights for 6 months of the year… getting dark at 3:00 pm until 10 am… they better get busy to make it interesting.
@@ΝίκοςΜπέτσης-ΗΠΑ yup, I’m Dutch. I guess I’ll visit Iceland during the winter times and walk around in the dark. Let’s see how many woman will ask me out.
@@bodigames Lol Don't Dutch women ask the men out too?
When I was in the military I spent some time in Iceland. It was awesome. I loved the culture and the people. I love how straightforward and welcoming they were. I also love the morning breakfasts from the families.
Which military?
@@bobstoops4864 air force detachment from keflavik
Thank you for sharing. Everyone stay safe, happy and healthy. From Henrico County Virginia
I've been to Iceland. It's not only beautiful country but the people were very warm, open and friendly. It also helps that everybody speaks really good English because icelanders is extremely difficult to pronounce and they prefer you don't even try 🤣
One thing I would say is after this whole covid mess nobody really approaches anybody in person anymore. At least in my region. I honestly can't wait to go back to Iceland again it was amazing and even though I did see a good bit of the country I feel there was much more to see.
Wtf they are cold people ,what friendliness are you talking about
majority of all my first dates in America were very casual (I.e., picnics, beach, casual outings). also no chocolates or flowers.
yh sure babe
You deserved flowers
@@katherinemansfield4722 you deserved flowers on a date too
@@katherinemansfield4722 i mean it's the truth? it's very casual here which I like.
Your videos are awesome and I love learning about Icelandic culture. Amor desde Mexico 🇲🇽
I love Mexico ❤
Getting to Iceland is number one on my bucket list. Love to see where my ancestors came from
May2021 nyc-iceland, round trip, $250
@@haydenhayden8872 $250 round trip? that is cheap
@@MonkiEnglish1 Unless you visit Reykjavik, known to be the most expensive city in Europe.
But maybe you can squat at Björk's island house. She doesn't actually live there.
very straight forward and very honest.
Your voice is soothing and calming! :)
„We do not have an app, that a myth- we have a website“ that totally killed me 😂
It's funny because the U.S. is so large and has a wide array of cultures and dialects. We are can differ based on where in the states we live (i.e. northern vs. southern states, and East coast vs. West coast). I live in Texas (which is one of the largest states) so dating can vary greatly depending on if you live in the "country" vs living in a city like Austin or Houston. Socioeconomic differences plays a big role as well in terms of dating. Someone with a more humble background may typically be more casual with their dates and don't overly spend money to impress the other. On the other hand, someone with a lot of money might do the opposite and spend money at expensive restaurants and try to impress the other party (depends on the person).
It seems like Icelanders have a lot less "walls" when it comes to dating. More open to sex, sex with the same people, both sexes asking each other out. But when it comes to actually asking each other out, they only do so under certain circumstances. They don't just approach each other whenever or where ever they see someone attractive.
The U.S has a puritan heritage, and sex outside if marriage is seen as immoral and abstinence is taught as a virtue. Promiscuity is looked down upon for women and promoted among men, so it becomes a game of "who gives it up" on the first date. Thus dating in the U.S becomes a zero sum game and sex becomes a "prize" or "reward" rather than being something that is natural or normal. Iceland and other Nordic countries seem have a more chill attitude towards sex in general.
Liked the video and honesty and how your humanity shines through . Love it so much
What are the STD stats in Iceland?
*good question. they might be heading towards low fertility rates IF the STD rates rise ( a whole body condom has not been invented yet -- "safe" sex is not 100% safe )
Depends on socioeconomics how dating in USA goes ,you chose very top of that chart.
I was dating Icelandic guys, they are so unromantic xd
Wanna know more
tell more
Hahahaha im from iceland and its so true most guys here are a type of steriotype cocky or fake and if you find i timit guy who is not egotistical and real you have found a good target but they are really few just like in the rest of the world since like here in iceland people tend to follow the flock since most people here are simplistic
Hello sweet mena 💚
Black guy is the only men very romantic
Can’t wait to visit here
Tjänare från Finland! Thank you so much for the videos =) Not just this one ;D
Castle is not equal to Casual, just for the people who heard Castle Hangout, lolol
Very cool video, sweet!
😁🇧🇬🛸
Walking up to someone and asking for their number is more common for Americans in the same way that we are more likely to strike up a casual conversation with people near us while standing in line. We are not shy that way. Sex on the first date is more common now than it used to be as we move farther away from our puritanical roots.
I went to a high school with about 1K students and maybe 100 were cousins. One family had like 14 children and those children had a bunch of kids. So some people had to figure out if they were cousins. More than likely got more difficult to figure out who was related as time passed.
😂😂😂😂
Sweet home Alabama 😂
"I feel like that's because we're shy and we keep to ourselves".
Meanwhile... "It's totally normal to have sex as soon as you meet someone! Sure...no problem! Sex is no big deal."
You do not have an accent and you appear very down to earth. That makes you likable and credible. Thanks for a fun and informative content. Also you are Gorgeous.
Regional Australian high school had a pretty small population (like 600? 700 people?) so it was super normal for people to date each other's exes. It'd most often involve a conversation like:
A: you still like C?
B: nah, that ended ages back
A: neat coz I like them
B: you two would be cute together!
😂😂😂 I totally agree
Hi
I'm a foreign born and raised Asian guy. I've always felt connected to Scandinavian culture. My first girlfriend was from Sweden and I've found out thru genetic testing that I can trace my ancestry into that area.
I've recently been studying Icelandic and Norse culture and actually thought about possibly living in Iceland, without feeling too alone. Thank you for this video.
LOL Those DNA kits are way off bro... take those results lightly and kindly research those tests... you will know what i mean
In the Olden Days there was a guy called Ed Sullivan, who hosted a television variety show. He pronounced 'show' as 'shoe', as in "We have a really big shoe tonight."
Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful infos.
I went on a casual date with my now ex and though we just went to a casual date, I did bring her flowers. They weren't roses because that was too serious for us but they were still flowers and she enjoyed them. I think its just people trying to start out on an "impressive first step". It is a bit much, I agree. And often the other party expects things down the road due to their efforts or the amount of money they spent. It's hard.
I took a trip about 6 years ago to go visit the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach after seeing it in a music video. I loved Iceland and how relaxed everyone was, no hustle and bustle like in America. Well, one night as I was on the beach one of the local girls was talking to me when I was taking pictures of the beach at sunset, and after about 20 minutes of talking she just straight up asked me "want to go back to your room and have sex?" I was like WTF?!
I since found out that it is very common to just have casual sex in Iceland. There were even a few RUclips videos made on the topic. And while I was VERY attracted to her, I'm more of an old-fashioned romantic than most Americans and told her I wasn't wanting to rush into things like that...and she actually seemed both impressed and disappointed by it. We didn't have sex, but we did kiss...and she was a GREAT kisser. We still keep in touch too.
You know, that weird stories that are kinda happy and sad at once...
I guess you forgot.... When in Rome....
@@ligafftheindifferent3495 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
What?! 🤣
well, did you?
Very well explained. It's the same here in Sweden. Here it's something that feels more natural but that is also very positive. Because both women and men are completely free to find out who they are really a good match with before they are bound in marriage.
I've been with the same woman for 20 years now and we never bothered to get married. She could pack her bags and leave now if she wanted to, and in a way I really like that. In fact, even though it would break my heart, I would prefer that she was happy with someone else than unhappy with me. That's true love in my opinion - to want the best for your partner no matter what it might cost you, even if it cost you everything. And when someone stays by your side through better and for worse, when it is so easy to leave at any time, that really means something.
But there are also downsides. One downside is that some people only go out to find someone they can have a one-night-stand with, which sucks if you are looking for someone to have a serious releationship with. But in my opinion, a simply solution to this is to not look for a partner at nightclubs, but rather in a coffee shop, library or whatever. Another big downside is that alot of women raise their children alone these days, which apparently isn't good for the psychological development of the children (regardless of how good mothers they are).
It turns out men and women are different (who would have thought 😅) and raise children differently, and these differences complement eachother very well. Every girl and especially every boy needs some sort of a father figure in their life that has an active and regular role in the upbringing.
P.S. Yes, we also have similar words, like "buksvåger" (buk = belly, svåger = brother-in-law, buksvåger = belly-brother), but it's mostly used jokingly. 😅
Sexual revolution does it's work. You're not ashamed to have one-night-stand and don't have to get merried after it, but nations have to raise children by women alone, thus the populations getting psychologicaly ill. Children replicate disfunctional family model as adults and build the same families as they came from - the disfunctional ones - or even do not build family, because non of any sane person will not reiterate the same hell they came from, where mom and dad do not love each other. And it will be repeated again and again untill total population death. You have to pay the price and choose between lust and family, grand children. Only like that.
Your comment is lovely. Here in Costa Rica it's the extreme opposite. We care so much about tradition, appearance and what others may think. This leads to many disfunctional marriages staying together but also many people who get married, have children and then divorce. It's kind of a mess right now. I guess there's no silver bullet or absolute dogma when it comes to relationships.
Another self righteous Swede. Swedish women initiate 70 percent of all divorces, and Sweden has 50 percent divorce rate. The sexual revolution literally destroyed Sweden and the West in general.
I am wrestling with the idea of whether to accept casual sex or reject it for my own life. I've never tried it, as I have always grown up with the belief that sex is reserved for people who are special and who you share a relationship with. I understand why people want to wait for marriage and the religious reasons behind it, but it is also important to really know someone that you are with before committing to spend the rest of your life with them. Sex is a big part of relationships, that's for sure. I'm not sure if the progressive ideal (casual hookups, sex is meaningless and for fun and pleasure) or the conservative ideal (sex is sacred for marriage) which is better for society long term. I think humanity has been monogamous for all of modern civilization, and it's worked pretty well. Children need a mother and a father to raise them, like you said both men and women are not equal, but complementary. If a boy is missing a father he will go looking for him, and if a girl is missing her mother she will go looking for her. It's wrong for mother's to raise children without a father, they are unknowingly causing psychological damage on the child.
@@hirogibbly4050 If you are women you should reject the idea of casual sex. Women aren't biologically built for that type of lifestyle, since they get pregnant only once a year. They also have issues with pair bonding the more partners they have. Men however can be promiscious and not have any of these issues. Men biologically speaking, want to spread their seed with as many women as possible. So it makes sense for men to be naturally promiscious and they have 10-15 times more testo levels. In the modern day society, you as a man, must have more sexual expeience than a women or atleast just as much to learn how modern Western women behave and think. It's a shit show out here.
Plus You forgot to mention that almost all dating life happens in bigger cities. Living in the countryside doesn't help my love life very much :P
iceland won the 'title' of being the fattest in the world with 60+% overweight, not planning a trip there anytime soon
I really love all of the thought and effort that you put into this video! However, as a lot of the comments are saying, the extravagance that you see in movies is really not the reality of dating in the United States. In the US it is also very uncommon for people to just approach random strangers and chat them up, save bars/clubs.
"That is a myth, there is no app...but, there is a website." Lmfaoooo
I can relate to having to see if they're related. Did that when I was younger after an incident where a couple of my extended cousins accidentally hooked😲
We have also the same dating culture here in Finland. I like how so liberal society we have in Scandinavia.
Finland’s not part of Scandinavia. Only Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Iceland sounds like a place I need to visit ASAP..
I should have visited Iceland long ago! I love this low pressure culture. In the US there is a constant awareness to succeed, to perform and to excel in social status. This is very often related to who you would be able to date and marry. There is always pressure to reach what we call "the American Dream" to the point where it can make you feel inadequate to underachieve and can lead to social out casting. It can be very stressful to live in the US as an American which is very likely why we see the social problems that we do.
Growing up in the seventies was just like Iceland! The comments seem rather repressed, though. The Scandinavia shyness is balanced by their openness and forthrightness and practicality.
I just sounds like dating in Austria and probably rest of central Europe
This was super interesting to learn! I would say the only false one for the US is the extravagant first dates, that’s mostly just hollywood ✌️
What about that no sex before marriage concept?
Movie flair has definitely over exaggerated the first date. Definitely more relaxed atmosphere. Meeting for coffee, lunch, drinks is much more common
In England some people do date their friends/family’s ex’s but 9/10 times it turns out bad 🤣 I would not be okay with that, I just could never date someone who had been with a friend, especially not a family member, that’s very taboo. A lot of friendships end because of this in England
This isn't England specific. This is an unwritten rule in basically all western countries.
Agreed with Nathan. This isn't entirely uncommon in any western nation, including some Latin American countries. With pretty much the same type of outcomes, and attitudes toward dating another's ex.
It’s not uncommon but I don’t live in any other country and never have so I’m not gonna speak on behalf of any other country, which is precisely why I said “in England”
Hahahahahah
I'm a little confused. So in Iceland its not a big deal to meet someone at a bar and go home with them that same night. But it's weird to go up to someone and ask for their phone number because you think she's cute?
And how exactly does one hook up with a random person if you are reluctant to go strike up a conversation?
0:07 what the fork is this USA flag!?!??! it has only 38 stars not 50?!??!
Good catch.
The American flag had 38 stars from 1877-1890.
I wonder if there is any significance to the selection of that particular flag. @Hrafna?
Glad I'm not the only one who noticed that, 😄😄.
As far as your references to the United States you are really accurate and for most men in the USA we love Icelandic women
I'd like to see video of what day to day life is like for men and women are like in Iceland, work, religion, government, politics, laws, relationships, marriage, divorce rates, etc
I’m not shy, if I like you I’ll tell you. I don’t care for alcohol so bars are not apart of my life tbh. But I’m not afraid to walk up and ask for someone’s number or ask them on a date
U shouldn't do that. First it says a lot about your personality and u might have some traits that guys don't like. Second it's like going up to someone and offer free money. They'll accept cause it's easy. Y would a guy not accept free ***
@@guilhermesalesferreiradaco2934 I’m easy because I’m domineering and know what I want? Good to know mate 😳😳😳 lmfao
@The Kingmindset 11 Florida
@@Huberv123 when someone just gives u money, ain't that easy money?
@Underground Guy if that's only me then how come u can't debate my arguments rather than pursuing useless personal attacks?
“Eskimo brothers” is a term that’s similar to your “stomach sisters/brothers” term! Not sure if it’s a ubiquitous term in the US, but that’s what I heard in Florida when I was in college.
Wait. Eskimo is offensive.
@@brandonhey7797 Go to your safe space snowflake!
Of course because its
Not your race being disrespected eh
Im eskimo and I aprove this message.
That’s what we call it Iowa too lol
She's back at it releasing valid datas
I only wish I could move to Iceland but they font allow nor make it easy for an American to move there
The US. is a very busy place so first dates are generally a pickup in a bar or a meetup in a coffee shop or at a park or something and not some big event.
Hey I liked your video. Overall in the US, dating has an layer like system. Where the more experienced and success you have, the less effort you'll probably put into dating. What you described in Iceland is actually the dating experience for people who are "successful" here.
There's 6 things I'd like to give you clarity on dating in the US:
(1) Romantic Gestures on The 1st Date (Buying Flowers, Chocolates, & Other Gifts): Movies tends to go overboard when representing this kind of gestures. These kind of actions are considered "old fashioned", the men who do it are considered more inexperienced. The man could potentially do it. But honestly, usually it doesn't in well anyway.
(2) Women asking men out:
Not often at all. It's always viewed that the man has to make the first move, from the approach, to asking for her number, asking her out on a date, the first kiss, and initiating the first sexual encounter. It also considered a major turn off, if the man doesn't make the first move and make it relatively quickly, for a lot of women. Women can provide clues that she interested but most of this queues can be subtle and sometimes hard to determine. If a woman does happen that make the first move, it's usually considered a bad thing for the man and happened mainly because "He wasn't being the man in the situation so she had to." There's a lot of stigmas like that as well.
(3) The First Date:
The more of experienced you are, the less you'll have to do for a first date. It's common to do dinner at a restaurant, but those tend to not work out well, especially if you're one of five man that took her out that week. The men who do the best just go for drinks, or desserts like you said in your video. It's starting to become popular to do an activity like playing pool, or go on a nature hike, etc.
(4) Sex Before Dating?
The easiest way to put this is it's somewhat of a taboo subject. People don't really talk about it. It'll usually depend on your experience dating. The more experienced and/or "successful" you are dating, the more common it will be for you. Women across the board tend to have an easier time doing this. But it's still considered promiscuous behavior.
(5) Cold Approach (Grocery Store Pick Up):
That's not a very common place to do it, in generally. The people usually doing it are called Pick-Up Artists. Sometimes they try to push the boundaries of what normal, and challenge themselves to approach women in common places like supermarkets and at the gym.
We call it Cold Approach, and while it could work in most cases it a long shot. As far as those PUA videos they only show the successes they rarely show is the 20 failed attempts or the 3-5 hours they've spend trying to get that one woman's number, for conext.
Cold Approach does happen in public, but it'll be depend on a few things: the man's approach, how receptive the woman is, the chemistry between the two, the environment (Grocery Store, Park, Gym, Bar, etc.), confidently he can make his move, and ultimately what she was doing prior to being stop. A good majority of men don't consistently do this though.
(6) Potentially Dating Family Members:
It's rare, I guess but it could happen. Most people know enough of their family you wouldn't have to check. This is especially true in the smaller possibly rural communities where there's less people and everybody knows each other.
Hope this helps!
In the US we call it "Eskimo Twins": Urban Dictionary defines it as, "When two males acknowledge having been intimate with the same female and remain on good terms, the men are now bonded by having shared the same igloo at one time or another."
Never heard that before....
Yes a lot of people dont speak of the word but it's a urban dictionary term.
🤣🤣🤣 that's hilarious
Eskimo brothers
@@EsdoRek either work my brother. I I used the urban dictionary not Webster which is 1 of the differences
I spent a week in iceland when I was probably 19 and the girls were all really cute
Thankyou Hrafba, very good, and informative, so, here in Australia, the girl known as a sheilla, has to first ride a bunking bronco skull a beer or if in the outback ride a camel with two humps, in some country farms, she has to be good at shearing a sheep also. If she passes this test, then the bloke takes here to the local pub for chicken parmaigana dinner !
This is so great! 😂
In Indian subcontinent girl asking guy for date is very rare 5% .It's always guy asking girls 95% of time.And sex is very big deal here even bigger than USA
Thankfully, attitudes are even changing where you are, if only slightly. According to what I've heard from Indian friends who live in urban areas, at least. I may be biased (being an American), but I think any loosening of roles, expectations, and especially rigid ideas about sexual purity is a good thing.
It is finally getting better related to "sex being big deal" spacially among young generation in urban areas...😅 But girls still don't initiate even if they like the guy.
Good to know morals are there
If we can't get along sexually, there is no point in dating past that understanding
Omg that's disgusting
I think that it’s definitely more common in the US to be romantic on the first date but it definitely isn’t an expectation. A lot of people appreciate casual situations because romantic ones are so much pressure if you don’t know the person. But romantic first dates are always in American movies so I definitely see why there’s that perception.
06:30 As long as there are proper boundaries after the fact, it SHOULDN'T be an issue but feelings and jealous are normal human reactions. I feel that people need to be prepared for the consequences of sex, casual or not.
You guys have a great way of dating in Iceland! :)
I'm curious as to how Icelanders find out if they're related considering they don't use surnames. The whole not using surnames is a strange concept to me in general.
Even though most islanders don’t have surnames som do and those who don’t still have last names. The last name is usually based on the fathers name. So if someone is named Árni Jónsson that means that he is Árni the son of Jón. Jón in turn is the son of Ólaf so he is Jón Ólafsson, Ólaf is the son of Þór and so on. In some way this makes it easier to know who is related to whom since by knowing peoples names you also there genealogy. Names often repeat in clusters in the same family similar to royal families and it’s common for mothers to name their sons after their fathers and for fathers to name their daughters after their mothers. Jón has a daughter named Dísa Jónsdottir who has a son she names Jón who has a daughter named Dísa who has a son named Jón and so on.
Full disclosure.. I can never date an Icelandic woman, my wife simply wouldn't allow it. As far as the actual dating culture there, I can actually see how your culture makes sense. People should feel less stress or pressure when dating. Enjoy life more worry less.
i don't think she'd allow it just for the fact of them being icelandic. maybe a little more to it😭
@@densonjc true that lol.
She probably won't allow it because she's your wife big man.
So, I definitely thought your comparison were going to come from personal experiences; yours or people you know. Dating isn't like the movies. For most millennials dating is casual. Here in the US, we do alot of happy hour dates or events are common first dates(for most, some go all out like in movies). I laughed so hard at the stomach sisters term 🤣🤣.
Thank you for pointing that out!
@@afcgeo882 Yeah, it's definitely a generational thing. For clarification, "millennials" are Generation Y and Generation Z. So anyone born after 1980, roughly. Though the specific year is kind of arbitrary. Even Generation X was pretty similar though, and it actually began being less formal and more casual with them.
@@willsofer3679 Yup. I’m a Gen X, tail end and you’re right, it began with my generation. I may be slightly different, being from a major city (more progressive I guess) where things were always less religious or traditional, but it seems that by 2000 people were mostly being casual. We still don’t have an “anti-marriage” culture the way many Nordic cultures and Quebec (yes, that’s an interesting one) do now, but it’s heading that way.
I like your honesty !
Lol in the US we call it “Eskimo Brothers”
I kind of like the idea