The United States is a diverse country with many different people from many different backgrounds. When you don’t understand something, ask questions! This will:
- show others that you’re interested in learning about them,
- provide a way for you to start a conversation, and
- help you learn more about American culture, vocabulary, jokes, and more.
In this video, international students at the University of Minnesota recommend how to learn more about American culture:
Become a Cultural Detective!
If you don't understand a word or topic in US culture, follow these steps:
- 1 Step 1: Decide who and when to ask
- 2Step 2: Specify the word or topic you don't understand
- 3 Step 3: Ask your question
Step 1: Decide when and who to ask
- The more American friends you make, the more you can learn about American culture.
- In a one-on-one or small group conversation, ask the person you are talking with if you don’t understand something they say.
- If you don't understand something in class, ask a classmate after class or during a break, or ask your instructor.
- If you’re pretty sure of the word or phrase, try Googling it.
Step 2: Specify the word or topic you don’t understand
- What does __________ mean?
- You said something about __________.
- I saw/read something about __________.
- I heard about __________.
- My professor said something I didn’t understand. It sounded like __________.
- I don’t understand __________.
Step 3: Ask your question
- Can you explain that?
- Do you know what that means?
- Can you tell me more about that?
Social Media and Popular Culture
Social media is a good way to learn about current memes, jokes, and other popular culture references. X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are all popular in the United States. Choose one or more of these to follow. If you don’t understand something you see on social media, ask a friend or Google it.
X
- If you have an X account, you can follow trends on the left side of your page. These trends are based on your location and who you follow.
- The right side of your News Feed has a Trending section based on your likes, follows, and other Facebook data.
- In the Events section, click on Find Events to see new activities to attend—this can be a good way to meet new people.
YouTube
- Go to the menu on the left of the homepage to find trending videos in the United States.
- General news: @time
- Style news: @wwd
- Tech news: @wired
- News with an opinion: @slate
- Sports news: @bleacherreport
- Entertainment news: @mtv
- Satirical news: @theonion
- Humor: @collegehumor
- University of Minnesota: @umntwincities
Jokes
Understanding jokes in another culture and language can be really challenging. Jokes can be difficult to explain because they depend on the situation they occur in. The people making jokes might refer to an experience they shared in the past, a person they both know, a cultural idea or reference, a current event, or a word or phrase you don’t know.
If you are in a situation where you don’t understand a joke, here are some things you can try:
- Ask. If you feel comfortable, ask someone who seems friendly and helpful to explain the joke. You will probably learn new vocabulary or cultural references this way.
- Make a note. If you don’t feel comfortable asking anyone when the jokes happens, make a note about what people said so you can show it to someone later. A different friend might be able to explain what was so funny.
- Check Google. If you understand a word or phrase used in the joke, you might be able to search online later to find an explanation.
Remember, the more you hang out with Americans, the more you will learn about US culture, vocabulary, and humor to understand jokes. You will also have more friends to help explain jokes when you don't understand them. Visit our pages on types of jokes and making friends for more resources.
Cultural Differences
Remember that describing entire cultures focuses on patterns and average tendencies of an entire society, but individual people within the society may vary from the norm. While you may find many Americans who fit the general descriptions below, you can also find examples of Americans who do not.
Minnesotan are known for being “Minnesota Nice," and many international students find this to be true (e.g., they smile at strangers, start conversations with people they don’t know, and hold doors open for others in public spaces).
The negative side of “Minnesota Nice” is that people might not be direct about things they don’t like or might not clearly explain how they truly feel (also known as being passive-aggressive).
The more you interact with Americans (from Minnesota or other states), the more you will learn about American culture, behaviors, traditions, and expectations. If you are looking for ways to reach out to people here and make friends, check out our resources for starting conversations and connecting with others.
The chart above shows how the United States scores on six cultural dimensions. The scores are relative, meaning that the numbers are only revealing when compared to another country's scores.
Cultural Dimensions
Power Distance
The United States is low on Power Distance, meaning Americans generally emphasize equal rights for everyone. If there are inequalities of power, Americans often want to know why. Hierarchical order is not very important in the United States. Examples of this include open communication between managers and employees, calling professors by their first names and people communicating informally with one another across differences in status.
Individualism
The United States has one of the highest Individualism scores in the world. Many Americans view themselves as individuals first, rather than as members or representatives of a group or family. You might see evidence of this when you see Americans who are comfortable interacting with strangers, seeking information, being self-reliant, depending on authority infrequently, moving away from families for work or school and basing promotions more on skill and merit than on connections.
Masculinity
The United States has a high score in Masculinity, which means achievement and success are more important than caring for others. Many Americans learn to "be the best you can be" and will talk openly about their life achievements. Competition is common and seen as a way to bring out the best in people. Many people look for better ways to do something and keep improving.
Uncertainty Avoidance
The United States has a lower score in Uncertainty Avoidance, meaning Americans are okay with some uncertainty about the future. Examples of this are being open to new ideas, opinions and innovations; a willingness to try new things; and allowing people to freely express their ideas. You may also find that some Americans express their emotions less than people from other cultures.
Long-Term Orientation
The United States has a low score in Long-Term Orientation, meaning traditions and norms are important, and societal changes are viewed suspiciously. Some examples of this include checking whether new information is true or untrue, measuring business performance on a short-term basis (every three months) and desiring quick results in the workplace. You may also notice that many Americans have strong beliefs about what is good and what is evil.
Indulgence
The United States is an Indulgent society, which means Americans don’t exert strong control over their desires and impulses compared to someone from a Restrained society. You can see examples of this in celebrity scandals, wide-spread drug addiction problems, and in the saying "work hard and play hard."
References
- Hofstede, G., Hofstede G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). "Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind." Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Hofstede, G. (2001). "Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations." Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
How Does Your Country Compare?
See how your country's culture descriptions compare to the US scores described above.