The One Thing Americans Do That Gives Them Away Almost Anywhere In The World

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My husband and I live in Central Florida, which means we see tourists from all over the world every single day.

After a while, you start noticing patterns.

People wearing shorts when it’s 40 degrees outside? Probably Canadian…although they could also be British. Or from Minnesota. 😉

A family that’s already the color of a boiled lobster halfway through their vacation? Odds are they’re from the U.K.

A huge group of teenagers following someone waving a flag? Good chance they’re Brazilian.

Of course, the rest of the world plays the same game with us.

Americans have all sorts of little tells that make us surprisingly easy to identify overseas. Some are obvious. Others…not so much.

And there’s one in particular that’s so common, most of us don’t even realize we’re doing it.

We lean.

It even has a name: “the American lean.”

What is the American lean?

According to Wikipedia, the American lean is “an informal term for a perceived tendency of Americans to stand with their weight on one foot or to lean against nearby objects while waiting in public.”

Why do we do it?

There isn’t one universally accepted answer. In fact, ask five people why Americans lean and you’ll probably get five different explanations.

From a physical POV, it’s just a way to not have to put all your weight on your feet; you’re distributing some of it to that wall you’re leaning against. It’s energy conservation.

Psychologists have suggested the lean suggests confidence, a laid-back attitude and potentially a lackadaisical approach to life in general.

And some Americans say it’s simply because sitting is discouraged at many workplaces (cashiers, for example) so they get use to leaning instead. Or because of our lack of adequate healthcare, many of us don’t go to the doctor for back pain so we lean to relieve the pressure.

Why it can give Americans away overseas

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the American lean. But because people in many other countries tend to stand upright instead of leaning against nearby walls, poles or railings, it can make Americans surprisingly easy to spot.

In fact, it’s reportedly such a recognizable American habit that the CIA teaches its field operatives to avoid doing it. The idea is simple: if you’re trying to blend in, don’t unconsciously advertise that you’re not from there.

Do people in other countries lean too?

Again, it depends on who you ask.

Apparently tourists from a lot of countries will lean when they’ve been walking all day and are in “energy conservation” mode.

But as a group? I’ve heard that Egyptians tend to lean. But you can still differentiate us Americans from them, because we’ll be the ones wearing sneakers while we’re leaning. 😉

Meanwhile, in other cultures, it may not be a lean, but a squat. The Korean squat comes to mind.

The good news is that the American lean isn’t offensive or rude—it’s just one of those little cultural quirks that makes us…us.

But if your job ever requires blending into a crowd without anyone guessing where you’re from, you may want to remember the same advice reportedly given to American intelligence operatives:

Stand up straight. Don’t lean.

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