SEATTLE FREEZE and CASCADE CALM

During my 3 month stay in Columbus, I was repeatedly struck by how friendly people were. Or, more accurately, how much more friendly people were in Columbus relative to Seattle. Making eye contact, the use of the word ‘thank you’, addressing people as “sir”, or “ma’am”; there was a social ease and graciousness that is more evident in Columbus than Seattle.

I’m just a sample of one, but the dynamic intrigued me. Was it just me? After all, while in Columbus I generally felt ‘up’ and outgoing. I was knocked out of my daily routine, everything around me was new, and felt energized by embracing the new atmosphere around me. I was interested in seeing and experiencing as much as I could in a relative short time. Armed with energy and a sense of urgency I tried to explore as much as I could.

It’s natural that someone with that attitude would experience things differently than a bored, sullen, person well within their routine (not that I’m describing myself, although some may disagree!).

In the first 24 hours of being back, I tried to look for Seattle unfriendliness, but didn’t find it. During breakfast I had a great conversation with Geo and Kim. Very friendly people. The next chance for interaction was on the trail, and again had a nice conversation with a gal with 2 Jack Russell Terriers and exchanged pleasantries with folks hiking.

When we went out to dinner we met a couple with a golden lab and a pug who were charming. But I did hear about what I understand to be the famed “Seattle Freeze”, and read about a general “Cascade Calm” that some think characterize Seattle in particular and the region in general.

The theory behind the “Seattle Freeze” is that folks in Seattle aren’t unfriendly or rude, in fact on the surface they are quite polite. They just don’t invite new friends into their circle. Reading up on the phenomenon, it seems as if it’s generally about young folks and the difficulty with establishing a circle of friends for transplants from other states.

On line, the theme seems to be angst from twenty something techy immigrants from other states. With the explosion of Microsoft, and more recently Amazon.com, quite a few tech types have moved to the northwest, probably in the tens of thousands over the past 20 years, and it makes sense that their collective immigration didn’t go as smoothly as they thought it should.

Given our Nordic ties and independent nature of the first residents of Seattle, I could see how Seattle wasn’t by nature gregarious and overtly welcoming, but on the other hand I’ve always thought as the Northwest as a friendly place. My father used to tell me how, in the late 40’s, his car broke down just outside of Seattle. This was way before freeways and it was late at night. He said 20 cars went by and 19 of them stopped to see if they could help. That made a lasting impression on him.

As I dug into this topic, I found a study that dove into the regional psychological difference. It was interesting and I’m still trying to process exactly what it meant. The authors broke down 5 different psychological traits; Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Openness – appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, curiosity and variety of experience.

Conscientiousness – a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behavior.

Extraversion – energy, positive emotions, surgency and the tendency to seek stimulation and the company of others.

Agreeableness – a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.

Neuroticism – a tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability; sometimes called emotional instability.

So.  How does Washington stack up to Ohio?

Openness

Ohio is middle of the road ranked 24th, but Washington is way up there ranked 5th out of 50 states (which is no surprise given the last election cycle of initiatives).  The coasts in general, west more than east, are open to new ideas.

Conscientiousness

Ohio is one of the lower ranked states at 38 and Washington is middle of the road at 25. New Mexico, North Carolina and Georgia clean up in that category at 1, 2, and 3 respectively. What a minute. Georgia?! New Mexico!? Hmmm. Entire premise is now suspect.

 Extraversion

Here’s where things are really different. Ohio is middle of the road (25th), and Washington is bottom of the barrel at 48 out of 50. Hence the famous northwest passive aggressiveness.

Agreeableness

Ohio and Washington roughly in the same spot, 27 and 22 respectively. The most agreeable states? Minnesota and North Dakota. The least agreeable? District of Columbia (no, I’m not kidding) and Alaska.

Neuroticism

This is the fun one. Washington ranks low (46th) with states like Colorado, South Dakota, and Oregon ranking lower. Ohio is on the other end, ranking 9th. The most neurotic states? West Virginia, Rhode Island, and New York.

So there you have it. In Washington we lack Extroverts, but we’re open to new ideas and we are emotionally stable. The ‘Cascade Calm’.

So perhaps the lack of extroverts and the relative emotional stability doesn’t lend itself to a lot of social interaction for us out west! Perhaps there is something to both the ‘Seattle Freeze’ and the ‘Cascade Calm’.