Body Language

This comes from an argument over whether americans are loud or not. I think its much more appropriate to English behaviour actually.

"Crowding at concerts, movies, in elevators, trains or buses results in unavoidable intrustion into other people's intimate zones, and reactions to this invasion are interesting to observe. There is a list of unwritten rules that people in Western cultures follow rigidly when faced with a crowded situation such as a packed elevator or bus. These rules include:

1. You are not permitted to speak to anyone, including a person you know.

2. You must avoid eye contact with others at all times.

3. You are to maintain a 'poker face' -- no emotion is permitted to be displayed.

4. If you have a book or newspaper, you must appear to be deeply engrossed in it.

5. The bigger the crowd, the less the body movement you are permitted to make.

6. In elevators, you are compelled to watch the floor numbers above your head."

Allan Pease, Body Language (1981), p.28