In the UK, it's a faux pas to talk about 'serious topics' (feelings, politics, etc.) with strangers. There is no danger of this happening, and if it does happen you're equipped to deal with it.
In the Netherlands, however, it's relatively common to talk about serious things. Even with strangers. This makes every conversation 'risky'.
My theory is that this is at the root of why the Dutch are generally not very good at small talk. It's scary, so we don't do it enough, so we're not practised.
In the UK, it's a faux pas to talk about 'serious topics' (feelings, politics, etc.) with strangers. There is no danger of this happening, and if it does happen you're equipped to deal with it.
In the Netherlands, however, it's relatively common to talk about serious things. Even with strangers. This makes every conversation 'risky'.
My theory is that this is at the root of why the Dutch are generally not very good at small talk. It's scary, so we don't do it enough, so we're not practised.