The cultures of America and Lithuania have been shaped over many years, combining languages, religion, eating habits, and much more. There are fewer immigrants in Lithuania, therefore, more cultural variations can be found in the US. In America, the English language is predominantly used for communication, while Lithuanian is used in Lithuania. In both cultures, there are also many other differences that researchers noticed when comparing.
Americans are more open, while Lithuanians tend to be distant and unemotional. Americans believe that politeness and creative reactions are one of the prevailing factors for successful communication, while in Lithuania it is less important (Jakucionyte, 2020). Values in the US are often passed down from parents to children and depend on the religion the family adheres to. A few common factors are altruism and mutual assistance, as well as the desire for fulfillment in the profession (Smith et al., 2021). In Lithuania, the value of the family as an integral part of life is expressed.
In Lithuania, the generally accepted religion is Christianity, while in America there are various preferences, but the predominant group is Protestants. At the same time, the population of Lithuania is in general less religious (Jakucionyte, 2020). While restaurant fast food is best known in the US, homemade food is popular in Lithuania (Pranskuniene et al., 2018). Americans use words of gratitude and apology in everyday life, while in Lithuania this happens less often (Jakucionyte, 2020). In Lithuania, aesthetic preferences are more noticeable in the historical style, while in the USA the modern one is more common.
In conclusion, the comparison shows that the culture of these two countries is very different from each other. At the moment, it is believed that Americans are very hospitable and generous, they try to be thankful even with unfamiliar people. At the same time, in Lithuania, many people themselves admit that they lack politeness. The countries highlight different values, religions, and are representations of significantly different cultural groups.
Reference
Jakucionyte, V. (2020). Cross-cultural communication: Creativity and politeness strategies across cultures. A comparison of Lithuanian and American cultures.Creativity Studies, 13(1), 164-178. Web.
Pranskuniene, Z., Dauliute, R., Pranskunas, A., & Bernatoniene, J. (2018). Ethnopharmaceutical knowledge in Samogitia region of Lithuania: Where old traditions overlap with modern medicine.Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 14(1), 1-26. Web.
Smith, C., Ritz, B., & Rotolo, M. (2021). Review of “Religious Parenting: Transmitting Faith and Values in Contemporary America”.Social Forces, 2, e10. Web.