There’s a very specific kind of smugness that Brits carry—not the loud, braggy type, but the quiet, subtle air of “we know best” that shows up in everyday life.
It’s rarely about grand achievements and more often tied to tea, weather, and the unshakeable belief that other countries are doing it all wrong. However, if we’re being honest, a lot of the things we pride ourselves on are… a bit questionable. Some are outdated, some are hilarious, and some we just cling to because they’re familiar. Here are some things Brits get a bit haughty about, even though we really shouldn’t.
1. Not falling for “American optimism”
We’re allergic to enthusiasm that feels too… peppy. So, when Americans hit us with “You’ve got this!” energy, we meet it with a blank stare and a sarcastic “Cheers, I guess.” We prefer our encouragement with a side of realism and a healthy dose of gloom. It’s not that we don’t believe in hope—it’s just that we’d rather not say it out loud. We like our optimism in disguise, ideally buried under two layers of self-deprecating humour and mild weather complaints.
2. Our reluctant relationship with wellness trends
We’ll roll our eyes at anyone doing sunrise yoga or sipping turmeric lattes, but give it six months, and we’re downloading breathwork apps and doing Pilates in secret. We love mocking wellness culture almost as much as we love quietly adopting it when no one’s looking. It’s classic British behaviour: judge first, try later, and never admit you enjoyed it. Especially if there’s a hashtag involved.
3. Saying, “We’re not as bad as America” at every opportunity
No matter the topic—healthcare, gun laws, political chaos—we’ll find a way to declare, “Well, at least we’re not the US.” It’s become a national coping mechanism, even when the bar is six feet underground.
Sure, there’s comfort in the comparison, but when the best we can say about our own systems is “it could be worse,” maybe it’s time to put down the superiority and pick up some accountability. Plus, we’re one election cycle off being a whole lot more like America than we realise.
4. Watching other countries handle the weather with panic
We get a ridiculous amount of joy watching Southern Europe shut down over 2 cm of snow. Meanwhile, we’re proudly trudging through sideways rain in school shoes and calling it “a bit nippy.” The smugness comes out strongest during heatwaves, when we act like a portable fan and a half-hearted ice lolly makes us better equipped than the rest of the continent. It doesn’t. But it makes for great pub chat.
5. Owning clutter like it’s a cultural identity
We sneer at huge American homes and hyper-organised TikTok pantries, but open any British cupboard, and you’ll find 17 expired spices, five bags for life, and a drawer full of batteries no one’s tested since 2008. We love calling it “organised chaos.” Really, it’s just chaos, but it’s our chaos, and we’re irrationally proud of it.
6. The NHS, even as it’s falling apart
We’ll fiercely defend the NHS to anyone who questions it, which is fair. However, we also can’t get a GP appointment without a three-week wait and a blood sacrifice. Still, we’ll die on the hill of “free at the point of use” even if we’re waiting in A&E for nine hours.
We know it’s broken. We complain about it constantly. However, the moment someone suggests there might be a better system out there, the patriotic panic sets in. It’s the British version of blind loyalty, and we wear it like a badge.
7. Mastering passive-aggression like it’s a fine art
We don’t do confrontation. We do subtle digs disguised as politeness. We’d rather spend five minutes constructing a vaguely disappointed email than just saying what we actually think. We love this about ourselves. We call it “tactful” or “civilised,” but let’s be honest—it’s mostly just confusing and exhausting. And yes, we’re still going to keep doing it.
8. Mocking influencer culture while secretly consuming it
We pretend we don’t care about what’s trending, but we all know who’s soft-launching their relationship on Instagram and which Love Islander just launched a perfume line. We roll our eyes as we scroll—then hit ‘add to cart.’ There’s a smugness in acting above it all while still being totally invested. It’s a national pastime at this point—judging and participating at the same time without missing a beat.
9. Believing our sarcasm is a sign of higher intelligence
We treat sarcasm like it’s a superior form of communication—dry, layered, clever. And sure, sometimes it is. However, other times, it’s just masking how awkward we feel about sincerity or genuine emotion. It’s our shield, our language, our comfort zone. We’ll say something brutally honest, wrap it in a joke, and then act confused when someone gets offended. Because obviously, we were joking… right?
10. Acting like we’re too cool to care about anything
Getting really into something? Bit cringe. Showing too much enthusiasm? Embarrassing. We like to coast on ironic detachment while secretly getting wildly into niche hobbies and then pretending we just “stumbled into it.” Whether it’s birdwatching, crosswords, or air-fryer recipes, we downplay our passion until someone else brings it up, and then we casually mention that we’ve been doing it for years. No big deal.
11. Laughing at American portions while eating three roasties in one bite
We love to mock US portion sizes, as if we’re all delicately nibbling on salad leaves here. Then we go and inhale an entire pub carvery with three types of potatoes and gravy that could drown a toddler. The smugness only grows when we insist it’s “just a bit of comfort food.” However, we all know a full English is basically a calorie-dense dare, and we’re absolutely here for it.
12. Complaining about the country constantly, but refusing to leave
We spend half our lives moaning about the trains, the weather, the government, and the price of Freddos, but suggest moving abroad, and suddenly, it’s, “Well, I couldn’t live without a proper cuppa, could I?” We grumble with love, or maybe we love to grumble. Either way, we’re staying exactly where we are—with our sarcasm, our toast racks, and our irrational sense of national superiority fully intact.
