Entertaining People from other Countries? Countries and Comfort

This is the article you need if you often entertain people from countries besides your own and you want them to feel comfortable.

A questionnaire was sent to participants out in nine countries: Brazil, Canada, the USA, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

It turns out that in all these countries they scored the comfort of a luxurious bed higher than a simple bed and first-class seats higher than economy class. But all countries rate the comfort lower the longer they are sitting on them!

The surprising difference between the USA & Canada compared with China & Germany.

“The study suggests that in the USA and Canada softer beds, hammocks, more luxurious seats and softer pillows are scored as more comfortable compared with the other countries.

There are indications that China and Germany prefer a harder mattress than in the other countries.

For pillows, the differences between countries are large, which might show that much is influenced by habitude or hesitation to use something new. The Asian countries score the comfort of a brace neck pillow higher.”

Reference: Peter Vink, Shabila Anjani, Sumalee Udomboonyanupap, Golnoosh Torkashvand, Thomas Albin, Symone Miguez, Wenhua Li, Christian Reuter, and Amalia Vanacore.  2021. “Differences and Similarities in Comfort and Discomfort Experience in Nine Countries in Asia, the Americas and Europe.”  Ergonomics, vol. 64, no. 5, https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2020.1853248