No, what causes the static is the constant sliding on and off coats, etc…just like shuffling your feet across the carpet. You don’t wear heavy coats & sweaters in those countries, so that’s how it works.
I’m a guy but before I cut my hair short, I had terrible trouble with my hair when in the car. The gap between my head and the car ceiling was short enough and my hair sufficiently charged that there would be attraction between my hairs and the ceiling. Wearing natural fibres and leather - rather than rubber - soled shoes were the greatest helps, but I had to remember to ground myself every time I entered the car.
In the end, I gave up and just went with a No. 4, though I cut it to No. 2 now.
Believe it or not, I’ve sprayed a little bit of antistatic spray on my hands and then run through my hair. Works fairly well.
Humidity prevents static shocks, regardless of “coat actions”.
Oh dagnabbit, I was just whooshed, wasn’t I.
Well, not whooshed, but I wasn’t quite disagreeing with you, although it came out that way. Of course the humidity contributes, but even when it’s not humid but not cold (so you don’t have to wear heavy clothes) you can avoid static. The heavy clothes only help produce more.
My experience is that coats don’t matter much. When I moved to dry-as-Hell Phoenix as a kid, just walking across the carpet built up charge sufficient to give my sister a very nice zap. And we certainly weren’t wearing coats.