To be more complete, that South/North ambivalence is present in many countries surrounding the Mediterranean sea (France, Italy, Spain, Greece...). I think it's more about being from the sunny Mediterranean culture (chill, good food, heat, friendly etc.) than actually being Southerner. France also has that kind of dichotomy with Northerners being cold and focus on their own business while Southerners are more open and friendly. If you look at Maghrebi people and how they interact, they are also on that Mediterranean vibe and are closer in their state of mind to Southern Europeans than to Northern ones.