Do Americans smile too much? An opinion piece at Pravda says Americans smile all the time as if they are plugged in. That is, compared to Russians.
For some reason, a smile makes a Russian person suspicious. Many Russians think that those who smile a lot are not really healthy mentally.
American Annette Loftus, who visited the Soviet Union for the first time in 1991, said that she was culturally shocked when she returned to the USA and saw the smiling Americans around.
Many Russian tourists traveling to Thailand still feel uncomfortable about this country. Thailand is known as a country of a thousand smiles.
No smile feature is one of the brightest traits of a Russian individual, professor Sternin believes. In Russia, a smile is not a signal of politeness. It is not considered normal in Russia to smile to strangers, the Russians do not return a smile for a smile automatically.
The paradox is: the Russians smile less because they are more open to others. The Russian seriousness is a habit not to conceal peoples feelings and emotions. Historically, the Russians are mostly in a bad mood, but they are not hiding it, the professor believes.
But what if you genuinely feel good and want to share the happiness? Maybe thats the problem with Americans.Link -via J-Walk Blog