A smile is most often associated with happiness, cheerfulness, and friendliness in Western cultures. But it can be a sign of bad manners to smile at strangers in other parts of the world. It can mean that you’re nervous, for example, or flirting with someone.
Are you feeling curious? Here’s what your smile says in different countries around the world.
- In American culture, smiling is a friendly gesture used to create a good impression and disguise one’s embarrassment or nervousness. Smiling is also a go-to reaction for American people when they greet or welcome people or express gratitude.
- In the United Kingdom, typically, people refrain from smiling at strangers, and they don’t usually make as much eye contact as Americans. Also, in the UK, smiling is courteous, while in America, it’s expected.
- According to a recent study, Australians and Canadians generally smile to express happiness or contentment. They don’t have the reputation Americans do for giant white smiles, but they smile more than their peers in Russia, Japan, China, Switzerland, and the UK. The study also found that smiling has less to do with emotion than we think. According to researchers’ findings: “Smiling is probably not an expression of happiness but a social tool used to enhance relationships.”
- When visiting Eastern Europe, you might find that the locals don’t smile at you as much as Americans do. It’s not a sign of hostility or contempt, though. Rather than expressing joy and happiness, smiling in Eastern Europe might be considered suspicious behavior that implies flirtatiousness, sneakiness, or manipulation.
- In many countries in Asia or the Middle East, people are less likely to smile in social situations than people in western cultures. For example, in China or Japan, smiling is considered polite only when dealing with a close friend or relative. Smiling at strangers might make you look silly or unserious and be considered rude. For example, in Japanese culture, a smile is often used to show respect or hide what you’re feeling. Because the Japanese use their eyes more than their mouth to convey nonverbal expressions, they can quickly determine if a smile is genuine or fake.
A smile is common to many cultures but can have drastically different meanings. Knowing this might help explain some of our cultural differences and better understand the ways our cultures affect our behaviors. For example, if you’re used to living in a culture where people don’t smile at strangers on the street, it might be interesting to live in America, where people always smile and say hello.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is smiling at strangers considered polite everywhere in the world?
No, while a smile signals happiness and friendliness in Western cultures, in other parts of the world smiling at strangers can be seen as bad manners, nervousness, or even flirting. In countries such as China or Japan, smiling is considered polite mainly with close friends or relatives, and smiling at strangers might make you look unserious or rude.
How is smiling in America different from smiling in the UK?
In American culture, smiling is an expected friendly gesture used to make a good impression, greet people, express gratitude, or even disguise embarrassment. In the United Kingdom, people typically refrain from smiling at strangers and make less eye contact, so a smile there is courteous rather than expected.
Why do people in Eastern Europe smile less at strangers?
It is not a sign of hostility or contempt but a cultural difference in what a smile communicates. In Eastern Europe, smiling at strangers can be considered suspicious behavior implying flirtatiousness, sneakiness, or manipulation rather than an expression of joy.
What does a smile mean in Japanese culture?
In Japan, a smile is often used to show respect or to conceal what one is truly feeling, rather than simply to express happiness. Because Japanese people rely more on the eyes than the mouth to read nonverbal expression, they can quickly tell whether a smile is genuine or fake.
Is smiling really an expression of happiness?
Research suggests smiling has less to do with emotion than we assume; one study found it is probably not an expression of happiness but a social tool used to enhance relationships. Understanding this helps explain cultural differences, since the same smile can carry drastically different meanings from one country to another.