Why do Americans smile all the time

In some countries, it is customary to smile for any reason, while in others, excessive cheerfulness causes misunderstanding and mistrust. According to scientists, this to some extent depends on the level of stability in the country. Laughter and other manifestations of joy for no reason are considered a sign of foolishness mainly where there are more reasons for anxiety in people's lives than for fun.

But there is another side of the coin that is no less interesting - the legendary American smile of 32 teeth.

Smiles and immigration

Residents of countries attractive for immigration have always had to actively use non-verbal means of communication for communication. As a result, people in these countries have become accustomed to smiling more often.

During research. donor countries were considered, the natives of which settled around the world and mixed with other peoples, starting from the 16th century AD. So, in Canada and the United States there are people from 63 and 83 donor countries, respectively, and in China and Zimbabwe, the ethnic composition of the population is practically homogeneous and is represented by only a few nationalities.

The researchers asked people from 32 countries to answer the question what emotions, in their opinion, can and should be shown openly. It turned out that emotional expressiveness is directly related to the ethnic diversity of the country. Where there are many immigrants and not everyone speaks the state language, a smile sometimes serves as the main means of interaction.

People living in multinational countries and those living in homogeneous countries smile for different reasons.

In traditionally immigrant countries, people make acquaintances and social ties with the help of a smile. In nationally homogeneous countries, a smile often demonstrates superiority over the interlocutor.

Our politicians smile for us

As for the classic broad American smile, the fact is that Americans value bright positive feelings more than citizens of other countries.

In a recent study. scientists compared official photos of major American and Chinese businessmen and politicians. It turned out that American leaders smile more often and more enthusiastically than their Chinese counterparts.

The same scientists then asked students from 10 countries how many times a week they would like to experience various emotions, from happiness to hostility. The researchers then matched the students' responses with photographs of leading politicians from the same 10 countries.

The more importance the students attached to strong positive emotions, such as delight and inspiration, the more lively the politicians of the respective countries looked in the photo. It is curious that the actual degree of happiness in these countries did not affect the results of the study in any way.

The enthusiasm of politicians reflects the desired, not the current emotional state of the voters.

Why the American smile doesn't work in other countries

These cultural differences in the value and purpose of a smile are the reason why large American companies sometimes find it difficult to expand their business outside the United States.

When McDonald's came to Russia in the 90s, it had to teach employees to smile at their customers. Immediately, a misunderstanding arose: in America, when meeting, it is customary to look directly into the eyes of the interlocutor. In Russia, however, such behavior is often regarded as a manifestation of aggression. It is typical for Americans to smile with eye contact, which finally confused both the Russian McDonald's employees and their clients.

Walmart faced similar difficulties when it decided to open its offices in Germany. The company had to temper its trademark buoyancy to better match German restraint. They no longer required the obligatory smiles that some customers took for flirting from sellers.

Walmart was soon forced to close its stores in Germany at multi-million dollar losses. Of course, this was not due to smiles. Other, more serious cultural differences also influenced. For example, Walmart management never managed to persuade German employees to relocate or find common ground with local unions.