Why does putin never smile

One of us — Masha — is a Russian immigrant. Of course, in the U. The first has to do with how people in different cultures communicate with one another. Studies have found that in Russia, social distance is lower relative to the U. Because Americans expect a modicum of privacy even when out in public, strangers approach one another less frequently. When it does happen, it can be anxiety-inducing. So when approaching a stranger, a smile can grease the social wheels of the interaction and help the other person feel at ease.

It is not acceptable to smile in a difficult situation or if there are people around with known serious troubles, or if someone is ill or preoccupied with personal problems and so on. Among Russians there is a blurred line between a smile and laughter; in practice, these phenomena are often the same and are likened to each other. This article is abridged from the original, which can be read in Russian here.

This website uses cookies. Click here to find out more. Nov 29 Iosif Sternin. Source: Shutterstock. In the Russian communicative consciousness, there is a rule: the smile must be a genuine reflection of a good mood and a good relationship.

The closed-mouth smile Most often, Russians smile only with their lips, only occasionally showing the upper row of teeth slightly. If you continue to use our site, you agree to the updated Policies.

Lifestyle Viral and Trending 06 Jun Why people from some Lifestyle , Viral and Trending. Updated Jun 6, , am IST. Some countries thought you were less intelligent if you smiled, such as Russia, Japan and Iran. Vladimir Putin Photo used for representative purpose only. Tags: russians , iranian , smile.

Even after controlling for other factors, like the economy, there was a strong correlation between how unpredictable a society was and the likelihood they would consider smiling unintelligent. In countries such as India, Argentina, and the Maldives, meanwhile, smiling was associated with dishonesty—something Krys found to be correlated to their corruption rankings.

Finally, ranking countries in order of their uncertainty avoidance can be kind of fraught. But it might at least be comforting for any chipper Americans who find themselves scratching their heads in that sanctuary of seriousness, the St.

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