At the end of the 20th century, the inhabitants of Russia got the opportunity to get to know more about American civilization. The Russians were shocked: the citizens of the United States, whom the official propaganda portrayed for so long as "bloodthirsty beasts" eager to burn the whole world in the fire of a nuclear war, turned out to be very nice people. The Russians were especially attracted by the manner in which the Americans were constantly smiling. The Russians, on the other hand, have built a reputation for themselves as an extremely unsmiling people.
The constantly smiling Americans not only convinced the Russians of their exceptional goodwill, but also created the illusion of a carefree life overseas. Those who succumbed to the charm and emigrated soon became disillusioned with the American way of life and the American smile.
The American smile is so different from the Russian that it is even called the English word "smile".
Social aspect
An American's constant smile says nothing about his true feelings. This is not a sign of emotional openness - on the contrary, it is a means to hide your true state, which others do not need to know about.
It is a rule of good form to hide your emotional state in Western society in general and in American society in particular. We can say that the American smile is a mimic expression of the phrase "I'm OK", which is usually uttered in response to a greeting. From the American point of view, not smiling at your interlocutor is as impolite as not saying hello when you meet.
The attitude of the Russian people to the manner of constantly smiling is most clearly expressed by the proverb: "Laughter without a reason is a sign of foolishness." It's not just about laughing as such, but also about smiling. In Russian society, it is customary to smile only when it corresponds to a real emotional state. A person cannot always be in an elevated state, therefore the habit of smiling constantly alarms Russians, makes them suspect a person of insincerity.
Psychological aspect
"Duty" American smile is associated not only with politeness, but also with the psychological theory, according to which a person can force himself to experience certain feelings, depicting them on his face.
The inconsistency of this theory is obvious. Any emotion, even a positive one, requires a release in the form of a physical action, the impossibility of which is compensated by the contraction of the facial muscles, so facial expressions are born, including a smile. The sincere smile adopted in Russia restores emotional balance.
If a person forces himself to smile without experiencing any feelings, other parts of the brain that are not associated with emotions are working for him, and then nervous tension is not relieved, but created. The situation is especially difficult for the nervous system if a person experiences some feelings, and depicts others on his face.
Constantly being in a state of such dissonance can be an overwhelming burden for the nervous system. It is no coincidence that some nervous disorders - in particular, neurasthenia - were first described in the United States. The tradition of regularly visiting a psychoanalyst for preventive purposes also originated in this country. The American smile is expensive.
