I guess I would fit in better in Russia
Why Russians do not smile (2002)
161–170 of 502 posts
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#162I've worked with several Russians and I noticed that they type the smile emoticon without the colon... So instead of :) it's just ). For laughing it's )))))))
What's up with that? )
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#163I think Americans tend to smile all the time because they don't want to appear hostile to someone who is very likely to carry a gun. That's why they also don't have funny offensive chants in football and are not very good in general banter, they are just afraid to offence somebody by accident.
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#164I've worked with several Russians and I noticed that they type the smile emoticon without the colon... So instead of :) it's just ). For laughing it's ))))))) What's up with that? )
Dense Russian food must be stopping up their colons.
(Yes, children, that’s how I got thrown off of Hacker News)
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#165I've noticed most Russians I work with also speak slowly. I'm curious whether it is difficulty with English pronunciation or whether speaking slowly is part of Russian culture. I'm guessing more the latter, as the the things they say are also frequently quite concise and to the point, no filler words, few adverbs, so no need to speak quickly. Do Russians speak more quickly when speaking Russian?
I lived in Russia for a year and yes, they speak much faster in Russian than English. In particular if they are between just Russians and know they don't need to speak slowly to be understood. But I think it's the same for every language, people speak faster in their mother tong.
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#166I'm curious, how do Russians determine someone is in a bad mood from body/face language? In the US I can tell when my colleagues aren't happy the moment they walk in the room by their face. In Russia, do they have to speak in order for you to determine this or is there some other cue? Maybe if they smile?
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
As an American, I can tell you for some of us, its not faked. We just like people, genuinely, and really enjoy interacting with them.
My favorite part about the pandemic is that I can smile constantly under my mask, even while picking out soup at the grocery store, without looking like an idiot.
Not only that, but everybody now has one thing they can talk about with virtually anyone else, any stranger. One commonality.
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#168Austrian here, we are somewhat in between Russians and Americans, when it comes to smiling. But what I can tell you is that life is just so much better when people smile at you, even if it might not be a hundred percent genuine. My comparison stems from having worked with both Russians and Americans. Being around grumpy Russians all day long makes live really miserable.
I had a language exchange with an austrian once. I was joking and chatting with him the whole time but he was always reluctant to smile. By hot damn did I get him to do it.
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#169Austrian here, we are somewhat in between Russians and Americans, when it comes to smiling. But what I can tell you is that life is just so much better when people smile at you, even if it might not be a hundred percent genuine. My comparison stems from having worked with both Russians and Americans. Being around grumpy Russians all day long makes live really miserable.
> even if it might not be a hundred percent genuine
I reckon there are a couple of ways we could define a 'genuine' smile. Most strictly, as a basically involuntary expression of emotion. More loosely, we could include voluntary smiles as long as they are a sincere signal of goodwill. I don't really want to be smiled at by people who hate me, but I think there's plenty to be said for cultural norms in favour of 'genuine' smiles under the looser definition.
Re: Why Russians do not smile (2002)
#170Mona Lisa was special in part because it was uncommon for people to smile. In Middle Ages, someone smiling a lot would be perceived as stupid. That's why facial expressions in medieval imagery are so serious. Today, being surprised a lot is often taken as a sign of stupidity, whereas in ancient Greece an owl was the bird of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Because, obviously, an owl is always surprised, and surprise is…
I mean, life was objectively a lot worse in the Middle Ages. Give a person from that era a McMansion and tell them to expect clean water, a hamburger, and a soft modern bed every night, they’ll smile too.