Comment by Blikkentrekker

I find this article quaint.

It at one point says:

> It was really different from Europe, where people are mostly polite, but quite reserved in their non-verbal expressions.

but it also says:

> Very often Western people criticize Russians for being too gloomy and unfriendly because we never smile.

It seems to be somewhat undecided on whether the smiling culture is a U.S.A. idiosyncrasy, or a “western" one, and it very much is the former, I believe, the U.S.A. cultural emphasis on smiles is wel known throughout most of the world, including most of “the west”.