Why Russians Don't Smile Often (English Translation)

[From the Russian article, "A Smile in Russian Communicative Behavior" by Iosif Sternin]

Foreigners frequently say that Russians are an unsmiling people.  They write about that character trait in blogs and guidebooks, in business meetings, and when they meet their friends and acquaintances. Indeed, we Russians do smile much less than other nationalities, but, as it turns out, we have our  reasons.

1.  A smile in Russian communication is not a sign of politeness.  For most Europeans, smiling during   a greeting indicates politeness.  The more a person smiles, the more friendliness is being shown.   However, in Russia, a constant polite smile is considered a "smile on duty" and is interpreted as a bad sign.  It is believed to be a display of insincerity, secrecy, and unwillingness to show one's true feelings.  In Russia, a smile is typically reserved as a sign of personal affection and is not used to show politeness.

2.  In Russia, smiling at strangers is not common.  A smile in Russian communication is given to one's friends and acquaintances.  It is, for that reason, that shop assistants do not smile at their customers when they don't know them.  Naturally, if the shop assistant knows the customer, a smile will be shown.

3.  For Russians, one typically does not return a smile, or smile back at a smiling person, that one doesn't know.  If a Russian sees a stranger smiling at them, they will immediately wonder about the reason for the smile.  The immediate thought is that perhaps there is something wrong with one's clothing or hairstyle.

4.  In Russia, it is not common to smile when dealing with serious issues.  Normally, one wouldn't see many smiling faces in business meetings, because business is considered to be very serious.  In a business meeting, if one smiles, the assumption by the other party is that the smiling person either is not taking the matter seriously or distrusts what has been said.  One example of this is that customs officers at Russian airports never smile because of the perceived seriousness of the business that they are engaged in.  This characteristic of the Russian smile is unique in separating it from the frequent smile displayed by most Europeans.

5.  A Russian smile is always reserved for honest personal feelings and affection.  When a Russian smiles at a person, it is a sign of sincere affection and fondness for the person being smiled at.

6.  Russians believe that there must be a specific reason to smile.  One might smile when good news has been heard or when one feels really great because something important is happening in one's life.  In those cases, there is ample reason for the big smile.  Moreover, Russians feel that there needs to be good reason for laughter, too.  In Russia, there is a popular saying, “Laughter without a reason is a sign of stupidity.”  Russians believe that only a stupid, or perhaps crazy, person would laugh at anything.  There had better be a good reason why one is laughing!

Excellent translation. If you want it to be 100% perfect, though, see below : )

Why Russians Don't Smile (version in English)

I tried to translate a Russian article, so I hope you will understand everything =)

Foreigners constantly say that Russians are surprisingly unsmiling people; they write about it on blogs and in guidebooks, ask in personal meetings (maybe "ask their Russian friends about it"? об этом спрашивают на личных свиданиях?), tell all their friends and acquaintances. Indeed, we smile much more less than other nationalities, but, as it turns out, we have our own reasons. The article "Smiling in Russian Communicative Behavior" by Dr. Iosif Sternin which explains some features of the Russian smile. Quotes from this article:

1. Smiling is not a sign of politeness in Russian communication. Western smiles during greetings only signify politeness: the more a person smiles, the more they want to show friendliness to the other. However, a constant polite smile is called a "smile on duty" in Russia and is considered a negative indicator of a person, a display of his insincerity, secrecy, or unwillingness to show his true feelings. A Russian smile is a sign of personal liking but not politeness.

2. In Russia, it is not common to smile at strangers. Smiles in Russian communication are directed mainly at acquaintances. It is for that reason that a shop assistant does not smile at customers - she doesn't know them. If she knows a buyer, she will surely smile at him.

3. For Russians it is not typical to smile back. If a Russian sees a stranger smiling at him / her, he/she will no doubt look for the source of their amusement. Maybe something in his / her clothing or hairstyle is not OK.

4. It is not common to smile when dealing with more serious issues. You wouldn't see many smiling faces in business meetings, because business is serious, and by smiling, you show that you either don't take it seriously or you distrust your partners' words. For example, customs officers at airports never smile because they are engaged in serious business. This feature of the Russian smile is unique.

5. A Russian smile is always personal. When a Russian smiles at you, he or she wants to say that he or she likes you sincerely.

6 . Russians need a particular reason to smile. You've heard good news and you smile to show that you consider that news to be good. You feel really great and you wear a big smile, so everybody understands you have something really good happening in your life. You have to have a special reason for laughter too. There is a popular Russian saying, “A laughter without a reason is a sign of stupidity” meaning that you might be very stupid or crazy if you laugh at nothing.