Why do foreigners think Russians seem to be such an unsmiling and beetle-browed nation? That Russians tend to smile less appears as a proven fact, noted by Russian people themselves, who returned from America or Europe. Still, why do things stand this way? Is it all about the “gloomy mood” of the Russians, or are there more complicated reasons behind this fact? Well-known linguists Josef Sternin and Yuri Prokhorov tried to answer the question on what the Russian smile is and when it is appropriate to smile in Russia.
The researchers believe that “the Russian smile” has “great national distinctiveness” and also a number of peculiar features.
In the first place, the Russians smile in a different way. “A normal Russian smile is made with lips only, the upper teeth visible slightly and seldom; displaying your upper and lower teeth when smiling (in the way Americans do it) is considered unpleasant and vulgar in the Russian culture, and such smile is regarded as a grin with bare teeth or a horse-like smile,” the researchers note.
In Russian communication, a smile is not a sign of politeness. The Russians do not have a custom of smiling at strangers or responding to a smile with another smile, or smiling to a person when meeting his or her gaze by chance. This makes us much different from many Europeans and Americans, who see a smile as an almost obligatory gesture when greeting or during a polite conversation. For these people, a smile is simply a sign of politeness – as much as a bow or a greeting said to a neighbor. This peculiarity has been the subject of numerous jokes by Russian comic writers. Mikhail Zadornov has effectually labeled the American smile to be “chronic” and Mikhail Zhvanetsky compared the American smile with blinking of a light on a device that is turned on.
In the Western tradition, the more smiles you give in a greeting or during a conversation, the more polite an attitude to your companion you demonstrate. That is why people there (as well as in the Far East – in China, Japan, and the South-Eastern Asia) are accustomed to smiling at customers to demonstrate politeness and respect. The Chinese culture is so refined that a smile can have even a more complicated social meaning. For example, Ilya Ehrenburg mentioned a Chinese who was smiling when he admitted his wife had died. Ehrenburg wrote that this polite smile meant – “you should not mourn; this is only my grief”.
In Russia, something like that is unthinkable, and that is not because we are not as good as the Chinese, but just because we are different. The “politeness” smile is not typical of Russians and sometimes it is even perceived with animosity. “The Russian phrase ‘he smiled to be polite’ suggests a disapproving attitude towards the one who was smiling,” write Prokhorov and Sternin. A polite smile addressed to customers is also disapprovingly referred to as “artificial” and is regarded as a sign of insincerity.
A true Russian smile signals good mood or personal disposition towards a person. It is addressed almost exclusively to friends or acquaintances. This is why our shop assistants will not smile at you unless they know you personally. With a smile, a Russian person demonstrates that he likes a certain person in some way.
In the Russian culture, a smile has a quite definite time and place. It is not conventional for us to smile at work, especially when doing something important. “A smile for Russian staff in the sphere of service has to be developed as a professional requirement, as it does not appear by itself” say the authors of the article. It would be taken as a sign of light-mindedness. For the same reason, students should not smile when in class, otherwise the teacher has a moral right to chastise them.
The people around you must understand the reason why you are smiling. A smile must be appropriate. A national proverb says that – “Laughter without a good reason is a sign of foolishness”. The same thing happens in everyday life – a smile that is not understood may be perceived as a sign of disrespect to others. In some specific social groups, a smile, seeming to have no sound reason, can provoke quite an aggressive reaction. In Russia, Dale Carnegie’s appeal: “Smile!” meets opposition from the cultural environment.
One must not agree with all conclusions the researchers have made, and life still goes on. The most distinctive changes are taking place in cities – and this is where the “accustomed” smile is becoming a standard. However, the “field of application of a smile” is also changing. Here a major role is played by the fact that more and more Russians are developing friendly or business ties with foreign partners, or they simply are traveling abroad more often. This new environment gives rise to new habits. Another influence comes from advertising and the actively implemented system of corporate values. Though the Hollywood smile is still not traditional in Russia, smiling to a stranger should no longer be considered as abnormal as the authors put it.
Russian people are sincere and open, and that is why our smile is primarily a way to express our feelings instead of our social “duties”. The fact that Russians avoid smiling too often does not come from their gloomy mood, or substandard living conditions, or unfavorable climate, or bad weather, as some people may think at one time or another. Probably these “environmental conditions” did have some influence in shaping the Russian character, but this influence should not be exaggerated. It is just that in our culture, a smile has a different role – and it also looks somewhat different.
Boris Serov
Based on the article by Josef Sternin and Yuri Prokhorov “The Peculiarities of the Russian Smile”
