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Why Do Americans Smile So Much?
Article

Why Do Americans Smile So Much?

Olga Khazan
The Atlantic, 2017
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Overview
  • Engaging

Recommendation

If you want to know what people are really thinking, Reddit is usually a pretty good place to start. When someone posed the question, “What’s a dead giveaway that someone is American?” Redditors delivered. The consensus was that people from the land of the free and the home of the brave walk around grinning like lunatics for no good reason. If Americans smile too much, some other cultures tend to lean toward the grim side. Why such a discrepancy in facial expressions? The Atlantic’s Olga Khazan digs into the research. getAbstract recommends this illuminating article to traveling businesspeople and expats.

Take-Aways

  • Facial expressions have different connotations in different countries.
  • Research suggests that people from immigrant nations tend to smile more, perhaps as a way to overcome language barriers.
  • Less diverse countries tend to have inflexible hierarchies, and facial expressions (including smiles) often play a complicated role in maintaining these hierarchies.

About the Author

Olga Khazan is a staff writer for The Atlantic. She has also written for The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Forbes and Wired.

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