Can we explain why people in some countries smile and in others don’t? Why women smile more often than men? Scientists have certainly tried to do just that – and the data are a mess, if you look at them closely. Some hypotheses are interesting. You could assess countries for a factor called uncertainty avoidance  –  cultures with unstable political and economic systems, where the future is seen as unpredictable and uncontrollable are low on this scale and perceive smiling as a stupid sign of overconfidence. If, on the other hand, you rate countries for corruptness, you find that smiling is perceived to be correlated with dishonesty. Masculinity of a culture or hierarchically structured cultures might have an influence on smiling, as does the fact that some cultures value happiness less than others. Details can be found here: http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/05/culture-and-smiling/483827/ Read it and frown.

The busker in the montage above came from Poland – unclear if the frozen face is part of his national or his caked-on make-up. You find a lot of them in touristy areas close to the Eastern borders, hoping for the support of generous tourists appreciating their act. Below are his American counterparts, maybe it’s the make-up after all….

 

I learned quite a bit from the attached piece on the smile in portraiture throughout the centuries. The images alone are worthwhile a short perusal. (Carravagio’s Triumphant Eros included.)

http://publicdomainreview.org/2013/09/18/the-serious-and-the-smirk-the-smile-in-portraiture/

Note, my musings don’t end on a smiley face, maybe the hierarchical structure of my German upbringing is counteracting gendered tendencies……