Smile is a nonverbal message that, many people may think, carries
the same meanings in all cultures; but as a matter of fact, different cultures interpreted
smiles in different ways. It is true that when a smile is used as a nonverbal message
between friends and family, in all cultures, it can mean happiness, joy, fun, or
other positive feeling towards a person.
Yet, Americans also use smiles, as a polite gesture, when they
see a stranger in an elevator, on the street, or at the store. But, in Israel,
smiling to people that you don't know, just to be polite is unacceptable; in
fact, if you smile to an Israeli person that you don't know, he or she may assume
that you are crazy. At first, they may think that you know them from somewhere and
they just can't remember you, but once they realize that they have never met
you before, they will become confuse and think that you have either mistaken them with someone
else, or you are just crazy. They may even feel intimidated by you.
Wow! What great information. I would never know that smiling to someone could be so unacceptable. I would definitely be breaking all the rules. I am a person who always is smiling, I feel like it is a friendly gesture or it just makes an elevator ride less awkward. Especially when I catch someone staring and you smile at them it kind of makes them feel embarrassed so they stop staring. I think it’s crazy that smiling at someone you don’t know could make someone think that you’re crazy and have them mixed up with someone else. I really enjoyed this information!
ReplyDeleteI know what you means, one of the things that I love the most about the U.S, is that people smile at each other here, even if they don't know them!I think that it makes life so much better and I wish it was like that in Israel.
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