Why Russians do not smile

I've made over a dozen trips to Ukraine and this smiling thing is true there as well.

In Russian culture the smile is identified with laughter. Russians do not smile unless something funny happens and provides a reason for laughter. This fundamental difference in perception produces many unfortunate misunderstandings.

Reading this reminded me of a conversation I had with Yuri, the Director of our office in Ukraine. I had finished walking to the office from the hotel. It is a simple route and there are a lot of people making their way to their jobs in the morning. I asked him "Do you think people know that I’m not from here when I’m just walking to the office?" and he immediately replied that "Yes, they for sure know.". I wondered how this could be, I was just one of many people walking along the street. I asked him how they would know I wasn't a local and he replied immediately "Because you are smiling." 😊