Is the meaning of a smile universal amongst cultures?

Question

In its purest form, a smile is an open sign of friendliness or happiness. But in the animal kingdom, showing teeth can be a sign of aggression. Are there any human cultures on earth where a smile is not a sign of friendliness?

An example of differences would be nodding to mean yes. In some eastern European cultures nodding actually means no. But is a smile truly universal?

Answer 1

:)

Answer 2

Well, thats a bit of a loaded question. While it seems that on a biological level we as a species have universal responses to emotion, the cultural level does get a bit trickier.

Yes, smiles are used as greetings or general acceptance/pleasure. But it is also employed to mask emotions, and cultures may differ in the use of smiles for this purpose. A better answer might be: In a group from the same culture, with similar backgrounds, do their smiles MEAN the same thing?

My source link has some unique psychological observations on the use and universiality of the human smile.

Answer 3

Every culture except Klingons

Answer 4

Charles Darwin suggested the universal aspects of smiling.  Psychologist James W. Kalat and Michelle N. Shiota have prepared a text on "emotion" and they agree with Darwin. One must realize that all aspects of the expression must be taken into cosideration when evaluating thatt expression. I highly recommend the Text.

Darwin prepared a questionnaire on expression, which he sent out to missionaries, teachers, and colonialists in remote parts of the British Empire. The questionnaire asked respondents to note the expressions of aboriginal peoples. From this survey along with many years of his own observations, Darwin concluded that those expressions he observed in England were the same as those described elsewhere. This conclusion has been supported by many recent studies of the subject, some of people who had no previous contact with any outside society. Why Do We All Smite the Same Way? Being of a curious and inquiring bent, Darwin then attempted to find out why people with no cultural links vent their emotions in identical ways. He eventually concluded that expressions are innate, rather than learned, behavior. If we had to be taught to smile, everyone would do it differently. Smiling, crying, and the other emotional expressions thus fall into the category of instinctive behavior. According to Darwin, the universal facial expressions can be traced back either to our common prehistoric ancestors or to our infancy, when they performed some useful, instinctive function. Even though they have long ago ceased to be of any use, adults continue to perform these expressions through habit any time the feeling originally associated with the expression arises. Primitive man, for example, snarled when he was angry because exposing the sharp canine teeth was a way of threatening to bite somebody. Modern people still snarl when angry enough, without the slightest intention of biting anyone or the awareness that biting has anything to do with what's happening to the face. When Do Babies Recognize Smiles? According to Darwin, and important to this book, our ability to perceive emotion from the face is also innate. We don't have to be taught the connection between a sad expression and a miserable state of mind. We know it without ever having to think about it In fact, Darwin claims that such a connection can be made by children in the first year of life.

Another cross-cultural issue (not mentioned by Darwin) is how people in different societies repress certain emotions and express others. There are many societies where women must repress their anger, for example, but men are free to express it. it's an interesting and important topic, but one that is beyond the scope of this book. But no matter what a particular society is used to seeing, the recognition of the expressions we discuss will remain unaffected. In a country where public displays of, say, anger are rare, people will still know an angry face when they see one.

Answer 5

No. In some cultures it can be nervousness. It can be fear, happiness, various things.

Answer 6

yes of course it is. It is a reflex.

Answer 7

Yes, but the display rules vary between cultures, at least for every one but infants.

Answer 8

Yes, it is.

Answer 9

A friendly smile always begets a friendly return.  (Especially on a bus or public transport).

Answer 10

Dude! Good question... are you writing an essay? I believe ive read in medical journals that smiling increases the blood flow to the face and head which creates an increase in oxygen to the brain and actually makes a person feel better!  So in addition to being a social gesture, smiling is a biological response, like yawning.  Tiny babies smile, even if they have been born blind and have never seen anyone else smile!  I read that somewhere too...

Of course there MAY be some cultures who associate "good" feelings with "bad" values (Catholics or Jehovah's Witnesses, for example) and these may perceive a smile as a bad thing... but i havent heard of any in particular...  :)