Oh that's funny, I didn't even notice that... "Guess who's the goofy American in this photo!"

Passport photos aside (which really do require a neutral face, even in the US), Russians do not smile in public or to strangers the way we do in the US. Smiling in public is seen as a sign of foolishness or low intelligence. When Americans come to Russia they interpret the lack of smiles as hostility, which isn't true.

Thanks for explaining, I've wondered that. By the way, smiling is OK on US passports[1]. I've taken a lot of visa and passport photos, and I have seen a requirement not to show teeth. But I've only once had a photo returned. And I really wasn't grinning in the photo.

Incidentally, that slighty-more-serious mood in Russia feels comfortable for me. Maybe because I tend to smile less than I "should" in the US.

[1] From https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/require...

"You must have a neutral facial expression or a natural smile, with both eyes open"

You aren't allowed to smile for passports either. I had to retake mine for my Canadian passport a few years ago because I put on a huge smile :D.

Most people don't walk around with a giant grin on their face. A picture of a resting face is more accurate than one that you pose and contort your face for.

A smile is perceived as sign of weakness. Smiling to sellers, taxi drivers and others in service sector greatly increases the likelihood you'd be taken advantage of. Smiling to law enforcement (except border guards who are used to it) can attract unnecessary attention.

That is not true. In western countries one must smile to be polite, even if the smile doesn't represent his/her current mood. There is no objective reason to render happines in common situation for Russian people.

One may smile when he meets a friend or sees some cute kitten, but in general people are walking in some meditation alike state, thinking about the current affairs and not particularly paying attention to the people they passing by.

And when russian person meets the grinning stranger with cold eyes (not his real mood). It looks kind of creepy. Ordinary people usually do not pay much attention for this kind of encounters. Police (are you drunk?) and street scammers(are you a tourist?) - do.

It has little to do with meditation, it's an ever present tension imposed by simmering-hostile environment that most Russians live in. In the same vein it's a common Russian misconception that Westerners always fake their smiles. They are often genuinely more friendly and chill.

And yes, if you smile too much you are taken for лох, even if you are native. Get to an urban market some day and smile to sellers, посчитай на сколько обуют.

I lived in Russia for 2 years as a foreigner. I never noticed and issue with smiling. I think it has more to do with how much of an accent you have when speaking Russian and what you wear. If you are in a tourist area you have to be double aware (especially for little gypsy kids swarming you and pickpocketing). In the tourist areas taxis drivers try to rip you off. I remember an incident where they quoted a price that was really high. I just laughed and started walking away saying I'm not paying more than (1/10th the original price). He promptly agreed without hesitation.

As a foreigner you stick out in thousand tiny details that's true. As a grumpy looking foreigner you're better off though.

IME it's not weakness. People just don't smile without a reason. And meeting or talking to a stranger is not a proper reason.

>>The virile ruler, the vodka, the endless mounds of sour cream—they are pleasing to some. It’s just that grinning without cause is not a skill Russians possess or feel compelled to cultivate. There’s even a Russian proverb that translates, roughly, to “laughing for no reason is a sign of stupidity"

Yes, stupidity is a weakness that is ripe to exploit. Thought it was obvious I didn't mean physical forte.

Your average street level transaction will degrade if you smile or even too polite.