Smile

Grumpy Koreans? I have been told by many foreigners that Korean smile less than their people, mainly Europeans and Americans. Maybe it is true, maybe not. But do Korean laugh that little?

This question dawned on me earlier today when my company held a gatherting for the employees and invited a speical guest, Fun Management guru. Well, you probably get the picture as to what Fun Management guru means. He talked about why smile is important and how harmful to frown is to your health and whatnot. He even mentioned that there has been much research on the positive effects of smile and thus then he tried to propagated his own faith on smile. I was not really paying attention to his jeremaid, but started to be convinced that smile might actually be good for you by eradicating stress.

Laugh it off. If something bad or irritating happens to you, you can always laugh off the entailed stress induced by it as well. But does it really weed out the orgin of your stress or agony? Or is it that smile, brain or chemicals make you temporarily oblivious of what you are going through? I think the reason people urge each other to smile is probably its positivity. When frustrated, you smile and then you begin to reduce the problem to something trivia or at least something surmountable. But this is one of many aspects of smile.

Back to grumpy Koreans, when someone holds a door, or needs to pass you by, saying "I am sorry", you probably don't expect Koreans to smile, but just to assume deadpan look. Literally emotionless and very neutral look on their face. This, of course, does not indicate that they are upset with you or do not appreciate your hospitality or coutesy. It is just that Koreans are not just used to manifesting one's feelings or emotions. Who would be upset if someone ahead of you hold the door for you?

However, when you walk the streets, pass by someone you don't know and have eye contact for a nano-second, what would you do? You would probably say that I smile at the passerby unless you, in reality, avert your eyes and walk on. But that smile that you assume upon having eye contact with someone, is that for real? Or is the smile coming from the habit to foil the akwardness? I am asking how genuine your smile is.

Once I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine from the U.S. I recalled that he was pretty much excorating how 'fake' and 'ingenuine" Americans are. He took example of smiling habits of Americans. According to him, American even smile at you while they think you are such a looser. And they try to cover it up by putting a smile on your face. Thus, people (from other countries) think that Americans are so kind and hospitable because we always smile. I to some degree agree to his argument, but I still think that smile is good. At least, it does not cost a thing and nor does it make people around you feel uncomfortable. Well, Koreans need to their own saying, "You can not spit on someone face when s/he is smiling."