To what extent do the differences of the different cultures can affect the emotion expressions

Emotional Expressions
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Abstract
The United States and Russia have different modes of expressing emotions. Certain expressions such as smiling and laughing are used by all cultures. People use expressions to show how they feel about different things like events, guests, families, and strangers. Nonetheless, culture dictates the extent used by people to express emotion based on the status of the nation, history, and beliefs. For instance, Russians are not supposed to smile without a specific reason. In contrast, Americans often smile to exhibit warmness and politeness. While some cultures use smiling to show empathy in case of trouble, it is a sign of a heartless person in others. People from other nations believe that Russians are not supposed to smile for no reason while the Americans can smile at any time. The view is derived from stereotypes, press, and themes in cinema that depicts Russian characters with serious faces. It is, therefore, essential to understand different cultures to prevent stereotypes and misunderstanding about specific cultures.
Emotion Expressions
Introduction
Countries have diverse cultures regarding their interpersonal skills. These interpersonal skills are vital because they enhance and maintain effective communication. The interpersonal skills involve nonverbal communication such as facial expression and body language. For instance, smiling is exhibited by all cultures but has different meanings to people depending on their culture.

Most people laugh and smile, but the extent of such emotional expressions is determined by the values and beliefs held by their respective communities. In America, smiling to strangers and in social places is often taken as a sign of warmness, and politeness. In fact, Americans are known to smile to guests and strangers. On the other hand, it is different in Russia because one should only smile for a reason. Thus, it is rare to find Russians smiling. The paper discusses different emotional expressions between the culture of the United States and those of Russia. Moreover, it examines the reasons why people from other countries think that all Russians are gird and not smiling at all.
Differences in Emotional Expressions between the American and Russian Cultures
There are differences in emotional expression between the Americans and Russians. The United States and Russia have a different view regarding smiles. In the United States, a smile is viewed as a sign of politeness, good reception, and acceptable behavior. The diversity of the American populations contributes to the sense of warmness to strangers leading to smiling. On the other hand, Russian culture dictates the one should smile for a reason. There are proverbs to support the perception,​“laughing for no reason is a sign of stupidity” (Khazan, 2016).
Furthermore, Russians do not expect smiles when greeting and communicating with public officers at public places. Public officers who act on behalf of the state feel that their social status is higher than that of ordinary citizens. Thus, public officers exhibit seriousness by not smiling. On contrarily, Americans expect smiles from public officers because it gives them a sense of security and confidence (Khazan, 2016). In the American culture, public officers are a representative of the state which makes the citizens feel equal. Thus, their behavioral patterns show that they are ready to assist and carry out their duties diligently. Therefore, smiles create an atmosphere of stability and peace which is essential in the public places where Americans meet the state.
The other difference between the Russian and American is the level of emotional control. Russians have high control of emotions to avoid being deceived using smiles by dishonest foreigners in business deals and politics (Bohm, 2018). Such high level of emotional control can reduce the expression and is often interpreted as an act of jeer. In fact, most believe Russians don’t smile, whether they are happy or not. On the other hand, Americans do not have control of their emotions making them to always smile for no reason. Therefore, the differing level of control between the Russians and Americans on emotion leads to differential expressions.
Moreover, the perception of facial expression by a particular culture results in differences in emotion expression among cultures. In America, a smile is seen as a sign of warmness and good reception. The perception has added to the integration of smiles as an essential aspect of the American cultures (Khazan, 2016). In contrast, Russians perceive people that smile as less in friendly. The less value attached to a smile reduces its use to express emotion in Russia. Therefore, the perception of emotion expression dictates its use in social places and beliefs.
The welfare of the country affects the behavior and shapes the beliefs of the citizens. If the government and its people are corrupt, people tend to smile less in comparison to the citizens of a free country with fewer embezzlements. In theory, popularized by Krys, people in a state where corruption is prevalent view smiles as trickery and mockery (Khazan, 2016). Cases of corruption and political instability in Russia is a factor that reduces smiling among the residents (Bohm, 2018). On the other hand, improved social welfare in America increases the emotion expression.
Reasons why Russians do not Smile
Cinemas and the press plays a crucial role in shaping the perception of the people about culture. Russian government always uses for their purpose (Bohm, 2018). So most of the Russians are affected by that. Eventually, the themes in movies are picked by the audience to define people and situations. The main character does not smile, and the audience takes the script as an accurate representation of the Russian population. Such movies have a worldwide audience, and they have led to the belief that all the Russians do not smile
People from other countries believe that serious facial expression is a Russian tradition of self-presentation. Politicians and business leaders are not required to smile to portray serious intentions and reliability in their actions. In general, all activities that are linked to state affairs and businesses require a person to be serious (Bohm, 2018). Individuals who have prominent positions in Russia should show that they understand the importance of their responsibilities and the seriousness of the problems to be solved. In such situations, smiling would indicate that the individual is careless and irresponsible and thus incredible for the position. Therefore, smiling by Russians during self-presentation should be for a specific reason.
There is an element of communicative failure when one culture does not find the element of their behavior pattern in another culture. The United States and other European nations suspect that Russians are moody and hostile because they do not smile at public places. On the other hand, Russians do not understand why strangers should smile at them. In most cases, Russians use smiles during personal communication. People from other countries believe that laughing or smiling in Russia is an indication of making fun of someone or something. Therefore, individuals sense mockery instead of greetings in the smiles. In most cases, the Russians may ask specific questions such as “Have I said something funny?” or “What is funny?” (Bohm, 2018). Thus, a smile to a stranger can be considered a sign of special favor and willingness to indulge in a personal relationship. Additionally, people from other countries consider smiling in Russia as an offensive act. Thus, when visiting someone who is experiencing hard times or deep sorrow you should not smile. Smiling indicates that one does not respect the other individual and does not care about their feelings.
Conclusion
The view that all the Russians do not smile is wrong, and it is based on incomplete information. Most people across the world are not aware of the Russian culture and are quick to point all the Russians do not smile. However, a careful analysis of the culture shows that smiling is not a sign of politeness in Russia. A smile is a genuine feeling which should occur as a result of a sensible reason. In other cultures, it is acceptable to smile to guests, strangers and as a social norm, which is not the case in Russia. Therefore, it is vital to conduct fact-finding about a culture to avoid stereotypes and learn to coexist with global cultures.
References
Bohm, M. (2018). Why Russians Don’t Smile. Retrieved from https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/why-russians-dont-smile-6672
Khazan, O. (2016). Why Some Cultures Frown on Smiling. Finally, an explanation for Bitchy Resting Face Nation. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/archive/2016/05/culture-and-smiling/483827/