7 American Smiles That Spark Confusion Abroad And What They Really Mean

Why Flashing Your Pearly Whites Overseas Can Get You Misread as Flirty, Fake, or Just Plain Weird

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Image Created by the Author and Dall-E

Have you ever smiled at someone abroad and gotten a look like you just insulted their mother?

I have. More than once.

There was the time in Kyiv when I smiled at a stern-faced woman while boarding the tram. She didn’t smile back.

She narrowed her eyes, looked me up and down like I was trying to sell her an old Soviet life insurance policy, then turned away with a huff.

In Sofia, I smiled at a barista in a cozy café while ordering a coffee and was promptly served with the kind of efficiency usually reserved for war zones.

No chit-chat. No nod. Just caffeine and contempt.

Even in Corfu, where I figured the Greek sunshine might make things more cheerful, my smile earned me a squint and a muttered comment I’m pretty sure wasn’t a compliment.

It turns out, my all-American habit of smiling like I’m hosting a game show doesn’t always translate.