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Russians do not teach their children to smile at people to be polite or for any other reason, so smile only comes as a genuine emotion. But Americans do, and not just smile, but also show teeth. I'm not sure why though, probably has something to do with dental advertisements.

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Which is unnatural when you think about it, showing teeth is interpreted by most animals as a sign of aggression.

I remember reading that if you smile at strange kids (or dogs), don't show your teeth, they'll get scared or agitated. Similarly, if you are e.g. greeting a small child, squat so that you are eye level with them - kids (and dogs) hate when somebody huge is hanging over them.

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