Smiles Across Borders: An Intercultural Journey
Monalisa's Smile
Estimated reading time 5 min
The Mona Lisa serves as a fascinating insight for ongoing intercultural reflections. Painted between 1503 and 1506 by Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian artist born in Tuscany, at a time when Italy was not yet unified, today, thousands of tourists from around the globe queue at the Louvre in Paris daily to see her.
A widely held belief, both in Italy and abroad, is that the Mona Lisa was part of Napoleon’s war spoils.
In reality, similar to the contemporary brain drain, Leonardo brought the painting with him to France and later offered it (either as a gift or for payment) to King Francis I of France.
Despite the historical data, the idea that the Mona Lisa is held hostage in France remains a recurring theme in the Italian imagination. This enduring misunderstanding, fueled by ancient rivalries between two “cousin” transalpine countries, has led to a veritable kidnapping of the Mona Lisa.
On August 21, 1911, at 11 in the morning, an alarm rang at the Louvre:
Mona Lisa had been stolen!
The ensuing investigation led to questioning Guillaume Apollinaire and Pablo Picasso, who were later exonerated.
But who was Mona Lisa with then?
A lengthy investigation followed, heightening the notoriety of the painting and the enigmatic smile of this woman immortalized four centuries earlier.
In 1913, a cryptic letter was sent to a Florentine art collector proposing the return of the Mona Lisa to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Through a clever ruse, the collector acquired the painting and confirmed its authenticity.
Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian decorator, emigrated to France, was identified as the thief and arrested.
When questioned, Peruggia defended himself by explaining that his intention was to bring the Mona Lisa back home. A patriotic gesture that ultimately resulted in a sentence of one year and 15 days, reduced to seven months and eight days.
As for the Mona Lisa, after a tour through Italian museums, she returned to the Louvre, where thousands of tourists ask daily:
What was she smiling about?
Thanks to Leonardo's technique of sfumato, Mona Lisa's smile appears enigmatic and difficult to interpret. Some see it as a sign of serenity and enthusiasm, while others perceive sadness, melancholy, and solitude. Others suggest that the smile may indicate the woman’s wisdom, spiritual enlightenment, or even a secret knowledge.
Have you ever wondered if your smile could be interpreted or even considered suspicious?
Intuitively, we might think that a smiling person is seen as open, competent, and pleasant. However, certain aspects of expressive behavior linked to emotions vary significantly across cultures.
In my approach to life, closely tied to my culture, I tend to greet my interlocutors with a smile and maintain that smile even during more serious conversations, such as a job interview. Honestly, I had never considered whether this attitude, which feels natural and authentic to me, could be open to interpretations - until I was confronted with a negative and hostile interpretation expressed through a rhetorical question: "Are you always like this?"
Indeed, my smile, in a situation perceived as stressful, was interpreted, as I later discovered, as a lack of engagement and a sign of unreliability. Fortunately, the final decision was made by a group of people, thereby diluting this interpretation within the broader context of evaluations.
Cultures can define different social behavior models, and consequently, different logics in nonverbal behavior and its social perception.
The other evening, I was reading Aldous Huxley’s Jesting Pilat: The Diary of a Journey, and a passage reminded me of this experience:
“You possess the genius of great seriousness, but I can both smile and remain grave.” In this text, written in 1925, through its writing, characterized by a sharp sense of humor (sometimes outrageous) and strong observational skills, it offers a critical analysis of the 1920s world, with profound reflections on culture and society.
The passage highlights the duality between the “great serious” and the ability to smile, suggesting that a critical view of life can coexist with a playful and ironic attitude. Huxley invites readers to consider the many facets of human experiences.
Paula Niedenthal, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, notes that both scientists and laypeople tend to distinguish only between genuine and false smiles, assuming that a smile not associated with happiness is false.
However, she emphasizes that people smile in various contexts and emotional states. Thus, limiting the definition of "genuine smiles" only to those associated with happiness restricts our understanding of this significant facial expression.1
I found the findings of Dr. Niedenthal's research group particularly interesting as they examined types of smiles and their perceptions in multicultural environments, especially distinguishing between societies with historically heterogeneous and homogeneous populations.
In homogeneous societies, common norms provide predictability in emotional interactions, reducing the need for nonverbal expressiveness.
In contrast, in heterogeneous societies, bodily and facial expressiveness is crucial for communicating intentions and trust among individuals with different emotional norms, thus highlighting the importance of heterogeneity over homogeneity in predicting smile approval across cultures.2
Numerous other studies confirm that positive perceptions of smiling individuals appear to be quite universal, yet anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise in some culture.
For instance, this article3 cites a Russian proverb that states smiling without reason is a sign of stupidity, while in Norway, it's suggested that if a stranger smiles at Norwegians, they might think the person is crazy. Similarly, in Poland, smiling at strangers may be seen as a sign of idiocy.
Without falling into cultural stereotypes, which often lead to prejudices and mistrust, I again quote Dr. Niedenthal:
"Simply explaining the existence of different types of 'genuine' smiles can help people pay more attention and avoid some of these misunderstandings."
I wish you all the joy of smiling whenever your heart dictates it, and may your authenticity never be questioned!
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https://ls.wisc.edu/news/researchers-crack-the-smile-describing-3-types-by-muscle-movement
Heterogeneity of long-history migration explainscultural differences in reports of emotional expressivityand the functions of smiles, Rychlowska et al.
Be Careful Where You Smile: Culture Shapes Judgments of Intelligence and Honesty of Smiling Individuals, Krys et al.
Great article! I love reflecting on cross-cultural differences (and similarities). The Adolf Huxley’s quote was so on point, too!
Very interesting! In the North of England people do smile to strangers and they even start a conversations whilst waiting for the bus.
I do notice significant differences between countries when I travel - the lack of smiles especially to customers is off-putting in some countries. In England, they teach people to smile even when on the phone. A simple smile makes for great customer service!