In the United States, we smile when we’re happy or when we want to covey warmth and friendliness to another. Because it comes so naturally to us when we’re happy, it’s easy to think of smiling as a universal human gesture. Not all cultures interpret smiles in the same way, however, and some may even take it as a sign of sadness.

In many Asian societies, smiling is viewed as a frivolous activity and indicates that you are not taking a situation seriously. According to the Retrospectacle neuroscience blog, this belief is so prevalent that Koreans are known for their common saying, “He who smiles a lot is not a real man.” Smiling is also used to convey embarrassment, sadness, confusion and even anger in Asian cultures and is used to smooth over awkward situations. In China, smiling in greeting is acceptable, but you should do so with your mouth closed, since a wide, toothy grin is often viewed as silly and a bit daft.

In Russia, it is considered impolite, suspicious and quite odd to smile at strangers. Scandinavians, on the other hand, use smiles to convey happiness with close friend and family but do so rarely because revealing your emotions is seen as a sign of weakness. In the United Kingdom, smiles are reserved to convey genuine happiness rather than friendliness and as such are worn much less often than smiles in America.

Because it communicates so much to others, it is important to take care of your smile and keep it healthy. It is also important when traveling to learn the customs in other countries so you can be sure your smile is saying what you think it is!