Originally Posted by Heathpack

Somebody telling you to smile (or indeed do anything) is rude. But smiling is not a weakness. It sets people at ease, builds rapport. For me at work, I also have to control conversations. Everyone has googled everything when they come in to see me with their pet, they think they've figured it out. If I didn't smile and have a nice way of saying "shut up, listen to what I say first and then if you have any questions we can talk about Dr. Google's opinion" I'd probably be out of business. Thankfully, 75% of these people understand what I'm saying once I go through it all and we don't have to involve Dr. Google.

I honestly don't care what a Slav or a Nord thinks of me. I don't live is Slavia or Nordica, so I'm not to interested in meeting someone else's cultural norms.