We’ve all been there. A place where we can’t speak the language – so we smile. Because smiling is universal, right? It shows we’re friendly, want to connect, in fact, that we’re all round good guys.

Er, yes. And no. Smiling is universal, agreed. And in general people who smile make a good impression. But not always, not everywhere. A Russian student, after being interviewed by Americans, wanted to know what ‘all that smiling’ was about. Because ‘it’s just so insincere’. And in a recent study researchers found that although smiling people were seen as more intelligent in some countries (Germany and China for example), in others, such as Iran, they are judged less intelligent. And the title of the research study? ‘Do only fools smile at strangers’. Ouch.