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It's the other heroin. People can't get off the stuff, and it's everywhere. In about 2012 I visited Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, which was until recently al

It's the other heroin. People can't get off the stuff, and it's everywhere. In about 2012 I visited Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, which was until recently allegedly the self-reported "happiest nation on earth". I found it extremely weird that everyone was perfectly dressed and all the interiors were spotless, but nobody was smiling. It was like I had walked on to the set of some kind of dystopian movie. Mentioning this to an American woman who appeared and who had been resident there for some time, she simply laughed and leaned closer. "It's because they're all on antidepressants!"

vanderZwan 9y ago
> "It's because they're all on antidepressants!" Well, in the same period I have lived next to Copenhagen for three years (in Malmö) and this does not match my experience of the city nor the country in general in the slightest. Perhaps you visited near the end of winter, or when spring just started and the sun hadn't fully returned? The long winters can suck out the energy of anyone near the end of them, but during every other part of the year the Danes I know are a very cheerful bunch. More likely though, I think it's a different attitude towards smiling itself. In the US it seems like much more of a social thing: aside from spontaneous, genuine smiles, there is also smiling as part of how you present yourselves to others, almost like a form of politeness. That doesn't apply to European cultures.
projektir 9y ago
I'm not a huge fan of anti-depressants, but this is just silly. Smiling lots is mostly a cultural difference and Americans seem to be the odd ones out there, not the other way around.
- contingencies 9y ago
  Well, it's a true story. Silly is assuming I'm American. I'm an Aussie/Kiwi/German resident in China, and at the time of the story I had just crossed over from Germany, who aren't exactly known for unbridled displays of west coast US optimism either.
  - projektir 9y ago
    Someone's personal perception of things is not a "true story". Generally, it's not anyone's place to try to assess how happy a person is from what they look like on the outside. Suicidal people may look perfectly happy on the outside, and perfectly happy people can sport very impressive RBFs. You referenced an American in your story, and they're the only group I've ever really heard complaining about people in other countries not smiling enough, so my assumption is hardly silly. I don't know if Australia shares the same quirk, given that Australia borrows a LOT from the US culturally, are you sure you didn't pick that stuff up from the US? And I'm not sure why the Germans didn't bother you but the Danes did, that doesn't really add up.

vanderZwan 9y ago

> "It's because they're all on antidepressants!" Well, in the same period I have lived next to Copenhagen for three years (in Malmö) and this does not match my experience of the city nor the country in general in the slightest. Perhaps you visited near the end of winter, or when spring just started and the sun hadn't fully returned? The long winters can suck out the energy of anyone near the end of them, but during every other part of the year the Danes I know are a very cheerful bunch. More likely though, I think it's a different attitude towards smiling itself. In the US it seems like much more of a social thing: aside from spontaneous, genuine smiles, there is also smiling as part of how you present yourselves to others, almost like a form of politeness. That doesn't apply to European cultures.

projektir 9y ago

I'm not a huge fan of anti-depressants, but this is just silly. Smiling lots is mostly a cultural difference and Americans seem to be the odd ones out there, not the other way around.

contingencies 9y ago
Well, it's a true story. Silly is assuming I'm American. I'm an Aussie/Kiwi/German resident in China, and at the time of the story I had just crossed over from Germany, who aren't exactly known for unbridled displays of west coast US optimism either.
- projektir 9y ago
  Someone's personal perception of things is not a "true story". Generally, it's not anyone's place to try to assess how happy a person is from what they look like on the outside. Suicidal people may look perfectly happy on the outside, and perfectly happy people can sport very impressive RBFs. You referenced an American in your story, and they're the only group I've ever really heard complaining about people in other countries not smiling enough, so my assumption is hardly silly. I don't know if Australia shares the same quirk, given that Australia borrows a LOT from the US culturally, are you sure you didn't pick that stuff up from the US? And I'm not sure why the Germans didn't bother you but the Danes did, that doesn't really add up.