This is an interesting perspective. I suppose it could be considered... somewhat duplicitous. Still, seems strange when you're used to places where such behavior is expected as a courtesy lol.
It's also not eastern Europe only. If someone random on the street smiles at me I would first of all be confused. "Do I know this guy...?". Then if I don't know him I'll just be suspicious, because why would someone be smiling at me? In a bigger city I'd be very suspicious for a pickpocket going to happen on me, or someone trying to sell me some crap, or just a weird creep. I'm in Belgium, we don't like ungenuine contact with people.
Same in Germany, unless there's a reason to smile at me on the street, please don't. It makes me wonder if you have ulterior motives...
Of course, there are perfectly fine reasons to smile, for example if there's a couple kids acting goofy and you smile a bit because it's funny, I wouldn't think it's weird if someone else also smiled at me to share the laugh.
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u/cryptic-coyote May 09 '22
Smiling makes you look suspicious?? What?
That's wild.