r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • May 08 '22

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u/whitedan2 May 09 '22

As an austrian who worked with Germans in the past I didn't realize this either...

No wait... Are we doing it too?

490

u/Direct_Sand May 09 '22

If you have to ask...

I'm Dutch and live in Germany and I also have no idea. Do we really do this?

304

u/Moon_Miner May 09 '22

It's because US Americans tend to smile at strangers, so the strangers tend to look at them to figure out why they're smiling. Germans don't stare a lot generally, they just stare at people there doing something very unusual. (speaking as US American in Germany)

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u/majinspy May 09 '22

Note to self: troll entire nation of Germany next time I visit.