On the other hand, by defining the default behavior as "smile", if somebody looks unhappy, you can actually tell that something is wrong. When the default expression is "gloom", it's impossible to separate "default gloom" from "actually unhappy."
... Gorbachev's success in the West is based on the fact that he became the first Soviet leader who smiled to people in public. Many [Americans] perceived [Gorbachev] as a person who was open to communication and therefore not dangerous.
So how exactly does a smile in America "not mean anything really" when it allows Americans to distinguish people in their society who are open to communication from those who aren't? That's a very clear social function, full of meaning if you ask me.
TL;DR: in American society, smile serves two functions: (1) to express emotion of happiness/satisfaction, (2) to signify that one is "open to communication, while in Russian society the role of smile is exclusively tied to (1). Failure to perceive the dual-purpose role of smile can lead a Russian to conclude that smile has no function at all in American society (not "meaningful"). Similarly, failure to perceive the singular role of smile in Russian society, can lead an American to incorrectly conclude that all Russians are "closed to communication."
This is much like how midwestern and southern visitors perceive northeastern cities in the US. Although I've found strangers in Boston perfectly accommodating, they tend to be rather less ebullient about it than elsewhere in the US.
Well, this is all anecdotal, so these are my observations as a Soviet-born, Israeli-raised, now-American.
Even polite smiles are still polite and show concern for the emotions of the other.
When Russians glower at me and talk in their cynical, biting tone I feel as if they don't care about me or my feelings and aren't interested in a positive emotional exchange.
Russians suck all the life out of rooms with their frowns and sarcasm.
But it's also important to note that this is an expectation of your culture — it's not as obvious to me that smiling all the time is necessarily a "happiness" thing. Surely you must be aware of the stereotypes that are held by other cultures of Americans?
The fact that you see Russians as people who suck the life out of the room, just suggests to me that you are projecting your expectations of societal norms on other societies — where they don't necessarily fit.
Reading & listening beyond the obvious expression may be more valuable than just taking it at "face value".
That said, the smile is probably more useful as a default than a glower or frown. At least it does seem to present a willingness to open dialog. People are more likely to approach someone who is smiling at them, than someone who is sending them an icy look.
Most people live very shallow, materialistic, egotistical, narcissistic lives. They also smile to seem happy, friendly, and desirable. It does not represent the real person inside.
Take what you have written: it's judgmental, borderline racist, and narcissistic.
There is little chance that you are truly enjoying life, except in the typical / selfish ways (I'm not that much different).
No one can "suck all the life out of a room." If their behavior affects you in such a way, it is only so because you require / desire perceived positivity from the rest of the world. It's like a drug / an opiate that keeps you from screaming inside.
Also, in a topic like this where we're examining differences between cultures, it's pretty implicit that we're speaking generally. If that's racist, any cultural examination is racist.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smile-it-co...
Your body sends out the same endorphins when fake laughing or laughing for real. You are right that there is a decent amount of research showing this.
What happened to neutral? Isn't it a false dichotomy to presuppose that you can only have one or the other.