Russian workers are going through smile training ahead of the FIFA World Cup to greet tourists. The games officially begin this Thursday, June 14, with 1.5 million expected tourists.
According to the BBC, Russians don’t really smile as much as other Europeans. They even have a proverb that loosely translates to “Laughing for no reason is a sign of stupidity.”
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Because of this, Russian employees in FIFA, Russian Railways, and Moscow Metro need some special smile training. They’re teaching the workers to smile in order to break the stereotype that the natives are unfriendly.