There is a medical myth， that it takes fewer muscles to make a smile than it does to make a frown. I think this research is flawed. Perhaps it didn’t include Chinese people.I agree that many Chinese look unhappy， but I decided that they were just relaxed， when the muscles to change the expression are not used at all. For many cultures， this can send a different message. My best example is Thailand， which is well known as the Land of Smiles. The natural relaxed face of most Thai is closer to a smile than a frown. They also use smiling as a passive way of showing welcome and friendliness a lot.But what of other cultures? The British can be quite negative and pessimistic. The older generation also have poor teeth， so they politely keep their mouth closed unless talking or eating. A common British statement is“I have nothing to be happy about”.And the Chinese?Self-consciousness: I think Chinese are not so aware of themselves. China has many people， so they grow up with an internal ability to accept they are not alone， and can block-out the presence of others around them. This is most evident when they are driving， on public transport， or on the mobile phone.If they do not consider that others are watching， their behaviour， and their facial expressions reflect their inner detachment with society.Cultural hiding of real feelings: Smiling is associated with contentment and happiness. There is much more daily negotiation in China， so everyone keeps hidden their true feelings， to avoid sending any message that they are happy with the price， or the service， for fear that they will be taken advantage of.I often jokingly think that it is in the job description of the average Chinese boss to look miserable. Some CEO’s are advised never to smile in photos because， the next time they announce bad company results or bad news， the media will publish a library picture of them smiling next to the article of negative performance.False or natural: It is common for people to force a 1 smile; Sometimes this is through arrogance， or deception. It is a valuable life skill to detect whether a smile is genuine or not. Think of air hostesses when you enter or exit the plane.Frustration: It is very difficult for individuals to change anything in China. Nearly all decisions come from the leaders; either government or work bosses. This undervalues individuals and they live with the feeling ‘Nothing I can say or do will change anything’. This leads to a resigned attitude of living without effect. They feel only small control over their future destiny. They think only people with money can change their life， so this becomes their motivation. Fit in with the system， but work hard to earn more. But time and again， it is proved that money does not bring happiness.Stress: High stress of the big cities can be such that people need to focus and concentrate only on what is important to them. This reflects in their faces， accepting a difficult life， a constant struggle to survive and hopefully get ahead of the others.Exceptions: Every face is unique. This is often how we recognise each other. Faces are different between north and south; between young and old; between healthy and hardlife; between beauty and ugly.But visual beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some prefer Rembrandt and others Van Gough. It is a good thing that there are so many personal differences in tastes and preferences.