Anne

Yes I strongly believe that there are places where people people smile more often!

Up to 6 months ago I rarely traveled fom my home in Maryland, until I got this new job in sales. Now I am on the road constantly and can not believe how different it is around the USA. Maybe it is regional culture, the commute, peoples genes, livestyle, ethnic break down, way of life or the way people were brought up; but in some places there are so many smiles!

My vote for the places with the most smiles: Minnesota, Tennessee, South Carolina, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

My vote for the places where I encounter the least smiles: Washington DC, Delaware, Rhode Island, San Francisco area and the worst: Miami.

Carlos

I think it is the stress of life. If you live in one of the those smiling places you mentioned maybe life moves slower and the commute is easier.

Just my ten cents.

Larry

I smile more when I am more relaxed. Your non smiling States are more urban and more stressful.

Jerry

Anne: If you smile at people in Rhode Island, most will smile back.

Southerner

I disagree that people only smile more where "life moves at a slower pace and the commute is easier" The city of Atlanta would completely defy that. It is very large and very urban. Atlanta is also ranked 3rd (sometimes even 2nd) in having the WORST traffic in the US and certainly has extrememly long commutes (not easier) and yet people there offer a smile all the time. You can be walking down the sidewalk in the middle of the busyy downtown area and unlike New York people are not pushing through the crowd head down, they are smiling even nodding Hi to others they pass (others they don't even know that is) BTW, I am not bashing New York, I actually love New York but I think every area has its good and bad points. New York is wonderful but one of its bad points is the "unfriendliness" and lack of smiles. Atlanta is not the greatest either. People smile and are friendly but the urban sprawl sure is ugly. No city is perfect, but it is true that in some places you just seem more smiles. IMO you usually see more in the southeastern areas.

Luther

I think people in the south, midwest and mountain states just have better quality lives and were brought up to smile.

hmm

just to play devil's advocate - is it at all possible that now that you are in sales, you are smiling a whole bunch more yourself (I know in sales they tell you best foot forward at all times, etc).

maybe they are smiling back?

Jane

Interesting observation Anne.

I have often noticed that so few people in Las Vegas smile. Seems everyone is hellbent on interacting with a slot machine or blackjack dealer....

Take a look at the faces of thousands of gamblers in casinos. Other than at a craps table, where vocalization is encouraged, the faces of gamblers are serious or blank.
Always reminds of those rat experiments where they addict the rats to cocaine and make them press a bar for more drug. The rats just fixate on that, over and over, endless repetition until they die.

The irony is that no one in the casino LOOKS like they're having fun.

Anne

I smile as a salesperson but in some parts of the USA few people smile back, vs other places they smile a lot.

Is there alot of smiles in your home town or places you have visited recently?

l

I have some business dealings with mental health professionals in different cities around the US. I find myself smiling everytime I speak to the folks in Dallas. They're accents or way of communicating just makes me feel good. I get in a nice mood when I'm talking to my Dallas contacts. When I visited they were all pleasant. I think even if they weren't being nice they still sound frieldnly. I'm heading to Houston soon and hope to have the same experience. Maybe the accent helps southerns get a "friendlier" reputation.

happy

I find the most smiles at any insane asylum. Must be the lithium.

Rex

Anne,

I must take issue with your comment, in particular the notion that Miami is sparse on smiles. As a long-time resident of Miami, I can attest to the fact that it has its pros and cons. However, it's people, whether they are Anglo or Caribbean, are warm and friendly. I'd like you to reflect back to what was on your face when you visited Miami, and these other cities. Frowns beget frowns.

Smiling from Miami,

Rex

suzanne

In NYC you don't want to randomly smile at a stranger...they'll think you're a psycho. And you don't want to return a smile - because THEY might be psycho, and latch on to you! It has nothing to do with being unfriendly.

beach bum

I've received plenty of vertical smiles in Miami since the introduction of the thong bikini.

Shel

Interesting thread.

Having lived in Idaho, Utah, Wash D.C., Paris, Moscow (Russia), and San Francisco, I have to say people smile so much more in Idaho and Utah than any of the other places I've been. After living there for a while, you smile too! At strangers on the road, in the mall, wherever. But then moving back to the bigger cities, it's a strange phenomenon but you lose your smile bit by bit, just because people don't smile as much in return.

I think it has to do with crowding. I prefer smiling, but there are some benefits to living in or near a big city, too.

Shelly

Lester

So do people smile more in smaller rural areas?

Red

You mean as opposed to 'large rural areas'?

Jennifer

I think the most smiles are in towns out of major metro area with 20,000 and 100,000 people. Small enough to have a nice less stressful live style but large enough so everyone is not into everyone elses business.

My vote for the places with the least smiles: Washington DC, lots of tough people who work 16 hours a day.

xxx

My vote for most smiles is Florida. I live in NY and love it, but Florida makes me happy whenever I visit.

suzanne

That's because in Florida they're all retired. Of couse they're smiling!!