this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2023
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It’s definitely not normalized in the northern half of Europe.
I mean, I literally live in Norway, and I don't feel this. Sure, many people do struggle with depression and such, but it doesn't feel as if you're not allowed to be happy.
I’m not taking about not being allowed to feel happy. People who have a neutral facial expression aren’t all depressed and unhappy. Just like people who have a constant smile on their face are not all happy. For many Americans it’s the norm to constantly smile even when you are unhappy like when you greet people even when you just walk past some stranger on the streets. While in many places in Europe that would be seen as creepy where the neutral facial expression is normal. Like if you go into a store in the US especially one of a big corporate chain you get greeted by an employee with a fake big smile on their face. Which is not the norm in many places in Europe.
Well, if you talk about fake or performative smiles, then yes absolutely. But that wasn't what I thought this was about.
That's historically the protestant bit so that makes sense
How so?
Protestants are the sober ones vs the gold and gleeful catholics, very basically said.