One thing that probably every other person that comes to the states for the first time will agree on is that people here SMILE a lot. Whether they are in a good mood or not, whether you have ever met, no matter how old they are or what they do for a living, American folks will greet you with a smiiiiiiile:
It seemed strange at first and caught me off guard, I was confused and didn't know how to react or to respond. My thoughts were:
Do I know you?Do I look funny?Is my nose clean?Is my hair alright?Do they know I'm not from here?etc etc etc
But the further I go, the more I get used to it and even expect it now. I even smile more often myself. And I like it. Who said we need a reason to smile? Go ahead, take a smile!
Borrowed from here