Before the iron curtain came down, I crossed the West German-East German border for some visits in Berlin. To pass the eastern border guards unhassled or at all, there were some informal rules to follow. Don´t smile, don´t laugh, don´t joke – it was no fun and not funny, just like this author describes:
On a Wednesday morning we walked across the Border at Checkpoint Charlie. We left the hustle and bustle of downtown West Berlin and (again) subjected ourselves to the East German border guards. One, who looked like Broom Hilda, got VERY agitated when Big Red had the temerity to smile.
The People In Gray
The iron curtain is gone. How about smiling?
"The subject’s expression should be neutral (non-smiling) with both eyes open, and mouth closed. A smile with a closed jaw is allowed but is not preferred," according to the guidelines.
…
Smiling "distorts other facial features, for example your eyes, so you’re supposed to have a neutral expression. … The most neutral face is the most desirable standard for any type of identification," said Angela Aggeler, spokeswoman for the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, which handles travel-document guidelines.
US smiles:
Smiling frowned upon in visa photographs,
UK smiles: Grins banned from passport pics and
Canadian smiles: New passport rules nothing to smile about
We left. Our overwhelming impression was that of Grayness. Lack of color. Lack of spirit. Lack of vitality. This place, East Germany, was a prison. The people were prisoners, and they knew it.
The East Germans finally let us out and the West welcomed us with a smile and a wave.
The People In Gray
This is not a face-recognition issue. Something deeper has changed. Why are we not allowed to smile?