People smile and laugh during their first meeting with others. It appears that they have known each other for a long time. People display pictures of their wives and children in their offices. To my surprise, many folks carry pictures of their loved ones with them all the time. They are eager to share those pictures even with a person they have just met.
Informality reflects a value of mainstream U.S. culture.
In many other culture, formality is valued. The Mexican, Chinese, Asian Indian, South American, and Arab cultures are more formal . Mainstream Americans share several cultural values with Europeans but when it comes to the value of informality , the U.S. is not continental. People from France, Germany and England also value formality . For many years, I did not have enough courage to display pictures of my wife and children in my office.