As a certified white person, I can tell you what this means. It's not really a smile but basically a sigh with your face. It's a "smile" you'd give someone to say, This sucks, or this is a pretty boring situation, or something like that
Not really a smile, it's pursed lips. This is the barest minimum movement that can be used to acknowledge somebody without inviting conversation. It signals that you've seen the person, aren't an awkward weirdo who's going to duck behind a trashcan to pretend you haven't seen the person, and don't have the time/inclination to chit chat. Sometimes it's accompanied by raised eyebrows to mean something like "busy, busy, busy. Life, amirite?" Also sometimes a weird half-wave if you want to be nice and throw "hello" in there. Welcome to White People Communications 101, any other questions?
I more or less agree. Except whenever I use it, it's always has a sort of negative connotation. It's like a "this is painful". A face you'd make to someone when you have to wait in a line that's a little slow, or a busy day at work.
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