Brazil: Keep Smiling and Make Things Work

At the turn of the millennium, I spent three years working and living in Brazil. And honestly, it would be difficult for anyone not to fall in love with the country and the Brazilians.

Why? Well, simply visit Brazil and try not being struck by both its natural splendours and the warmth of everyday human interaction. For even in difficult circumstances, the default Brazilian response will be a smile, a joke, or a reassuring tudo bem (“all good”).

To outsiders, this may appear paradoxical. How can so much cheerfulness coexist with issues like social inequality, heavy bureaucracy, public safety concerns or political division?

Yet reducing this cultural trait to superficial optimism would overlook something extremely important. In Brazil, emotional warmth is not simply a personality trait; it is also a deeply rooted social practice, a form of resilience, and in many ways a collective survival strategy.

In Brazil, interpersonal warmth has been

elevated to a cultural value.

Historically, Brazil developed within strong social hierarchies, complex bureaucracy and profound inequality. In such contexts, people could not always rely on institutions alone. Relationships therefore became essential forms of navigation. Personal networks, emotional intelligence and social sensitivity often mattered as much as formal procedures.

Seen from this perspective, the unfailing Brazilian smile and the Brazilian jeitinho  - literally “finding a way” - are deeply connected. The jeitinho refers to the culturally valued ability to navigate obstacles through creativity, personal connection, emotional intelligence and informal problem-solving, especially when systems appear rigid or impersonal. Warmth, friendliness and the ability to create human connection therefore became much more than simple politeness; they became social resources.

Anyone who has ever spent time in Brazil would probably recognize the scene: at first, a tricky situation seems impossible to solve, until a relaxed conversation begins. Someone smiles, asks where you are from, makes a small joke, shows empathy for your situation and suddenly: a gente vai dar um jeito (“we’ll find a way”). The solution doesn’t come from strict procedure, but from goodwill, creativity and personal engagement.

This proverbial Brazilian ability to “make things work” is closely connected to the country’s emotional culture. A moment of personal connection is likely to achieve more than confrontation or insistence on formalities. In my own experience, the jeitinho is therefore not necessarily about ignoring rules; often it is about preventing systems from becoming inhuman. It reflects an instinct that at times, human realities deserve more attention than abstract procedures.

This also helps explain why Brazilians are often highly skilled at creating social ease. Better still:

A pleasant atmosphere is an actual cultural value in Brazil.

Brazilians are extraordinary hosts who will go out of their way to make guests feel welcome and comfortable.  And so: open confrontation, excessive bluntness or public embarrassment are preferably avoided because preserving the relationship matters more than “winning” an argument.

Exhibition on Dutch presence in Brazil, SESC Avenida Paulista, São Paulo - picture by author.

Of course, this cultural value also creates tensions. There is even a popular Brazilian expression: rir para não chorar – “to laugh so as not to cry.” The phrase captures the deeply rooted cultural logic that emotional harmony must be preserved at all costs. This social convention to remain positive at all times can result in emotional pressure. Some Brazilians have spoken to me about their fatigue of always needing to appear resilient, relaxed or cheerful even when facing exhaustion or frustration. Just like the social expectation to communicate softly or indirectly to protect harmony.

And this is precisely where intercultural misunderstandings appear. A key lesson about Brazil is that relationships and trust are built personally before they become contractual.

Taking time for conversation and demonstrating

genuine human interest

are not distractions from business;

they are part of the business process itself.

Yet for non-Brazilians doing business in Brazil, one of the most common mistakes is interpreting this personability as agreement. Your Brazilian counterpart may smile, show enthusiasm and maintain a positive tone while still having serious reservations.

In Brazil, friendliness is a prerequisite for doing business,

but not necessarily a commitment to it.

Another frequent misunderstanding concerns indirect communication. Expressions such as vamos ver (“we’ll see”) or a gente conversa (“we’ll talk”) can very well be polite ways of signaling doubt or even disagreement. Foreign professionals used to explicit communication can leave meetings believing a project is progressing smoothly while their Brazilian counterparts are certain they have voiced concern.

The reverse misunderstanding also happens. Professionals from more direct cultures risk coming across as cold, aggressive or disrespectful when focusing primarily on deadlines or providing unfiltered feedback. Transparency is an important Northern cultural value but in its classical, unabridged version, it is bound to come across as harsh and hurtful in Brazil.

Understanding this does not mean romanticizing Brazil or ignoring its complexities. Nor does it mean assuming all Brazilians communicate in the same way. Brazil is exceptionally vast and diverse and so we are looking at recurring cultural tendencies, not universal truths in every corner of this immense country.

But intercultural competence while doing business in Brazil begins precisely here, recognizing that:

Smiling and “making things work” are

the very expression of Brazilian efficiency.

ON-EQUAL-FOOTING takeaway

Different cultural values do not make international cooperation more difficult. Not recognizing them does.

Learning to navigate those differences  - and respond to them effectively - is at the heart of the intercultural training we offer at OEF!

Read the culture. Find your footing.

Slogan of the day