The idea of being separated by a common language applies to body language as well as English. As brought to my attention by our friend Hibernicus, Professor Dacher Keltner at UC Berkeley has identified particular facial expressions that allow him to distinguish with a high degree of success British from American people. The key is what he calls the "Duchenne smile", which involves the zygomatic major muscle and risorius muscle pulling the lower lip downward to expose the lower teeth. This is how British people smile, but not American people, who generally expose only their upper teeth. The resultant smiles are differently interpreted by the different cultures.


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