Facial Expression And Culture

I have found that a major contrast between the (African) culture of my wife and my own culture lies in facial expression. But it is only in experiencing it that I have realised it at all. In my own (European) culture, we have a very common tendency to use facial expression for effect, or to play-act. We wince, we smile, we frown, we are bald faced, we put on a brave face, and so on -- but often this is one step removed from genuineness. In my wife's culture, this is far less the case. Facial expression tends to be tied to immediate emotional reality, and not to go beyond it. OBSERVATION: Something related, which took a lot of learning: in my wife's culture, facial expression often substitutes for words.