They found that the Americans they tested were also strangely good at spotting who was Japanese and who was Japanese-American, even though they were all ethnically the same. The subjects wore the same clothes, and were lit in the same way. When the two groups held neutral expressions, people could barely differentiate between them. But when they showed their feelings, especially sadness, something from Japan or America seemed to emerge.
I wonder what they'll find when they look at actors. Are actors better at mimicking these mannerisms? How well do they mimic different cultures after a little watching/listening?
I can do this. I live in a ZIP Code in Austin which is majority Hispanic. I've lived here for so long that I can tell an illegal from a native simply by the way they walk, look around and carry themselves. It's completely non-verbal. Astonishes my wife.
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