“Body language varies from culture to culture, but microexpressions—very brief flashes of emotion across the face—are universal. So the ability to read them can be an effective took for navigating cross-cultural situations. If you study the common ones, look for them in your counterparts, and effectively interpret them, you have a better chance of avoiding misunderstandings and building bridges with people from different parts of the world.” Read more about how to read people from different cultures here.
Context is always the most important element in my mind. Crossing arms is somewhat universally seen as defensiveness or disagreement, but the person could just be cold (critical context). This is fascinating stuff. Thanks for sharing