and why are we so expertly adept to reading body language and facial expressions?
Are we?
The illusion of transparency is a tendency for people to overestimate the degree to which their personal mental state is known by others. Another manifestation of the illusion of transparency (sometimes called the observer's illusion of transparency) is a tendency for people to overestimate how well they understand others' personal mental states. This cognitive bias is similar to the illusion of asymmetric insight.
Illusion of Transparency: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusion_of_transparency
As an interesting side note it's good to mention that it takes more muscles and energy for us to frown than to laugh,
I have to be skeptical that this is real research, On the other hand, negative emotion can be identified by how it drains your energy. (Like, wake up and go energy, not mystic psychic energy.) The larger part of early esoteric practice involves becoming aware of them, observing them over time, and finally disconnecting from them as much as possible. Essentially a very long and dedicated practice of mindfulness.
of course it also matters what words you use when talking to yourself, it does matter whether your inner voice is talking like a victim or like a winner.
Richard Bandler once suggested that all men should hear this in their head when they unzip their pants to pee. Richard Bandler is, of course, awesome.
R.E.: The rest of your post. I'm an autotelic. So, pffft. :)
An autotelic person needs few material possessions and little entertainment, comfort, power, or fame because so much of what he or she does is already rewarding. Because such persons experience flow in work, in family life, when interacting with people, when eating, even when alone with nothing to do, they depend less on external rewards that keep others motivated to go on with a life of routines. They are more autonomous and independent because they cannot be as easily manipulated with threats or rewards from the outside. At the same time, they are more involved with everything around them because they are fully immersed in the current of life
RE: Language, Smiles, Power And Empathy