Faces and words

Sohini's vocabulary is growing at an amazing rate, with multiple words new words added it seems, every day. What is even more amazing is her ability to read our expressions, the tone in our voices and even the subtlest gesture so well. It got me wondering about the innate human ability to respond to another human face. Well before infants even understand the concept of language, they know that a smile is usually returned with a smile, a frown means something is not right, and babies, just like dogs, can practically smell fear! By the grand old age of one, they know which expression or tone of voice means someone will cave in if they persist just a little longer, and which one means the other person is standing their ground.
This ability to read expressions and body language is amazing not only because it seems to be present innately almost from birth, but also because it highlights the challenges and joys of human communication throughout our lives. How may times has one heard a person we know well speak, but gotten the sense that what they are feeling is exactly the opposite of the content of their words? Since verbal language is a learned skill, it is much easier to manipulate and control. Body language on the other hand, occurs and is perceived at such an unconscious level most of the time, that one is aware of only the final impression and not the process of how it happens. Which begs the question, how does you use body language as an effective communication tool in professional and personal relationships when one usually is not even conscious of it?
I think the importance of this is missed in all the "educational/ developmental" books, toys and CDs that teach kids language skills. Most only emphasize the formal ABCD, basic descriptive words, and occasionally rhyme and poetry. What I wish is that they would show kids how different facial expressions send different messages. And not just the cartoon character type expressions but subtler emotions like contentment, disappointment, confusion and so on. I think this would help them recognize on a more conscious level what their face and those of others are communicating to the whole world. Same goes for tone of voice, and body postures (for instance leaning toward someone to imply closeness, and away to create distance).
It would also be important to show children how their thoughts are almost inevitably reflected on their faces and picked up by others around them. You may learn to lie with your words but it would take specialized counter-intelligence training to master lying with the rest of your body. This makes teaching the value of sincerity and integrity more logical and beneficial to healthy interpersonal communication. If your thoughts and body language are inexorably intertwined, then it makes it easier to understand why emotions like love, respect, compassion and empathy cannot be faked. Conversely, it also makes us recognize how we make someone else feel when are experiencing anger, contempt or disgust. This not only allows for better communication, but also for more self awareness. Call it a form of emotional intelligence training. I think it offers a much more effective way to help children understand the world around them, and give them useful interpersonal tools for an entire lifetime.