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Body language can be a dead giveaway of where you’re from. People can tell whether you’re from Australia or the U.K. by the way you smile. They can tell whether you’re from China or Egypt by the way you count using your fingers. And they know whether you’re American or German depending on how you express sympathy.

But when it comes to expressing negative emotions, our body language might be much more universal than we realize. The proof is in a single facial expression that crosses over cultures and languages around the world: the “not face.”

It’s A Small World When It Comes To

Photo caption: The facial expression for “that’s not a good idea” is the same across native speakers of English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and American Sign Language.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Ohio State University