The way you dress, say words, use gestures, handle utensils, show facial expressions and establish physical distance from the recipient are just some of the many forms of non-verbal communication. Communication and culture are closely intertwined. Your parents and other people you associate with teach nonverbal communication. Some of the other behaviors are very common in society. Studies show that most people smile when they are happy and frown when they are sad. However, most nonverbal queues are disconnected from commonly used verbal queues. Gestures accepted in one culture (such as the thumbs-up gesture) may be seen as inappropriate in another culture. When communicating in multicultural environments, it is important to remember that expressions and gestures will have different meanings. Conducting proactive research into current cultures will help receivers and listeners understand nonverbal communications. Active listening is a great thing to do to ensure that recipients are listening, but without education about cultural stereotypes