Facial expressions on movies vs real life

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I notice I seem to have an easier time looking at people's faces on TV than I do in real life.
Anyone else notice that same thing with themselves?

I'm thinking perhaps it is because I am a 3rd person observer, rather than having to be in a direct conversation with the person (or people) involved. That way I am not focused on what I need to say to them. And I also have the image put in front of me. (the picture on the TV screen) rather than having to generate my own.

So I'm just curious to see what each of you have to say about the matter.

Definitely. I would attribute the fact that I can look at people's faces easier on TV to simply knowing that they're not looking at me. Being a 3rd party observer is much less stressful than having to interact directly, of course.

That TV Psychic, John Edwards, said once on his show that he prefers television and watches so much of it because the faces or people are 'cold' as opposed to real life where he is bombarded with too much and is often overwhelmed by it, what he calls 'heat' but represents I suppose too many sensory impressions from them

Yes, reading facial expressions on movies and TV is easier for me too. The third party PoV is a major factor in this, as I get time to analyze the expression without feeling like I'm staring.

Another point is that very little that's shown in movies/TV is "real". Facial expressions don't necessarily match their "true" feelings, but instead they are what the actor and director think this and that feeling looks like. The expressions are often a bit exaggerated, even with good actors (and I don't mean just soaps). Acted facial expressions also most often follow the unwritten rules of culturally established facial expression library, so they're meant to be clearly recognized as the intended feeling. It's like a formal language with established grammar and vocabulary that you can study and analyze compared to the many dialects of "real" facial expressions.

Then there's the fact that I don't really have that much to compare it with in real life; I really feel like I don't know what "real" facial expressions look like; I can't picture them.

Yes - I can't necessarily "get" them (although this seems easier as well), but I definitely find it easier to watch.
Maybe because it's acted, it's not as complex as a true expression? (As well as exaggerated, I mean.)

It's also easier to look at people when their attention is not on me (not just when they aren't looking at me, but say, in a class or a store or something). That's when I look at people's eyes.

Yes, it's so much easier for me to pay attention to people on tv screen (whether non-fiction or actor-portrayed fiction), for multiple reasons.

I'm not expected to respond/react in any way, the person isn't perceiving my noticing him/her, and there's so much less (sensory, social factors) at play that I can focus on just the visual (or the sounds, if I'm listening more than watching).

The depiction on tv is simplified, the expression of emotion, and the choice of words-like "Cliff Notes" version where it's easier for me to "get it". I do understand complexity & subtlety, but don't always pick up on that, if I don't know to look for it, or am too anxious/stressed by other stimuli (which cloud my thoughts). Tv stuff is intended to communicate something, so it's crafted & edited to convey a particular message, which is easier to receive than the broad range of information contained in "real life" where things aren't selected out for one already. So, in a way, tv is like refined sugar or white bread-though I love both of those kinds of foods, and there is plenty of tv that is NOT just "junk food".
Sigh.

Real-life, in-person people are overwhelming & too much for me to process/absorb/remain mentally present for. There are a few exceptions, to some extent-the handful of folks who are close to me, know me, are familiar to & don't frighten me (my boyfriend & my counselors).

It is easier to read the emotions of fictional characters as they are seen in the context of a solid narrative. Character's faces are shown at moments when the emotions that they are meant to show are relevant (along with other cues, such as emotional background music). When in a room full of people, trying to hold conversations with real people, it is easier to get distracted and not notice the subtle nuances that denote changes in demeanour. And the stress of such contact may cloud the mind and make such deductions more difficult to achieve.

Most people shown on television, whether fictional or non-fictional, are directed to some degree and do not show the same level of unpredictability as people seen in the flesh.

Definitely better at reading the expressions of people on tv than in real life.