From key concepts and values, Malaysia is a high context society. This means that Malaysians are more likely to rely on implicit communication rather than explicit messages. For most Malaysians, what is meant matters more than what is actually said. In Malaysia, meaning is usually communicated indirectly. As a result, Malaysians are likely to agree to things with which they disagree, allowing the context of the discussion or past relationship to convey their disagreement. Face is a vital element of Malysian culture, the concept of face. In Malaysian society to 'lose face', that is to lose control of one's emotions or to show embarrassment in public, is perceived as a negative display of behaviour. Malaysians will use a number of methods in order to 'save face'. Laughter is sometimes used to mask one's true feelings. Saving face is particularly crucial in business contexts as causing your Malaysian counterpart to lose face may influence the outcome of your future business dealings. Fatalism is the belief that success, failures, opportunities and misfortunes result from fate or the will of God. When formulating ideas and making decisions in a business context, Malays, who are predominantly Muslim, will tend not to rely on empirical evidence or hard facts, but prefer to be guided by subjective feelings combined with the Islamic faith, since feelings and emotions play a significant part in their business culture. Consequently, negotiations may take longer than expected and your Malaysian counterparts will view decision-making in a more personal light.