Do you think you can judge a person good by their face?

Question

How so?
Why does the face and eyes reveal so much about not only a person's intellect, but attitude as well as just overall character?
I also think that a person can look totally different sometimes depending on their level of character (kind, good,honest vs. selfish arrogant, and decietful) which can many times be half and half.

Why is this??? How are you able to determine so much from a persons face?

AND YOU CAN ALSO TELL A LOT ABOUT A PERSON BY THEIR ANSWERS.

Answer 1

Ever been conned by a baby-faced salesman? Catch yourself listening more attentively to the handsome politician than to the homely one? Admit it: You've been taken in by appearances more often than you want to believe. But don't worry, you're not alone. Judging a person by his or her face is an innate human trait, stretching back to well before the first Cro-Magnon moved into a Neanderthal neighborhood and wondered if the big-browed lunks were as dumb as they looked.
There is strong evidence, in fact, that humans are hard-wired for face reading, for trying to find what Shakespeare called ``the mind's construction'' in the turn of a lip, the quality of a complexion, the width of a forehead.

To keep things clear, please note that there are two forms of face reading. One is an instinctual human skill with some credibility and an unfortunate tendency to get misapplied; the other is out and out hogwash. The instinctual form of face reading stems from an ancient human need to determine the gender, age, race, emotional state, and physical and mental health of an individual, says Leslie Zebrowitz, a professor of psychology at Brandeis University. At this level, face reading is neither mystical nor especially impressive. All healthy humans are good at distinguishing children from adults, the robust from the weak, the sad from the happy, the ladies from the gentlemen. No big deal.

We usually want to know much more about people, however, and we frequently don't have enough objective information on which to base a sound judgment. So we go to a cocktail party and wing it. We look at a face and think we can tell if a person is honest, kind, intelligent, and might make a good dinner companion. Our basis for striking up a conversation is often how comely or open-faced that person is. And that, says Zebrowitz, author of a fascinating new book called Reading Faces, is where we get into trouble.

It would be great if we were always wrong about our instincts. Then face reading could be roundly condemned as archaic hooey, like phrenology or entrails analysis. Unfortunately, because a face can convey legitimate, if basic, information about an individual, we tend to give face reading more credence than it deserves, Zebrowitz says. Although mental or physical illness can be apparent on one's face, humans often overgeneralize what they see. Harmless irregularities in facial features of perfectly normal people can resemble those associated with mental or physical illness but have nothing to do with a person's health. A dead-wrong prejudice can result.

Which is bad enough. But then there is the other, totally bogus form of face reading, which confuses matters further and gives the gullible even more reason to dwell on facial features as a window to the soul. Widespread in Asia, face-reading-as-fortune-telling also has a significant following among New Agers in the United States. Called physiognomy, characterology, or personology, it is really just a variation on palm reading: An adept takes your money, checks out your mug, and says flattering and mysterious things about you. However skilled such practitioners are at attracting clients, it goes without saying that judging a person's fate by the distance between his eyebrows or the angle of her chin is nonsense.

Even if we steer clear of such sideshow scams, however, we all remain prone, says Zebrowitz, to our ingrained inclination to read faces -- and this can deeply influence us and those around us. We pay attention to well-proportioned faces in advertisements, coo when we look at a baby's face, and defer to classical beauty wherever we encounter it. It is what makes supermodels rich and celebrity worship so dominant. And it can steer us very wrong.

Several years ago, Zebrowitz studied the faces of individuals involved in cases in small-claims court in Boston. Baby-faced people prevailed more often than those with more mature faces, leading Zebrowitz to theorize that the hallowed right to stand before the bar of justice, face one's accusers, and look a jury in the eye might actually be an impediment to justice. Personal appearance, it seems, can get in the way of the facts.

And ``faceism,'' as Zebrowitz terms it, doesn't occur only in a courtroom; it is pervasive. Our problem is that we act as if this is not the case. We talk about judging people on merit, on the content of their character, when far too often we unthinkingly default to our face prejudices, favoring the handsome and shunning the homely. To deny that we do it, Zebrowitz says, is to allow superficial biases to rule our experience.

Attractive people get more job offers than unattractive ones, are handled more deferentially in encounters with police officers, and rise higher in society, Zebrowitz says. This is both the result of society's reaction to people judged attractive -- the ``attractiveness halo effect,'' she calls it -- and a self-fulfilling prophecy loop that comes into play. A baby-faced person and an attractive person may end up acting the way an adoring audience thinks they should act.

We don't have to just sit back and let the babes of the world run roughshod over us, however. Parents, teachers, and the media can be aware of facial stereotyping and try to get beyond it. ``It's long been known that people judge each other by appearance,'' Zebrowitz says. ``What I'm saying is, `Can we have some principles about this?' ''

Zebrowitz is worth listening to. When I met her, I knew she would be worth listening to. She has a pleasantly attractive face that, to my eye, indicates she is analytical, incisive, and interesting. I'd also read her book.

Answer 2

You kidding yourself. You can't tell anything from just looking at a persons face. You sound like a very young person to even think such a thing. Why is it that so many young people believe they have a secret that no one else has discovered in all the time man has been on earth, this little guy or gal has found something that no one else has. Get serious kiddie. No, you can't tell a lot from a persons face. It's what's in their heart or you can say their soul that counts. A person can have a mean looking face and be the nicest person you've ever met. Stop, listen and learn...

Answer 3

Yes I think that you can judge a person good by their face. I always look deep into someone's eyes when I talk with them If they look back and hold eye contact, I have learned that this is a good person, and, probably one I could trust. A person with shifty eyes, or someone who looks down when they talk to you on the otherhand, has proven to be deceitful and dishonest.

Also, the face reveals a lot. If you smile at someone, and they return the smile, I think that they are an open person. I think that they are friendly. However, after smiling, if you are only greeted with a blank stare, step back. This person is non approachable, or probably has something to hide.

They say the eyes are a window to one's soul. I believe this to be true. Ever looked at the pictures of wanted criminals in the post office? Try it, and, take a good hard look at their eyes and facial expressions!

Answer 4

All I can see is where the age lines fall. Worry lines across the forehead, smilers lines around their mouths and eyes (crows feet) and that's about all I can read. I used to believe in body language and still think it's useful but only with people who know nothing about body language! As for faces, Bill Clinton, the next president's husband of many years, convinced me that I cannot read a person's face. Especially when they're lying! So I admire you for looking and finding things that you trust to reveal
character etc. etc. But as for me, no soap! I'm a washout! Good Luck! @8-)

Answer 5

It is easy to tell a lot of things about a person by looking at his face specially if they manifest extreme characteristics eg an alcoholic or a moron or a drug addict etc...it is easily detectable.

In other cases where the characteristics are milder it may be more difficult, but not impossible , given time.

Customs officers are trained to read the demeanour of people.So if you are trained it is easier.

Shakespeare was wrong because today there is a trained art and skill to find 'the mind's construction on the face,'.

Answer 6

We tend to make judgements on people by how they look but it can be a fatal mistake to do so as a lot of victims could tell you if they were still alive.

Con men wouldn't be able to con you if they looked `dodgy` you wouldn't trust your children with an abuser if you could tell what they were just by looking at them.

I believe our instincts are better judges of people than our eyes are. I have often disliked or felt uncomfortable with a person for no particular reason ( they look respectable and are polite) and later found out my misgivings have been correct . I now listen to my instincts every time no matter what the person looks like.

Answer 7

There are experts who do this, they are more than 90% correct, out of the balance 10% it is a pure permutation and combination.
e.g if there is a small patch of water, and the ground appears wet, it can be interptreted as

1- Some one poured a bucket of water.
2- someone (human/animal) urinatred
3- some rain drops fell on the few spots

the list is more.

There are other experts who can do handwriting analysis,
(funny) breast analysis - who can say whether the lady will have a boy or a girl or both

palm analysis
heel analysis

etc.

Most of them are more than 90% true.

WHAT A WIERD WORLD ISNT IT ?

Answer 8

I think you can not correctly predict someone's inner self with just the look.

But you can tell a lot by observing their expressions and eye movement.

I think the reason is similar to the animal world. When a dog is happy, it wiggle it's tail, when it is hurt or submission, it's tail between the leg.

These physical expression is an visual communication with other in the group. Social animals communicate not only by sound, scent and gestures including facial expression. These are developed through the old days. Babies can recognizes facial expressions as soon as they start to see.

Answer 9

You can't judge a book by it's cover,
or so they say.
Frankly, most of the people I've met
in my lifetime, turn out to be just what
they look like.

Answer 10

Hi Chris

It is because all of your senses are feeding constant information back to your brain & assessing & evaluating all the data in milliseconds ... this enables you to pick up any minute signals without concious thought but gives you what you might call your gut instincts imediately, & then you say 'hello' ... or not as the case may be ....