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Physiognomy: Difference between revisions
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There have also been many scientific studies linking physical appearance with certain personality/character traits above chance, though most researchers shy away from using the term 'physiognomy' explicitly. | There have also been many scientific studies linking physical appearance with certain personality/character traits above chance, though most researchers shy away from using the term 'physiognomy' explicitly. | ||
More tangible results are described below, but none of them have effect sizes large enough that one could assume them to be consistently accurate in actual lived experience. However, proponents of modern physiognomy argue that making decisions based on even a small correlation is superior to doing so based on no information. The chances of making a correct prediction increase as certain traits stack on top of each other. | More tangible results are described below, but none of them have effect sizes large enough that one could assume them to be consistently accurate in actual lived experience. However, proponents of modern physiognomy argue that making decisions based on even a small correlation is superior to doing so based on no information. The chances of making a correct prediction increase as certain traits tend to stack on top of each other. | ||
Regardless of the validity of physiognomic judgments in general, people frequently make very severe and swift judgments based on stereotypes and perceived physiognomic characteristics. As there appear to be genuine associations between appearance and actual behavior (however weak these associations are), the natural human tendency to 'judge a book by its cover' likely has adaptive value. This tendency helped ancestral man avoid potentially dangerous situations (or choose particularly suitable sexual partners or allies) in his evolutionary past. These cognitive heuristics based on superficial appearance would likely have lead to higher [[reproductive success]] for those that acted on them for long enough that this judgmental tendency was bred into the human gene-pool over time. | Regardless of the validity of physiognomic judgments in general, people frequently make very severe and swift judgments based on stereotypes and perceived physiognomic characteristics. As there appear to be genuine associations between appearance and actual behavior (however weak these associations are), the natural human tendency to 'judge a book by its cover' likely has adaptive value. This tendency helped ancestral man avoid potentially dangerous situations (or choose particularly suitable sexual partners or allies) in his evolutionary past. These cognitive heuristics based on superficial appearance would likely have lead to higher [[reproductive success]] for those that acted on them for long enough that this judgmental tendency was bred into the human gene-pool over time. | ||