The enduring appeal of physiognomy: Physical appearance as a sign of temperament, character, and intelligence.

Collins, Alan F.

doi:10.1037/1093-4510.2.4.251

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 70 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Claims about the accuracy of personality inferences based on faces date back to ancient times and have been associated with the pseudoscience of physiognomy (Collins, 1999). Although the claims of the latter have been largely discredited, there has been renewed interest in questions about accuracy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Misleading First Impressions

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Studies on first impressions from facial appearance have rapidly proliferated in the past decade. Almost all of these studies have relied on a single face image per target individual, and differences in impressions have been interpreted as originating in stable physiognomic differences between individuals. Here we show that images of the same individual can lead to different impressions, with within-individual image variance comparable to or exceeding between-individuals variance for a variety of social judgments (Experiment 1). We further show that preferences for images shift as a function of the context (e.g., selecting an image for online dating vs. a political campaign; Experiment 2), that preferences are predictably biased by the selection of the images (e.g., an image fitting a political campaign vs. a randomly selected image; Experiment 3), and that these biases are evident after extremely brief (40-ms) presentation of the images (Experiment 4). We discuss the implications of these findings for studies on the accuracy of first impressions.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Misleading First Impressions

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The concept of physiognomy was revived in the late 18 th century by Johan Kaspar Lavater, and later gave rise to a related pseudoscientific theory, phrenology, popularized by Franz Josef Gall. Both theories have a troubled history, as they have been used to justify racial discrimination as well as eugenic theories 75,76 . While physiognomy in its original formation has been largely debunked, modern studies have found correlations between facial width-to-height ratios and aggressive tendencies and behaviors 77 , with regrettable renewed efforts in using machine learning approaches to detect such correlations raising serious ethical concerns 78,79 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shared heritability of face and brain shape distinct from cognitive traits

Naqvi

Sleyp²,

Hoskens³

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Evidence from both model organisms and clinical genetics suggests close coordination between the developing brain and face1–8, but it remains unknown whether this developmental link extends to genetic variation that drives normal-range diversity of face and brain shape. Here, we performed a multivariate genome-wide association study of cortical surface morphology in 19,644 European-ancestry individuals and identified 472 genomic loci influencing brain shape at multiple levels. We discovered a substantial overlap of these brain shape association signals with those linked to facial shape variation, with 76 common to both. These shared loci include transcription factors with cell-intrinsic roles in craniofacial development, as well as members of signaling pathways involved in brain-face crosstalk. Brain shape heritability is equivalently enriched near regulatory regions active in either brain organoids or in facial progenitor cells. However, brain shape association signals shared with face shape are distinct from those shared with behavioral-cognitive traits or neuropsychiatric disorder risk. Together, we uncover common genetic variants and candidate molecular players underlying brain-face interactions. We propose that early in embryogenesis, the face and the brain mutually shape each other through a combination of structural effects and paracrine signaling, but this interplay may have little impact on later brain development associated with cognitive function.

show abstract

“…On phrenology and French alienists, see Verstraete 2005. On the lasting importance of the physionomical tradition in theories on idiocy, see Collins 1999. using conventional methods of education (Voisin, in Bourneville 1891, 256-262;Voisin 1843, 24). 14 As for Séguin, he continued his work on the outside and founded a small school where he could pursue his interest in education.…”

Section: Schools Educational Methods and Ideals Inside Asylumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On phrenology and French alienists, seeVerstraete 2005. On the lasting importance of the physionomical tradition in theories on idiocy, seeCollins 1999.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Educating Idiots: Utopian Ideals and Practical Organization Regarding Idiocy inside Nineteenth-Century French Asylums

Lachapelle

2007

Sci Context

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ArgumentThroughout the nineteenth century, French alienists reflected on the nature of idiocy, on its causes and possible treatments. Central to this reflection was the question of education. Was it possible to teach a child idiot to develop physically, intellectually, and morally? Schools were established, wards were rearranged, and educational methods were suggested. The extent to which all of this succeeded is hard to assess. The optimistic tone of educational treatises was never reflected in the life in the asylum. By the end of the century, the dichotomy between theoretical ideals and practical reality came to a halt as both methodological treatises on education and pleas for funding ceased. Soon, idiots left the wards and their schools for new classes within the common school system. While the former practice had proved successful in improving the patients' abilities, it was claimed that it had failed to bring about the social integration for which alienists had once hoped. This final period marked a rupture in the treatment of idiocy, both in terms of space and organization from asylums to schools and from alienists to psychologists.

show abstract

The enduring appeal of physiognomy: Physical appearance as a sign of temperament, character, and intelligence.

Cited by 20 publications

References 70 publications

Misleading First Impressions

Misleading First Impressions

Shared heritability of face and brain shape distinct from cognitive traits

Educating Idiots: Utopian Ideals and Practical Organization Regarding Idiocy inside Nineteenth-Century French Asylums

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About