What Does Your Face Reveal to Others?

Our faces–their shape, size, and our resting facial expressions (think “resting b*&$% face”)–play a big part in the impressions we make on others. A recent study found that our resting facial expressions play an important role in how strangers initially view us.

For example, we are viewed as more trustworthy if our resting facial expression is more positive and “happy” (i.e., upturned corners of the mouth; sparkling eyes). Those of us with resting, angry-appearing faces are seen as more dominant but less trustworthy. Similarly, faces that were judged as more “attractive” were also seen as more trustworthy.

What makes a face more attractive?

One facial feature that is consistently related to attractiveness ratings for both males and females is facial symmetry. Facial symmetry is where both sides of the face, right and left, are alike. The more asymmetrical, the less sexually attractive one is, likely because facial asymmetry is, in an evolutionary sense, related to illness and disease.

Other facial features are seen as more attractive. Men prefer female faces to be highly “feminized,” including more childlike or “babyfaced” features, such as larger than average-sized eyes and lips. This is likely because babyfaced features suggest youth and female fertility.

On the other hand, women find men’s faces with wider jaws more attractive because wide jaws suggest strength and sexual maturity.

There is also evidence that both males and females prefer facial features that are more average in size and shape. For example, very large or small noses, lips, and ears are considered less attractive.

Facial features, such as our resting expressions, facial shape, and features, represent only one of the factors that go into the initial impressions we make on others. Other nonverbal cues are important, including our bodies, hairstyle and grooming, our tone of voice, and our more dynamic, expressive body language cues (e.g., gesturing, head movements, smiling, etc.) that influence people in initial encounters.

Our faces alone, however, do reveal a lot. In perhaps the most interesting studies of faces, it has been consistently demonstrated that people can correctly predict the winner of elections by simply looking at photos of the candidates’ faces. Although the exact features have not been identified, some facial cues convey a sense of leadership potential. These interesting lines of research are continuing.