[Nfbf-l] How Faces Drive First Impressions, and how can we tell what we look like being Blind?

[Alan Dicey]

How Faces Drive First Impressions
I have no idea what my face now looks like, as I have not seen it  for 10 
years or more.
And can I trust anyone to tell me if I look like a monster or a handsome 
gentleman.
Did this play a role in the rejection of my last job application, I mean 
when I went to the interview?
They seemed very interested with my resume, my background, the application, 
and my conversations over the telephone were all so positive, but when I 
arrived to there offices for the interview, well 5 seconds into it, I 
realized these 2 ladies from the Marriott  Call Center Human Resources 
Department, were not interested in me at all.
I had dressed very, very, nicely, my wife sees to that, neat clean pressed, 
matching shirt and pants, and I wore practically brand new shoes. Nice hair 
cut, clean shaven,  Well, I would have hired me!
I think this is an extremely worrying trend.  What do others think?  While 
the article content is essentially visual, in the form of flash player photo 
collages.  There is enough by way of description in the article itself to 
give us, as blind people, enough real information.  Personally, I find it 
worrying because of the manufactured/untruthful/false impressions 
advertisers and spin doctors can already create.  We are already influenced 
by the fashion industry in our choice of clothing and even body shape.  How 
long will it be, do you think, before people are pressured in to getting a 
reconstructed face?  Burns victims and those who have been disfigured in an 
accident of some sort I can understand.  But I have always shunned the idea 
of plastic surgery for vanity's sake .  Or am I being to narrow minded? 
Read on and comment if you wish.
With Best Regards,
God Bless,
Alan
Plantation, Florida

How facial features drive our first impressions
By Jonathan Webb
Science reporter, BBC News
elderly face Approachable? Intelligent? People's responses to 1,000 
photographs were used to build the model
Whether it's a curled lip or a keen cheekbone, we all make quick social 
judgements based on strangers' faces.

Now scientists have modelled the specific physical attributes that underpin 
our first impressions.

Small changes in the dimensions of a face can make it appear more 
trustworthy, dominant or attractive.

The results, published in the journal PNAS, could help film animators or 
anyone looking to create an instant impression on a social network.

Dr Tom Hartley, a neuroscientist at the University of York and the study's 
senior author, said the work added mathematical detail to a well-known 
phenomenon.

"If people are forming these first impressions, just based on looking at 
somebody's face, what is it about the image of the face that's giving that 
impression - can we measure it exactly?"

Three key dimensions of a first impression
Approachability: how likely is this person to help (or hinder) me?
Dominance: how capable is this person of carrying out those intentions?
Attractiveness: is this person young and good looking - a potential romantic 
partner?

Positive first impressions are especially important in a world dominated by 
social media, from LinkedIn to Tinder.

Dr Hartley sees the commercial potential in applying his numerical model to 
the photos people use to present themselves online. "It's obviously 
potentially very useful," he told the BBC.

To make the calculations, each of 1,000 face photos from the internet was 
shown to at least six different people, who gave it a score for 16 different 
social traits, like trustworthiness or intelligence.

Overall, these scores boil down to three main characteristics: whether a 
face is (a) approachable, (b) dominant, and (c) attractive.

Cartoon faces based on the new mathematical model, sliding along 3 scales: 
approachability, dominance and attractiveness

By measuring the physical attributes of all 1,000 faces and putting them 
together with those scores, Dr Hartley and his team built a mathematical 
model of how the dimensions of a face produce those three impressions.

The next step was to get the computer to extrapolate. Using their new model, 
the team produced cartoon versions of the most (and least) approachable, 
dominant and attractive faces - as well as all the possibilities in between.

Example faces Six faces and their computerised approximations, including 
study author Dr Tom Hartley (second from left)
John Humphrys The same treatment given to the Today programme's John 
Jumphrys
 "
Start Quote
You could use these kind of numbers to decide when is a good time to take a 
photograph, or to choose the photograph that's really optimal in putting 
forward the best possible impression"
End Quote
Dr Tom Hartley

University of York

Finally, and most importantly, these cartoon results could be tested. When 
the researchers quizzed more participants about their impressions of the 
artificial, cartoon faces, the ratings matched. People said that the 
computer's cartoon prediction of an approachable face was, indeed, 
approachable - and so on.

So has all this work revealed humanity's ultimate trustworthy jawline, or 
the most assertive shape for eyebrows? Dr Hartley is cautious.

"Lots of the features of the face tend to vary together," he explained. "So 
it's very difficult for us to pin down with certainty that a given feature 
of the face is contributing to a certain social impression."

There are some obvious trends however - including the tendency for masculine 
faces to be perceived as dominant, or for a broadly smiling face to seem 
more approachable and trustworthy.

This points to a potentially worrying implication: brief facial expressions 
can make a big difference to how we are received by strangers.

"It might be problematic if we're forming these kind of judgements based on 
these rather fleeting impressions," Dr Hartley said, "particularly in 
today's world where we only might see one picture of a face, on social 
media, and have to form our impression based on that."

Cartoon faces A mathematical model produced cartoon faces based on how 
people rated various facial dimensions
On the other hand, the findings could help people put their best face 
forward.

"It might be very useful for organisations who are interested in people's 
faces," said Dr Hartley.

 "
Start Quote
[Being] approachable is tied to smiling expressions and unapproachable to 
frowning or angry expressions, while dominance is tied to masculine 
 features"
End Quote
Dr Anthony Little

University of Stirling

That might include interests as diverse as photographers, Facebook and 
Pixar.

"You would be able to use these kind of numbers to decide when is a good 
time to take a photograph, or maybe to choose the photograph that's really 
optimal in putting forward the best possible impression - and you might want 
to put forward different kinds of social impressions in different 
situations."

Animators, on the other hand, "have to give life, and give some social 
meaning, to the faces of their characters just by changing small things," Dr 
Hartley said.

"What we're doing is trying to put that on a scientific footing. It's been 
fascinating to find out more about it."

Dr Anthony Little, a reader in psychology at the University of Stirling, 
said the findings point to something "simple and important" about the way 
physical attributes guide our social responses.

Silly face Impressions included attractiveness and trustworthiness - 
potential mate or used car salesman?
"The results highlight that the way we see other people may be in relatively 
simple terms, as approachable/unapproachable and dominant/submissive," said 
Dr Little, whose own research on faces and psychology includes using a 
website to crowd-source ratings.

"Each of these two factors looks to be tied to specific face features. So, 
approachable is tied to smiling expressions and unapproachable to frowning 
or angry expressions, while dominance is tied to masculine features.

"The third factor, youthful-attractiveness, appears less distinct."

This is because of interplay between attractiveness and the other two 
factors, Dr Little explained.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-28512781#