What does your face say about you?

by heathervescent

Does it say more than what comes out of your mouth? More than you might even be aware of?

Mark Ainley teaches workshops on how to divine someone's character, intelligence and values by his or her visage: People with higher eyebrows are reserved. Low eyebrows signal someone outgoing. Upturned noses suggest gullibility; downward pointing noses imply a critical temperament.

“The face is the map of your brain,” Mr. Ainley claims. “It's not about judging people — it's about discernment. When we accept that everyone sees things differently because of the way they're structured, then we can let go of judgment.”

But then there is the alternate view:

“That's the belief that like begets like. So if you have a piggish face, you are a slovenly, brutish person,” Prof. Beyerstein says. “If you have forward-slanting writing, you're a forward-thinking person. It's all based on superstition, and it simply doesn't work.”

Prof. Beyerstein allows that peddlers of “New Age balderdash” genuinely have faith in their magic. “In my experience, these charlatans are sincere — they're true believers.”

Read more and decide for yourself. Is it superstition, sham or something else?

| 07/11/06 | Practices