No one will deny the close connection between facial expressions and a person’s mood. However, not everyone will agree that facial features and appearance characterize psychological type and temperament. It would seem that a long nose or a high forehead can say anything about character? The author of this book is convinced: it can, and a lot. Theodore Schwartz will reveal to you the secrets of the human face, teach you to evaluate your interlocutor without even entering into a conversation with him, and determine character and temperament from a photograph.
(The CD is included with the paper book only.)
Books of the Sophists
Physiognomy is a science with deep roots. For the first time, the term “physiognomy” was used by the “father of medicine” - Hippocrates. At different times, physiognomy researchers were called heretics, charlatans and prophets, “God’s messengers.” The books of the Sophists are considered to be the first works on physiognomy. Sophists are ancient researchers of paradoxes and contradictions, teachers of eloquence. Such works of sophists as “The Book of Physiognomy” by Esphren and “Face and Character” by Afronisius have reached our time.
What do the faces say?
You can’t help but trust a person who has been collecting information for a book for more than 40 years.
Psychologist Robert Whiteside made physiognomy popular among ordinary people with his fundamental work “What Faces Say.” What Faces Say is richly illustrated and represents much of human emotion.
Fans of this book say that it helps determine a person's character even before he utters a word. Although such enthusiastic claims are not easy to trust, What Faces Say became a worldwide bestseller and has sold more than three million copies.
Physiognomy at the present stage of development
Initially, physiognomists studied the features of the entire human body, but now facial features have become the focus of researchers.
In the field of view of researchers only congenital features of appearance:
- Shape, size, location of facial features
- Birthmarks
- Color of the skin
- The presence of various kinds of bulges and dents
- Wrinkle lines
- Scars
Convinced adherents of physiognomy believe that by learning to understand what information is embedded in facial features, you can learn a lot of new and useful information.
"Fool me"
The series “Lie to me” has become a cult series thanks to its plot related to physiognomy.
The hero of the film, Dr. Lightman, knows how to expose human lies by a person’s facial expressions and gestures, and the intonation of speech. His advice is used by federal agencies and investigators when considering the innocence (guilty) of suspects. The ability to distinguish “facial expressions of lies” is one of the most important tasks of the science of physiognomy. There are a number of books on this topic. The book of the American scientist Paul Ekman “The Psychology of Lies. Fool Me If You Can" is a captivating piece of non-fiction. In addition to being related to the series, it covers vital techniques for detecting lies in real life.
Encyclopedia of physiognomy. Reading the secrets of a person’s character and behavior from their faces
Quadrangular face type
A person’s face may look like a quadrangle - a geometric figure, which, as we know, is represented by a square, an elongated (oblong) rectangle and a “short” quadrangle. Depending on whether a person belongs to one of these types, conclusions can be drawn about his future life.
What unites people whose faces belong specifically to the quadrangular type? First of all, it must be said that men and women with such a face are very active. They say about them: “The energy is in full swing.” However, they usually find it difficult to get along with other people. The reason for this is the excessive demands placed on oneself and others.
Already in childhood, you can accurately determine what type of child’s face belongs to. If this is a quadrangular type, then parents must make every effort to teach their stubborn child to get along in society, be able to communicate and avoid conflicts. Otherwise, the fate of such a person is unlikely to be cloudless. Constant quarrels and rejection of other people's points of view will lead to complete loneliness and fixation only on work.
What is the reason for the enormous vital energy that makes those with a quadrangular face type very active and enterprising? Of course, the answer lies in the word “will.” Such people are not just hyperactive, they have enormous willpower. In their pursuit of achieving a certain goal in life, they do not attach importance to any obstacles. That is why the well-known aphorism: “The future is in your hands” is the best fit for owners of this type of face.
An individual with a quadrangular face type is prone to rudeness and even cruelty; he is capable of bringing not only minor troubles and unnecessary troubles. Energy and cruelty combined in one person lead to the suffering of loved ones.
This type of face does not necessarily indicate an evil and cruel disposition. If a person is kind and energetic, then his future, without exaggeration, can be called brilliant. This is facilitated by a strong character.
On the one hand, a strong character can be considered a real gift of fate, because it helps to overcome any difficulties and obstacles that arise along the path of life, but, on the other hand, people of this type are considered unusually rude, domineering and stubborn individuals. This characterization may not be to everyone's taste, but it is nevertheless very accurate.
Depending on a person’s behavior towards other people, we can talk about what his future life will be like.
One of the most important values is family life and love for children. But here, too, everything is not as successful as we would like. The fact is that over time, even close people will begin to experience difficulties in communicating with representatives of this type. Everyone will be shocked by their excessive ambition and desire for fame.
People with a quadrilateral face type really achieve recognition and fame in their mature years.
Representatives of this type choose a profession and type of activity already in their youth. These people, as a rule, study the exact sciences - physics and mathematics. Many of them become architects, builders, mechanics and devote all their knowledge and strength to their work.
It is likely that a person with a quadrangular face type will become an outstanding scientist. This is facilitated by his complete dedication to his favorite work, his inability to waste time on trifles and his desire to improve his invention at all costs.
Professional life is much more important for such people than personal life. They are fascinated by solving complex problems, and therefore the future of owners of a quadrangular face type is often associated with a vain search for the truth and the right ways to eliminate emerging difficulties. This is largely helped by their ability to concentrate their attention on the whole problem at once and at the same time on little things that often escape the attention of other, less observant people.
For people of this type, the future is usually always connected with their family. It is possible that in their mature years fate will give them a surprise and a new love and a new family will appear in their lives. They express their emotions very violently, so their personal life will be accompanied by problems, constant showdowns and, perhaps, even several official divorces.
If some peoples of Africa make tattoos or scars on their faces in order to change their fate or acquire some properties, then others are able to completely change the shape of their faces. They do this with the help of masks. The mask is created from wood or metal and has its characteristic features and expression. Thus, sorcerers change masks depending on the task they have to solve. Some masks are worn on holidays, others - only at the moment when it is necessary to turn to magic. A person can wear a certain mask to make rain or appease an enemy.
The family of such a person may collapse after several years of living together, not because of a new love interest, but as a result of misunderstanding between the spouses. It becomes difficult for a husband or wife to fulfill the demands of their “other half,” because the requests strongly resemble the rules of a real ascetic. Yes, indeed, such people are very stern, punctual, overly demanding and unyielding. This is the real reason for the breakdown of a seemingly successful marriage.
From childhood, representatives of the quadrangular face type are distinguished by stinginess, which will certainly affect their entire future life. If greed does not take a painful form, then most likely it will lead to wealth and a comfortable existence for the entire family of this person. If stinginess is not supported by work, everything will end in the disintegration of the family.
The enrichment of representatives of this type is also facilitated by their penchant for invention in the field of exact sciences. It is likely that such a person will receive a prestigious bonus and a large monetary reward.
A pragmatic mindset is most often characteristic of people with rectangular faces. They belong to the quadrangular physiognomic type. The rectangle, the connection of the four corners, represents intelligence, balance, determination and sensitivity. This type is primarily characterized by great energy potential, the desire to constantly be on the move, and the presence of a strong character and willpower.
Such a person is distinguished by tenacity and perseverance, which sometimes develop into stubbornness or fundamental disagreement with the point of view of another person. Often he can lose his temper for no apparent reason or criticize someone else's point of view just because he doesn't like the color of the speaker's tie. All qualities of his character have both positive and negative sides. The line between these two states is so thin and invisible that the pragmatist himself sometimes does not understand exactly what feeling and meaning he puts into his words and actions.
Pragmatists are always and everywhere practical and try to benefit from everything. They will never agree to take part in any enterprise unless their actions and efforts are rewarded in some way. They like it when their own proposals and ideas become the subject of general discussion, much less criticized. The criticism voiced in such cases is caustic.
An interesting fact is that the great empress of the Russian state, Elizabeth, did not allow artists to paint her portraits in profile. The reason for this was... her small upturned nose. The shape of her own nose irritated the empress for the reason that it deprived her of a proud and powerful, unapproachable and arrogant appearance, which should correspond to the majestic status of the ruler of the state. Therefore, in all portraits, Elizabeth is depicted in such a way that, using a certain angle, this flaw in appearance is hidden and “disguised” in every possible way, revealing her qualities that are inherent to one degree or another in every woman - coquetry, capriciousness and the ability to flirt.
A systematic mindset determines their partiality for accuracy, scrupulousness, punctuality, strict order and discipline. The slightest violation of these rules by disorganized people around them leads to an immediate scandal with all the ensuing consequences.
Meticulousness and the desire to get to the bottom of the issue force such people to sift through a bunch of literature solely for the purpose of self-education. They find special pleasure in thoroughly understanding this or that phenomenon and examining it from all sides. Skepticism and mistrust of pragmatists determine their style of behavior and contact. They find it difficult to get along with people, but when a stranger manages to overcome the gloomy wall of mistrust and coldness, successfully go through all the traps and tests on the way to mutual understanding with an impenetrable pragmatist, then he finds a true and devoted friend. At first glance, he seems overly strict and arrogant, but in fact he turns out to be a person with a gentle, kind and vulnerable soul that needs understanding and love.
Secrets of the face
The book “Secrets of the Face” by Francis Thomas divided its million-strong “army” of readers into two fronts. Some censors criticized the author's approach to generalizing non-obvious logical chains and his “delusions of grandeur.” Others admired the work done and used the “Secrets of the Face” in practice - when receiving employees, assessing partners and clients, establishing comradely and friendly relations. Francis Thomas's book for the first time set itself the goal of answering not only the question “how does a person’s appearance influence his character,” but also “why this happens.”
