People decide what they think of a face in about a tenth of a second. Judgments made that fast matched unhurried ones, and more time changed little (Willis & Todorov 2006; Todorov, Pakrashi & Oosterhof 2009).
Two questions
First impressions run on two axes: can I trust you, and how strong are you (Oosterhof & Todorov 2008). The two were found again in all 11 world regions tested (Jones et al. 2021). Trustworthiness is read from resemblance to happiness; pushed the other way, a face looks angry (Oosterhof & Todorov 2008).
Your expression counts for more than your face
Ratings of one person varied more across their own photos, with different expressions and angles, than ratings varied between different people (Sutherland, Young & Rhodes 2017). How you hold your face is the part you can change, and it is the larger part.
What carries each impression
- Warmth: the mouth. The strongest cues for approachability are the curve of the lower lip, the width of the mouth and lips apart (Vernon et al. 2014).
- Dominance: brows and head tilt. Low brows read as dominant, and a chin tipped down makes level brows look low (Vernon et al. 2014; Witkower & Tracy 2019).
- Status: head height. Raised with a smile, the head reads as pride; raised without one, as superior (Tracy & Robins 2007; Mignault & Chaudhuri 2003).
- Tiredness: eyelids and mouth corners. Hanging upper lids and drooping mouth corners read as tired (Sundelin et al. 2013).
- Nerves: brows, eyes and blinking. Very anxious people showed raised brows, widened eyes and more blinking (Harrigan & O'Connell 1996), and more blinking read as more nervous (Omori & Miyata 2001).
- Everything, more so: eye contact. Facing the viewer made a smiling face read as more trustworthy (Sutherland, Young & Rhodes 2017).
What to do with it
Decide how you want to come across, and be in that look when your eyes meet theirs. The recipes: the ten looks.
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Fast does not mean right. This is about how a face is read, not about what is true of the person.