What can we tell about a person from their looks?

[The Noob Hacker]

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

Bull. I can determine a lot by a book's cover (as long as you also count the back of the book as the cover as well) Its title, author, genre, sometimes what the book is about, sometimes some reviewers who liked it and their comments, ect.

Same goes for people. Sure, you can't determine exactly who a person is based on looks, but you can make a pretty good guess.
1. Where are they? Are they going into a fancy eatery that is very expensive? Probably have some money. Are they walking into a homeless shelter? Probably homeless or a volunteer (can probably tell by clothing, sometimes physique, general condition of their body)

2. What are they doing? Playing sports, laughing and chatting with a group of people? Probably likes playing sports, or just likes spending time with that group of people. Avoiding everyone and not speaking a word? Either sad, possibly angry, or just not very social- take your pick.

3. Who are they hanging out with? You can usually get a good guess of at least a piece of a person's personality simply by the company they keep.

List goes on. Basic point: Trying to determine what a person is like based on appearances isn't something to be looked down upon, it's just what you typically do when you have studied a person for more than a passing glance.

 

[Trance and Moss]

An interesting thing I've noticed is that one's strength of facial features is usually a pretty solid indicator of their strength of personality; i.e. someone with soft or subdued features is typically more reserved and nonconfrontational, while someone with a stronger face will be more outspoken and confident.

As far as surface stuff like clothes/etc, DGAF. The face, words, and actions are sufficient enough.

That is called physiognomy, or in particular, regarding to the skull, Phrenology.
It is a pseudoscience at best.

Although I do agree, people with "extrovert" features, seem to be extrovert. I think this may be largely our own interpretation. Someone with extrovert looks is more striking, and we subconsciously place them where we expect them to be in mannerisms.

 

[Lozz]

Appearances do a lot for people. I definitely think the more attractive a person is, the easier it is for them to manipulate people into doing things for them. I know this may sound horrible- but I'll go out sometimes, and play a game with myself to see how many boys I can get to buy a drink/do things for me. On the weekend, a guy even gave me a foot massage in the middle of a club. Weird, I know.

I definitely agree that confidence is a huge factor in creating attractiveness as well. I'm not talking about arrogance, I mean a genuine comfort in oneself. It can make even an average looking person so much more charismatic, and really draw you in.

Obviously these ideas are basic, and most often acknowledged in scenarios like clubs and pubs, where social interactions are limited, and people base their actions off whether someone is aesthetically pleasing. If a person's personality doesn't match their outward appearance, they aren't going to maintain someones interests. So a judgement of 'I like the look of that person, they are well dressed, and have nice hair,' might be completely irrelevant, upon discovery that the person in question is incapable of carrying on conversation.

So yeah, I'd say looks matter. They are a important. Whether people acknowledge it or not, everyone judges appearances. If someone clean, well-dressed and attractive approaches you in a public place, and casually tries to strike up a conversation, chances are you'd be more at ease with it, then if a smelly, hairy, old hobo tries the same tactic. It's an unpleasant truth - but pretty people get away with things. They put you at ease more quickly then that old crone with the warty face and wooden leg. The good thing about some people however, is that they recognise this, and they try and give everyone the same chance. It's generally a conscious impulse though.

Sorry about this long, rambling post. It's one of my first in a forum, so I hope it makes sense.

 

[Livewire]

Appearances do a lot for people. I definitely think the more attractive a person is, the easier it is for them to manipulate people into doing things for them.

But do looks achieve that, or just charisma/intellect?

Even more interesting, are all of those traits mutually inclusive? Usually your charismatic people have the looks, the style, the intellect, etc.

 

[Rogue planet]

The only people so poor that they can only shower once a week are probably hobos tbqh. Besides, Vendak was probably posting under the assumption that they can wash, but aren't willing to.

Correct.

And it's not all about money. I live in a deprived area, and I don't consider myself poor, but most of my friends are. I have a friend who literally has no money, he has to scrape together spare change from others to afford lunch. He still dresses well, because it's not about what labels you're wearing, it's about what style you have. Then you have these rich suburban kids with multi coloured hair, torn jeans, and a Nirvana hoody when they only like Smells Like Teen Spirit; that's what I'm talking about.

And I don't think in the western world anybody is so poor that they aren't capable of being able to wash. Yeah if it's a hobo fair enough, but I don't exactly meet hobos on a daily basis.

 

[.:CoralSoda:.]

I try not to judge people by their looks, but most of the time I can't help it. But the only thing I ever come up with is if I think they're creepy, mean, nice, etc. There's not much to tell but some people just do fit the mold of certain stereotypes.

 

[Throat]

Why'd I care about others looks? Honestly, as long as the person is clean, I'm already totally fine with it.

 

[zoo3891]

I usually wear the same jacket for weeks at a time (so probably smell horrible), and have long, non-groomed hair, yet I make some of the best grades at my High School, and I always try to be as nice as I can be to other people.

I tend to judge people on what I hear them say about me, other people, and things I'm interested in. Really I only tend to measure you on a scale of how stuck-up, or stupid you sound.

 

[Castgurl]

Sorry hun,

But you can't figure out anything, annnything about a person just by their looks alone. I'll use myself as an example: I was talking to a friend of my at school campus the other day. She asked me what I first thought of her and I pretty much summed up what I did think of her. I asked her and she told me this:

I looked like someone that was always a loner. I looked mean, stressed and a somewhat punk-pretty girl wanna-be.

That what she got off from me by just judging me by my looks at first. But when we started talking and getting to know each other, I can tell she was really surprised by how I am and how I view things in life. I've been there before though; I sometimes did judged people simply by looks alone, but times have changed for me. The only way you will truly know how that person will interact with you is by looking past their looks and start pulling their plugs. Who knows, there's probably hundreds of them that can connect with yours.

:)

 

[インフェルノの津波]

We have eyes. Use'em. If someone isn't well-groomed, I won't get up all in their butt about it. I'll prolly ask them why if I know them, but then again I did come to school today with my clothes on backwards....

 

[Broken_Arrow]

Eyes say a lot..but never judge someone from his face...i have a first feeling when i met someone for the fist time..sometimes it's right and other times it's not but most of time i guess i'm right...i can know if the person lie or not and also if the person hiding something and lots other cuz i always trust my 6th sense...^^

 

[MissDigitalis]

I don't agree with judging people by their appearances. I mean sure, I can tell if I find someone's appearance attractive or not but I don't think that it says anything about their personality. As for good looks equaling popularity I don't agree with that either. Beauty is subjective so what one person finds attractive another person won't. Nor do I think that being in sports will automatically give you a free popularity ticket.

My personal experience is this:
I was in sports in middle school and everyone thought I was ugly and hated me.
I wasn't in sports in high school and I had a decent group of friends who thought I was attractive.


So I think that people like to project things onto others that aren't necessarily true.

 

[Squirrel]

In my mind people can't help but judge others on their looks. Whether they mean to or not, it's instinct. Is this right? Who knows. We've all done it in some form or another, so can it really be considered 'wrong'? From people's looks we can determine what kind of a person they want people to think they are; finding out whether this is just a mask however is a whole different story. If the first time you met someone they were wearing a suit and tie, I bet that you'd be 100 times more likely to talk to them than if they were wearing old, torn and dirty clothes. Having said that, a smile and eye contact are just as important. Presenting yourself with good eye contact and a warm smile is possibly the most approachable trait imaginable.

 

[Natiya]

"Light travels faster than sound, that's why someone might appear intelligent
until you hear them speak."

Or however that quote goes. Personally, I don't put very much store by
appearance, by looking at someone's appearance, you can make assumptions,
yes, but not assertions.

That means that appearance does matter, especially in situations such as
where you're looking for a job. The potential boss isn't someone who knows
you well (in most cases), your have to show them right from the start that
you're someone who is serious, dedicated, and motivated. That begins with
the appearance. So yes, a person's appearance isn't something that's just
unimportant, it's what a first impression is based off of.

That being said, I know people who look one way, but act differently, and
that sort of stuff you just have to get to know them to be able to know. But
if you walk around looking sloppy, people at first glance are going to
attribute that to your personality (in a way, doesn't appearance reflect a part of
your personality? If you're a neat, organized person, you tend to look neat and
organized in my opinion.) Basically, it tends to be that you can learn a good
amount about someone by how they look and how they carry themselves, but
it's not a determining factor of who they are.

 

[Leavanny]

Although I don't care about people's looks, and I don't try to analyse anybody by them, I do wonder about this sometimes. It doesn't seem to me that anybody can understand something about that person perfectly by just looking at them (unless you're Patrick Jane or Sherlock), but getting a vague idea of someone's interests, hobbies or preferences seems very possible. For example, you might be able to guess the kinds of music someone listens to from looking at the clothes they wear - people dressing in all black, I suppose, being associated with rock music, and that kind of thing (not that I care about that at all).

 

[Alley Cat]

Depends on the person. For some people clothes are a way to express how they feel. For others clothes are just that... clothes. Even then... you still couldn't tell much.

But... someone wearing a a t-shirt that says something like "I <3 Pot" usually means that like Pot, because it would be silly for someone who didn't to wear it. But other than scenarios like that... you can't really tell anything.

I'm tired of the general consensus being that people with tattoos and piercings are lazy/can't do their job, because in most cases, they can, and do. Getting piercings and tattoos will not suddenly transform who you are, and in that same vein neither will altering your appearance in anyway. You can look like the meanest jerk to walk the planet yet still be nice...

Appearance holds little value in the evaluation of a person. Actions.... beliefs... those speak a thousand times louder, a thousand times louder, and are a thousand times truer. Or something deep-ish like that.

 

[Cariad]

I don't think you should judge someone by the way the look. I mean, you get people who look really, really smart who are actually really, really dumb, and vice versa. The stereotypes for hair colour and the like also shouldn't be applied.

And some people who might wear really gothic or punk clothes can occaisionly be really girly inside. So yeah, I don't think you can really tell anything by looking at someone.

 

[femtrooper]

You can tell a lot from how someone looks in my opinion. I don't mean physical attractive...because that's socially constructed. I am talking about attire. People who dress a certain way do give off certain images, but not every time. For example, (and this is only because I find sloppy dressers to be completely irritating) people who dress sloppy and don't care about what they were (to me) don't care about themselves. By looking crappy, you give off an image that you are gross, unkempt, and not put together. There is something to be said in taking pride in yourself and your appearance. I love dressing well, and it's not a money thing because you can dress well and not have a ton of money. Either way, personality wise...you can't tell a lot. I dress very well and look like I have money, but deep down I'm a video game nerd and I love a lot of things that don't fit my style. People probably wouldn't know that from looking at me. Haha, I do not know where I'm going with this, so I'll stop!

 

[-ty-]

I think that a person's appearance beyond their clothing and hairstyle can tell alot about a person as well.

Here is a simplified example:
I you are hiring someone for a job, you should consider the person's weight. If a person is either morbidly obese or underweight(anorexic) it is an indicator of poor health. If the position is for a long-term position, then you may choose a candidate who has similar credentials with their healthy weight being a distinguishing characteristic. You can also deduce that an underweight person may have esteem issues, or psychological issues. The same can't always be said for obese individuals, but it may indicate seditary lifestyle, and low self-esteem. Remember, I am not talking about an "overweight person" I am referring to a person who is "morbidly obese". Well, I could write an entire paper on just employment and candidates' weight, but it goes to show you that a person's appearance can indicate many things.

 

[Nick]

I think the very on-the-spot observational-based judgments made are very instinctive and are entirely different than the judgments we make in other ways. I find it hard to believe people who say they don't judge someone based on what they look like.

Let's say you're walking down the street, alone. A group of men are approaching you, and they're dressed like typical thugs. Most thugs seem to dress the same to me, so you can take your pick from the bunch. You're more than likely going to start processing possible situations in your head if you can't see any way to avoid them - whereas if you're approaching a group of men dressed in business suites, you'd likely nod your head and wish them a good day when you pass them. You're going to do this instinctively, and you're going to do it whether you're consciously aware of it or not. It has nothing to do with them personally, it's a security precaution that we do instinctively, especially if we're unfamiliar with that type of situation.

The judgments we make when we're walking on the sidewalk alone and we spot a group of people who look like they're likely up to no good are very important. You react a certain way based on how someone presents themselves, and how someone presents themselves is a reflection of how someone primarily behaves and can say a lot about that person. Is it always accurate? No, but it's incredibly resourceful in situations like this.