Trends and prospects in psychology of facial impressions

Abstract

People make trait inferences from facial appearance in a rapid and spontaneous manner, and these judgments can have social consequences in a variety of important domains. This article reviews recent research on the perception of facial impressions, focusing on perceptual determinants, social consequences, and the accuracy of a variety of facial impressions such as attractiveness, trustworthiness, dominance, and competence. This review revealed that there is a consensus in the judgments of facial impressions, although inferences about internal traits and behavioral tendencies based on facial appearance are not always accurate, and that data-driven computational modeling allows for identifying the perceptual determinants of facial impressions.