Knowledge of human nature: The great temptation

Look me in the eye ... and I'll tell you who you are. It sounds tempting: to be able to tell what makes someone tick at first glance. To know immediately: Is he sad, happy, nice? In fact, the art of reading faces is a skill that has fascinated people since ancient times: The oldest records of this can be found in the writings of Aristotle. However, drawing conclusions about a person's mental characteristics from their appearance in a matter of seconds - unfortunately, this often leads to false prejudices about others. Real knowledge of human nature is therefore required!

Where the danger lurks

In ancient times, the art of physiognomy was still considered a kind of secret knowledge that was mainly used by priests for occult purposes. With the Age of Enlightenment, it became more and more accepted as a scientific doctrine - unfortunately with dire consequences. This is because it was not used in a positive way, for example to make it easier to empathize with others, to be more sensitive to one another or to appreciate differences. On the contrary: in the 19th and especially the 20th century, it often provided the scientific underpinning for eugenics and racism.

A first clue

Using head shape, forehead height or mouth width to determine characteristics such as intelligence and willpower: In social psychology today, it is highly controversial whether this can really be used to derive a better understanding of human nature. There have been numerous studies on the subject, with very different results. Many experts agree on one thing: Our initial judgment is superficial - but quite useful, as we can recognize the rough outline of a personality. This may be a protective mechanism from evolution: before we let someone get close to us, we protect ourselves by looking at them and using our first impression to intuitively determine whether the other person is more likely to do us harm or whether they mean us well. This makes sense - but it's only the very first clue.

Reading emotions

In 1978, US psychologist Paul Ekman developed his Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to make it easier to assess the feelings of others and therefore people - a method that uses facial muscle movements to read seven basic emotions that are supposedly present in all people: Anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, contempt and joy. Today, the FACS model forms the basis for numerous emotion recognition software programs. However, the method is controversial. Critics complain, among other things, that the application does not take into account how easily facial expressions can be controlled. A "correct" assessment is therefore not possible.

Our own influence

If you want to assess people realistically, you have to be clear: It doesn't work at first glance. If only because we don't have a neutral view. How we assess others and what we read in faces depends primarily on ourselves - our experiences, our mood, our culture. So if we are too quick to pigeonhole our counterpart, we are actually still missing a lot of information that would justify this. It helps to keep reminding ourselves that our outward appearance does not reveal our inner values. We need to take a closer look and ask: what ideals does he stand for, how does he treat others, what is important to him?

Diligence wins

Especially when it comes to very important things, such as relationships with others, we should be cautious with quick assessments and judgments. Because even those with a good knowledge of human nature are not always right. We can't defend ourselves against spontaneous impressions - but we can change our initial judgments if necessary by carefully checking them. This is not only fair to others, but also a benefit for us, as we no longer miss out on the chance to get to know people who turn out to be wonderful at second glance.

5 helpful tips for better judgment

1. stay alert and open: Let's realize that we never look at others objectively, but always against the background of our experiences.

2. don't transfer outward appearances: we often draw conclusions about the inside of others based on their external characteristics: attractive = smart, fat = cheerful ... Be careful, these are just clichés!

3. question your own prejudices: We often unconsciously judge some people or age groups more critically than others. All the more important to reflect on this.

4. train empathy: Before we judge someone (negatively), we try to put ourselves in their shoes: Why is he acting this way? What is behind it?

5. listen for nuances: If we pay attention not only to what is said in a conversation, but also to how something is said, we learn a lot about the character of the other person.