For good or bad, facial appearance governs human society. Politicians who look competent have more chances to win and attractive people enjoy higher salaries (so-called beauty premium). This is not a phenomenon that occurs only in the facial appearance of others. We establish self-impression by looking at our own face. This sometimes includes negative aspects, for example, “Snapchat dysmorphia” in which people crave to be more attractive and rush into plastic surgery (problems of self-impression). Whereas the psychological mechanisms of face perception have become relatively well known, the mechanisms of building impressions of others and the self still remain elusive.
To uncover the psychological mechanisms made from facial appearance, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of the target (affective state, morphology, etc.), the characteristics of the perceiver (mood, personality, etc.), and the interaction between these two. In addition, contextual information such as the circumstances under which these judgments are made should also be factored in. Incorporating life-span and interdisciplinary perspectives into account will further improve our understanding of face impressions. Given the rapid development of technology and the globalization of culture nowadays, it is also important to examine the impact of makeup, disguises including cosplay, implementing image processing technology, and other technologies that alter facial impressions. We also need to pay attention to the psychological effects that can make the impression of the self worse as well as better (e.g., dysmorphia). It will be possible to develop a psychological model that identifies the factors affecting the formation of facial impressions.
The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together a collection of papers on cutting-edge theory and research on facial appearance. We are open to empirical works (both behavioral and neuroscience experiments), theoretical and conceptual pieces, computer modeling, clinical perspectives, reviews, opinions, and commentaries that help to advance our understanding of facial impressions.
For good or bad, facial appearance governs human society. Politicians who look competent have more chances to win and attractive people enjoy higher salaries (so-called beauty premium). This is not a phenomenon that occurs only in the facial appearance of others. We establish self-impression by looking at our own face. This sometimes includes negative aspects, for example, “Snapchat dysmorphia” in which people crave to be more attractive and rush into plastic surgery (problems of self-impression). Whereas the psychological mechanisms of face perception have become relatively well known, the mechanisms of building impressions of others and the self still remain elusive.
To uncover the psychological mechanisms made from facial appearance, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of the target (affective state, morphology, etc.), the characteristics of the perceiver (mood, personality, etc.), and the interaction between these two. In addition, contextual information such as the circumstances under which these judgments are made should also be factored in. Incorporating life-span and interdisciplinary perspectives into account will further improve our understanding of face impressions. Given the rapid development of technology and the globalization of culture nowadays, it is also important to examine the impact of makeup, disguises including cosplay, implementing image processing technology, and other technologies that alter facial impressions. We also need to pay attention to the psychological effects that can make the impression of the self worse as well as better (e.g., dysmorphia). It will be possible to develop a psychological model that identifies the factors affecting the formation of facial impressions.
The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together a collection of papers on cutting-edge theory and research on facial appearance. We are open to empirical works (both behavioral and neuroscience experiments), theoretical and conceptual pieces, computer modeling, clinical perspectives, reviews, opinions, and commentaries that help to advance our understanding of facial impressions.
