Machine learning study identifies facial features that are central to first impressions

A study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science presents evidence that people make judgments about strangers' personalities based on how closely their resting faces resemble emotional expressions. It was found that among seven classes of facial characteristics, resemblance to emotional expressions was the strongest predictor of impressions of both trustworthiness and dominance. It has long been demonstrated that people form rapid impressions of others based on their physical appearances. Such quick judgments can have strong repercussions -- for example, when juries are forming impressions of the accused during criminal trials or when hiring managers are screening potential candidates. "One thing I find fascinating about first impressions is how quickly and intuitively they come to mind. For example, I might see a stranger on the train and immediately get the feeling that they cannot be trusted. I want to understand where these intuitions come from. What is it about a person's appearance that makes them appear untrustworthy, intelligent, or dominant to us?" said study author Bastian Jaeger, an assistant professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.