Face Reading. The Telegraph October What does your face say about you? reading

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1 B How easy is it to read someone s face? Discuss these questions and then read the first part of the article and check your ideas: 1 What is the technical term for face? 2 Which philosophers were particularly keen on face? 3 Are men with a long face and wide-set eyes perceived as more or less intelligent than the average? 4 Which of the following do men with wide faces not show more signs of: prejudice, psychopathy, friendliness, financial success, ambition, questionable ethics and attractiveness? 5 What are the personality traits that are linked to iris patterns in our eyes? 6 Is a person with a large nose tip or a small or pointed nose tip more likely to be interested in money? 7 What do large nostrils indicate? 8 What does a large nose indicate? 9 Match the eyebrow shape to the character trait: curved logical straight inclined to react to a situation diagonal kind and considerate The Telegraph October 2017 What does your face say about you? Face or physiognomy has its origins in Ancient Greece, particularly among philosophers Aristotle and Pythagoras. It fell out of popularity in the Middle Ages, but is having a resurgence at the moment as scientists try and prove the face-reader s insights. A study published in the journal PLoS One in 2014 found men (though not women) with a long face and wide-set eyes are perceived as more intelligent. The findings revealed that both men and women were able to accurately evaluate the intelligence of men from the photographs. Those with a narrower face, a thinner chin, and a larger, prolonged nose fitted the predicted stereotype of a higher IQ. Men with wide faces show more signs of prejudice, psychopathy, financial success, ambition, questionable ethics and attractiveness. In 2007, researchers at Örebro University in Sweden were able to link the iris patterns in our eye to certain personality traits. They found that a low frequency of crypts (wavy lines radiating out from the pupil) was associated with trustworthy and tender personalities. On the other hand, distinct and extended furrows (circular lines curving around the outer edge of the iris) were associated with 1/4

2 b impulsiveness. A study of 1,700 photos of faces, or more specifically their noses, was published in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery in The report was able to find 14 different nose types and associate them with different personality types. Apparently, a person with a large nose tip is a financial planner, whereas if the tip is small or pointed, they don t have much interest in money. Large nostrils are meant to indicate a generous spender but if all of the nose is large that indicates that the person in question has an ambitious personality. They also tend to be perfectionists. According to face reader Jean Haner, we can tell a lot from someone s eyebrows. Those with curved eyebrows are kind and considerate, straight eyebrows belong on logical people and if you have diagonal eyebrows you re more inclined to react to a situation. B How accurate do you think face can be? b Read the second part of the article and then describe the experiments Nicholas Rule carried out and what he concluded. In 2008, Nicholas Rule, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto who studies the accuracy of facial perception, and co-author Nalini Ambady, published a seminal paper called The Face of Success: Inferences From Chief Executive Officers Appearance Predict Company Profits. They presented undergraduates with unidentified headshots of CEOs from the top and bottom 25 companies on the 2006 Fortune 500, which ranks the 500 largest US corporations by revenue. Subjects were asked to rank the faces on a series of subjective qualities, such as competence and likability. Overwhelmingly, the leaders who scored highest by these measures turned out to run the most profitable companies. In 2011, Rule carried out a similar study using college yearbook pictures of the top US lawyers. Complete strangers were able to predict which lawyers ended up in charge of the country s most profitable law firms. He then repeated the study with 20 female CEOs on the Fortune Once again, Rule found a direct correlation between leadership ratings and corporate profits. Ultimately, it comes down to the familiar tension between nature and nurture. Dominance is something we re really good at picking up, says Rule. It s difficult to find the causality, but it may be that their face causes them to become that person. None of this means that having a dominating appearance will make you a smarter or a more successful entrepreneur. It also doesn t prove that CEOs of more profitable companies are naturally better leaders. However, it might help explain why they got their jobs in the first place. g What conclusions do you draw from the experiments? Say which of the CEOs on the next page made the most profit for their companies. 2/4

3 b How accurate were your deductions? How useful do you think physiognomy is? V Choose the best definitions of the highlighted words in these extracts from the article: 1 It fell out of popularity in the Middle Ages, but is having a resurgence at the moment as scientists try and prove the face-reader s insights. a) understanding (of something) b) studies c) experiments 2 The findings revealed that both men and women were able to accurately evaluate the intelligence of men from the photographs. a) guess b) make a judgment about something s importance or quality c) describe 3 In 2007, researchers at Örebro University in Sweden were able to link the iris patterns in our eye to certain personality traits. a) a particular defect that someone or something has b) a particular characteristic that someone or something has c) a particular good quality that someone or something has 4 Those with curved eyebrows are kind and considerate a) thinking about what may happen b) thinking about oneself only c) thinking about the feelings and needs of other people 5 Complete strangers were able to predict which lawyers ended up in charge of the country s most profitable law firms. a) someone whom you do not know b) someone whom you know very well c) someone whom you know a little 6 None of this means that having a dominating appearance will make you a smarter or a more successful entrepreneur. a) happier b) kinder c) more intelligent 3/4

4 V Complete these sentences with the correct form of the words: 1 Her best is her generosity. E Look at these extracts from the article: 2 His into what makes employees happy are very good. We use them where I work and everyone likes them. 3 I think Guy is intelligent, but Lisa is. She always does better in exams. 4 The room was full of. I didn t know anyone. 5 We had to do a test to our suitability for the job. 6 Paul is very. He always puts other people s needs before his own. The Telegraph October it may be that their face causes them to become that person. However, it might help explain why they got their jobs in the first place. = How are the words may and might used here? What is the difference in meaning between the two words? What are the negative forms of the two words? We use may / might + an infinitive to talk about the present. We use may / might + have + past participle to talk about the past. We can also use the structure: may / might + be +...ing to talk about the present. V Write sentences using may and might based on these prompts: e.g. Simon didn t come to the meeting yesterday. > He may have forgotten about it. 1 Keith and Simon are shouting a lot in there. 2 Susan left in a hurry. g 3 They are putting suitcases in their car. 4 They are very late. 5 Karina s phone is turned off. Make sentences using may or might based on these pictures: 4/4

5 g Teacher s notes 1 student pages 4 week of low-intermediate+ (A2+) Say which of the CEOs on the next page made the most profit for their companies. These are the CEOs from Nicholas Rule s experiment. Most to least profitable: J. David J. O reilly (Chevron) G. James Mulva (Conoco Phillips) C. H. Lee Scott Jr. (Walmart) H. William Clay Ford Jr. (Ford) K. Meg Whitman (ebay) E. Mark A. Ernst (Fiserv) B. William Wrigley Jr. (Wrigley) D. Stephen F. Bollenbach (Hilton Hotels) L. William V. Hickey (Sealed Air) F. Timothy M. Manganello (BorgWarner) A. Cristobal Conde (Sungard) I. Rick Wagoner (GM) V Choose the best definitions of the highlighted words in these extracts from the article: 1 a) 2 b) 3 b) 4 c) 5 a) 6 c) V Complete these sentences with the correct form of the words: 1 trait 2 insights 3 smarter 4 strangers 5 evaluate 6 considerate How are the words may and might used here? = to express possibility What is the difference in meaning between the two words? = may is normally thought of as more certain than might, but in practice a lot depends on the intonation of the speaker. What are the negative forms of the two words? = may not + might not (contraction: mightn t) V Write sentences using may and might based on these prompts: Suggested answers: 1 They may be arguing about something. 2 She might be late for an appointment. 3 They may be going on holiday. 4 There may be a lot of traffic. 5 She might be in a meeting.