The first thing people notice about a face often varies, but research and common consensus point to eyes (especially eye contact) and smiles (warmth/approachability), along with rapid categorization of gender/race, as key initial focal points, with expressions (micro-expressions) revealing underlying emotions within milliseconds. People quickly pick up on eye contact for engagement, smiles for friendliness, and broad facial features to understand fundamental identity and emotion. Harvard Gazette +4
Your eyes can be the first thing people notice in your face.
And when you're having a conversation or giving a presentation, making eye contact is very important to hold someone's attention. Having alert and wide-looking eyes makes you look more engaging and energetic which makes your entire face look more charismatic.
0-2 seconds: Clothing and overall appearance (55% of first impressions) 2-4 seconds: Body language and posture (38% of first impressions) 4-7 seconds: Facial expressions and the way you speak (7% of first impressions)
Look into my eyes.
In fact, research has found that 70% of men say that a woman's eyes are the first thing they see, mainly because they feel they can learn a lot about her personality that way.
The left side of the face is controlled by the right side of the brain, which is the side that controls emotion. We also tend to look at the left side of a person's face first because we process faces and their emotions on the right side of the brain.
Yes, the idea that people see you as significantly more attractive (often cited as around 20% more) than you see yourself is a common concept in psychology, stemming from research suggesting we are overly critical of our own appearance due to familiarity and focusing on flaws, while others see a more complete picture including personality, kindness, and humor. This difference happens because you see yourself in mirrors (reversed) and photos (often unflattering angles/lighting) while others see you as you are, in real-time, noticing your overall vibe, confidence, and smile more than minor imperfections.
It is similar with how we unconsciously observe people's faces, first we look left then right. We are completely unaware that we do this, its just how our brains are wired. That doesn't mean you should strictly follow this in photography/art.
Human beings are built to size each other up quickly. These first impressions are influenced by a number of factors, such as facial shape, vocal inflection, attractiveness, and general emotional state.
Research shows that people often base their initial impressions of someone based on their appearance, including factors like clothing, gender, age, and race (Zebrowitz, 2017). This can lead to unconscious biases and unequal opportunities. The weight of first impressions is also seen in personal relationships.
According to psychology, when we see ourselves in the mirror, we tend to think of ourselves as prettier, than how we actually look to others, in real life. That's the perception of the mirror, vs what you look like to others in real life.
17 Signs You're Attractive
"For the majority of people, the first place we look at is somewhere in the middle, just below the eyes," Eckstein said. One possible reason could be that we are trained from youth to look there, because it's polite in some cultures. Or, because it allows us to figure out where the person's attention is focused.
Scientific Facial Beauty: Key Features
The Surveys Say "YES!" ... Overwhelmingly.
The very first thing people notice about you -- the first thing on which they base their lasting first impression is your smile ... your teeth.
Research in the 1990s indicated that three elements of personality in particular – power, warmth and honesty – can be reliably inferred by looking at facial features.
So, what do men find attractive in women? Per Wikipedia: Men, on average, tend to be attracted to women who have a youthful appearance and exhibit features such as a symmetrical face, full breasts, full lips, and a low waist-hip ratio.
Rude & Disrespectful Behavior
A few women said that someone acting or speaking rudely was a turn-off for them. They mentioned: Gossiping or talking badly about other people a lot. Being rude to service staff and people in general.
Many men prefer women who are “in between” skinny and curvy.
However, many men also said they prefer curvier women, and others said they prefer skinnier women. Some even said they don't care much about body types. Baller notes, “There's a wide range of body types that can be attractive.”
The "seductive eye trick," often called the Triangle Method, involves a subtle shift of gaze between one eye, then the lips, and finally the other eye, creating a visual triangle to signal romantic or sexual interest without words. This technique builds intimacy and chemistry by suggesting desire and focus, making the other person feel seen and captivating them in a playful, non-verbal way, according to relationship experts and viral social media trends.
Gaze-Detection System
We're able to easily discern where someone is looking. This system is especially sensitive when someone is staring at us directly, and studies have found that particular cells fire when this happens.
A series of experiments by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov reveal that all it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face, and that longer exposures don't significantly alter those impressions (although they might boost your confidence in your judgments).
While answering a series of questions, researchers tracked the number of times a participant looked up and to the right, or up and to the left. These movements were coded and compared to what NLP experts hypothesized. Study results did not support the hypotheses that upper right gaze indicates lying.
Looking to their left indicates that they're reminiscing or trying to remember something. On the other hand, looking to their right indicates more creative thoughts, and this is often interpreted as a potential sign that someone may be being deceitful in some situations, i.e. creating a version of events.