Facial Perception: The Human Superpower

Recognizing faces happens so naturally and swiftly that we rarely give it a second thought. However, a simple scratch of the surface reveals that facial recognition and perception are wildly complex tricks. If you glimpse a photo of a friend, parent, or celebrity, you don't need to spend any time assessing the creases and folds of their nose before you can definitively say who they are. Recognizing a face is instant and effortless. It is so effortless that it is forgivable to have never considered how we manage it. If you take a moment to think how complex a face is, yet how similar each face is to each other - two eyes, a mouth, a nose, in the same order each time - you start to appreciate how incredible it is that we manage this feat with such ease. Within a single moment, we recognize that we are indeed looking at a face; but we also recognize who they are and what kind of a mood they are in. Visible for the duration of most social interactions, the face is a pivotal part of the human experience. Of course, nothing evolves in an animal unless it is important, and recognizing faces has been vital for humanity as a species. Our ancient cousins would have been at a significant disadvantage if they could not tell when a colleague or stranger was enraged, for instance. As social animals, it is essential that we are able to read the tiny tweaks that go into making a facial expression - spotting the smallest fluctuation in an eyebrow's elevation that tells you to keep you...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news