Face Value

Reviews / Votes

"Honorable Mention for the 2018 PROSE Award in Psychology, Association of American Publishers" "A mesmerising book."---Carol Midgley, The Times "Hugely entertaining."---Kate Douglas, New Scientist "Face Value raises a compelling and unresolved issue: First impressions are reasonably consistent, meaning that people largely agree on which faces they judge trustworthy or threatening or dominant. Yet these judgements may be far from accurate, leading to great social injustice in myriad daily interactions. . . . Todorov's book excels in explaining how he and other researchers have figured out many of the subtle cues that the mind uses in constructing [these impressions]."---Nicholas Wade, Wall Street Journal "An impressive, well-written, and well-illustrated book. . . . Stimulating and enjoyable."---John Antonakis, Science "First impressions and snap judgements are not trivial: they can overturn elections and make or break careers. Drawing on cognitive and computer science, this weighty, well-illustrated study by psychologist Alexander Todorov journeys under the skin to reveal how 'face-reading'--as in the old pseudoscience of physiognomy--has given way to a scientific understanding of perceptual bias vis-a-vis the visage. Todorov unpeels the responses of newborns to 'faceness', the hunt for face-selective neurons, the chameleonic self-portraiture of artist Cindy Sherman and more."---Barbara Kiser, Nature "Face Value sets out a persuasive and fascinating argument."---Oliver Moody, The Times "Fascinating reading."---Diana Gitig, Ars Technica "It's not the kind of book you'd expect to want to read more--just as in an adventure novel--but that's exactly what Face Value does: it gives you a lot of information in a way that always leaves you wanting for more. . . . A delightful book."---Mihai Andrei, ZME Science "Compelling narrative voice and clear prose."---Hope Reese, Undark "Since the early 2000s, Princeton University psychology professor Alexander Todorov has been studying . . . the first impression. In his new book, Face Value, Todorov pulls together all he's learned about first impressions. At first glance--and upon a careful reading--it makes for a fascinating and thorough examination of the subject."---Theodore Kinni, Strategy + Business "Informative and entertaining. . . . Although it is aimed primarily at the general public I think that most psychologists will find this book to be an enjoyable and informative read, demonstrating not only the fascinating research emerging in the field of facial cognition but also providing a case study of how the scientific method can be applied to untangle the complex and subtle processes that make up the human mind."---James P. Schmidt, PsycCRITIQUES