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The majority of human behavior occurs automatically rather than through conscious deliberation. Many of these actions are driven by intuition, a form of unconscious processing. Intuition can not only be quicker than contemplation, it can also be more accurate. In the realm of personality perception, intuition is driven by subtle facial cues—which can be altered following cosmetic surgery procedures, influencing interpersonal interactions.
Whether or not we like to admit it, we readily make personality attributions of strangers based on their facial appearance. This notion of “facial profiling” can be thought of as a form of intuition that enables us to guide our behaviors in response to facial qualities that we subconsciously associate with specific personality attributes. The specific traits that we quickly assess include: likeability, sociability, extroversion, trustworthiness, aggressiveness, and risk-seeking. Interestingly, we make these judgments within 100 milliseconds of seeing someone. Intuition guides quick decision making from a complex interplay of subtle signals.
Functional MRI findings have shown that intuition based knowledge relies on several key brain structures that regulate our response to learned emotions. These structures also help us feel and perceive emotions in others. Studies using eye-tracking technology have identified the areas of the face that help us utilize intuition. The most commonly viewed areas prior to forming judgments of personality include the area around the eyes as well as the mouth.
The eyes have been shown to be key for processing trustworthiness and vitality. When it comes to cosmetic surgery of the face, upper eyelid surgery is generally performed to make the eyes appear larger and more open which results in a more engaged appearance. Lower eyelid surgery is most often performed to remove the bags under the eyes, which contribute to an appearance of tiredness. Studies of these eyelid procedures reveal that patients are perceived as more attractive and trustworthy after surgical rejuvenation around the eyes.
The corner of the mouth and fullness of the cheeks are regions for happy expressions and play an important role in communicating personality traits such as extroversion, likability, and social skills. Face-lift surgery can affect these areas by restoring the tissues of the face to a higher position. This procedure can also result in a subtle upturn of the corner of the mouth, resulting in improved perceptions of likability and trustworthiness. The point is that these “anti-aging” surgeries often have an effect on the way an individual is perceived or intuited, and it goes beyond winding the clock back.
Intuition is a tremendous asset to our social experiences in life. We routinely use this power to form impressions of others, and we should be aware of the ways in which cosmetic surgery may alter those perceptions.
