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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Read the Face summary
Eric Standop
Elisa Petrini
Face Reading for Success in Your Career, Relationships, and Health
26 mins
Brief summary
"Read the Face" by Eric Standop and Elisa Petrini is an insightful guide to understanding the art of face reading. It explores how facial features can reveal personality traits and provides practical tips for improving communication and relationships.
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Read the Face
Summary of 8 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 8
Face reading has fallen in and out of favor across the millennia.
Face reading has existed for millennia across continents, cultures, and religions. It’s been identified in the ancient hieroglyphics of Egypt and carvings of South America. And in Europe, it traces back to the fifth century BC.
Physiognomonics – often attributed to the Greek philosopher Aristotle – is the oldest surviving book on the practice. It features ideas from Aristotle’s earlier work, History of Animals, which postulates a connection between personality traits and physical features. Thanks to Alexander the Great, these ideas spread across the Middle East and India with every conquest.
The key message here is: Face reading has fallen in and out of favor across the millennia.
In medieval Europe, face reading became associated with fortune-telling and fell from grace. During the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci rejected it as being “without scientific foundation.”
But, thankfully, the seventeenth-century English physician Sir Thomas Browne revived the practice in his works Magia Naturalis and De Humana Physiognomia. During the eighteenth century, Swiss theologian Johann Kaspar Lavater expanded on Browne’s ideas. He produced a four-volume encyclopedia titled Physiognomische Fragmente, which included input from contemporaries like Goethe.
In the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin theorized that humans and animals share universal facial expressions – like raised eyebrows to demarcate surprise. He also concluded that all humans share the same core expressions, including anger, fear, and disgust. These findings were published in his third work on evolution, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals.
By the mid-nineteenth century, the Italian Cesare Lombroso was incorporating classical principles and Darwin’s theories into his new field of science: criminology. Among his other dubious claims, he considered left-handedness to be a sure sign of villainy.
In the early twentieth century, new medical technologies gained popularity in the West, and physiognomy once more fell out of favor. But in Asia, it has remained a recognized discipline for thousands of years.
In fact, face reading can be traced back to the Chinese philosopher – and Confucius contemporary – Lao Tzu. Briefly banned during China’s Cultural Revolution in the ’60s and ’70s, face reading has since been revived. Today, the Chinese practice of face reading is the holy grail for many face readers, including the author.
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What is Read the Face about?
Read the Face (2021) is a beginner’s guide to the millennia-old art and science of physiognomy, or face reading. It provides a brief history of the practice, outlines techniques and methods, and includes insightful case studies.
Read the Face Review
Read the Face (2021) is a fascinating exploration of the art of face reading and its practical applications. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Offers insightful knowledge about interpreting facial features, enabling readers to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others.
- Explores the connection between facial expressions and emotions, providing readers with valuable tools to improve their communication and relationships.
- With its engaging anecdotes and case studies, the book brings the concepts to life, making it a captivating and enlightening read.
Who should read Read the Face?
- Anyone curious about physiognomy
- People eager to understand themselves and others better
- Couples interested in finding out about love compatibility
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Read the Face FAQs
What is the main message of Read the Face?
Discover how facial features reflect personality traits, emotions, and character in Read the Face.
How long does it take to read Read the Face?
The reading time for Read the Face varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Read the Face a good book? Is it worth reading?
Read the Face is a fascinating exploration of how to interpret facial features. It offers valuable insights into understanding others and enhancing communication skills.
Who is the author of Read the Face?
The author of Read the Face is Eric Standop with Elisa Petrini.
What to read after Read the Face?
If you're wondering what to read next after Read the Face, here are some recommendations we suggest:
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- The Joy of Connections by Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer
- The Art of Explanation by Ros Atkins
- Meaningful by Bernadette Jiwa
- Read People Like a Book by Patrick King
- Hope Is Not a Strategy by Rick Page