musemaj11 Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 Most of the times I can tell the basic personality of a person just from looking at her facial expression during normal situation. I can tell if she is the bitch kind, the nice kind, the bad kind, the confident kind or the shy kind.
Star Gazer Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 ...during normal situation. What's a "normal situation"? And how do you know they're in a "normal situation"?
Seamless74 Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 At first glance you question seemed prolly a bit simpler than it actually is,, I guess youd have to define what you mean by personality in its totality a little further.. But I would say you could probably tell if a person is shall we say of "YOUR TRIBE" or "CUT OF THE SAME CLOTH" within minutes...
xpaperxcutx Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 I wish I could people's expressions, as is, overeagerness is a trait that I associate with underlying motives.
Author musemaj11 Posted November 29, 2010 Author Posted November 29, 2010 What's a "normal situation"? And how do you know they're in a "normal situation"? I mean in a relax situation in which they are not in a state of working, arguing, competing, etc.
Star Gazer Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 I mean in a relax situation in which they are not in a state of working, arguing, competing, etc. But if they're a stranger to you, you never know what they're carrying with them that day. If they seem to be in a bad mood: Maybe they rear-ended someone on their way to work? Maybe their check card was stolen by thieves and their bank account drained? Maybe someone they love recently died? Maybe the just got handed a pink slip with 6 months notice? If they seem really cheery: Maybe they just got asked out by someone they've been pining over for 10 years and they're elated? Maybe their vacation to Maui starts tomorrow? Maybe they just got a highly coveted promotion? Maybe they just got back from Oprah's Favorite Things episode where they were in the audience? In short, even when you encounter someone in what you believe to be a "normal situation," there may be circumstances you're unaware of which have temporarily altered their outward personality. Under any of these situations, I'm not sure you're going to get an accurate snapshot of a person's day-to-day personality.
Author musemaj11 Posted November 29, 2010 Author Posted November 29, 2010 You are right, but in my personal experience, my first impression of someone is almost always confirmed correct even after I get to know that person more.
northern_sky Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 (edited) I'm generally good at reading people, but some people are easier to read at first than others. I've had a few false positives, where somebody seemed great at first and turned out to be not so great later on. I don't think I've had a single false negative in real life. With most people it takes me about one or two lengthy conversations to get a very surface read on their personality. And it's usually easiest to tell in a group setting so you can see how they interact with a bunch of people, rather than just with you. This is generally obvious stuff: are they warm, cold or neutral? Are they honest or dishonest? Are they genuinely nice or fake nice? Are they confident or insecure? Are they selfish or giving? Things I pay attention to, which might be helpful to others: Vocal inflections are usually the easiest way to tell: If somebody's vocal inflections or rhythms seem at odds with the content of their speech, that's a tip off that something is off. For example, narcissists I've noticed will pepper their speech with colorful language, but their vocal inflections tend to be sporadic. You get sudden peaks and drop offs in their speech after long passages of monotone, rather than the more subtle hills and valleys and occasional mountains in normal speech. Think of it as the vocal equivalent of a huge grin that ends too fast. The rhythm of their syllables also tend to be off, usually very evenly spaced, even if their speech is fast-paced. In other words, they're emulating emotion but there's something slightly unnatural about their vocal patterns. For whatever reason, people also seem to sound more constricted and nasal when they are being dishonest. Whenever I pick up on this, it's a tip off that the person is insincere or putting on a facade. Other things to look for that indicate different personality traits. Bear in mind these traits only really have significance in how they interact with one another, not in isolation: Do they ask questions or spend more time talking about themselves? When they ask questions and you respond do they turn the conversation back to themselves or seem genuinely interested in your response? Do they ever volunteer anything private about themselves or are they very closed up? Do they volunteer too much? In a group context do they make an effort to get to know a new person and make that person feel welcome or not? Do they wait a moment after you speak to respond, as if they're thinking carefully about what you said, or spit something out? Do they make any eye contact with you in a group when you guys aren't speaking? Is their eye contact poor or is it too strong (as if they're looking through you)? Do they shy away from any topic or conversation point that is emotional, no matter how slight? What is their laugh like? Is it forced or natural? Is their voice loud or soft? If they are quiet are they fully engaged in the conversation (through eye contact and facial expressions), or do they seem remote? Do they seem super composed in their expressions -- like a constant very slight closed mouth smile? To me that's usually an indication of somebody who has a wall up. ---------------- With more interactions, more nuances and hidden layers emerge, but it's also easier to get blindsided by your increasing emotional involvement with the person. Edited November 29, 2010 by northern_sky
denise_xo Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 I tune into people fairly quickly. I've been in several situations, especially while travelling, where I've had to made split second decisions whether to trust someone or not and where making the wrong decision could have gotten me in trouble. So far, my judgement has turned out to be reliable. I may have had a dose of luck as well
sally4sara Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 I try to avoid making snap judgments but there are a few things that jump out at me and force me to make one faster than I'd like. They smile, but it doesn't reach their eyes ever. You ask questions and their answers are limited to one word responses. During conversation, they look everywhere but your face. People who whisper secrets while in a group setting; its clear you're speak abut someone in the room and its rude. People who keep their hands balled up in fists, even in warm weather or if they're sitting. They try to get you to agree with everything they say they've done with phrases such as "as anyone would" or "who could blame me if". Also people who seem preoccupied with hierarchy. These people are predatory in some nature. They are the ones who will stab you in the back, think of others as lesser, or try to single out anyone who seems vulnerable. They only speak with the host, the boss, or whomever is "in charge". They only speak with those of their own gender or those of their opposite gender. Such as a girl who only talks with men and can't not use her hands or the guy who says very little in a co-ed group but slides on up once the other fellas wander off. The woman who ceases conversation till the men wander away. I remember a guy who walked up to me and another fella at a party and asked the guy, right in front of me, who I came to the party with instead of asking me directly. It let me know he thought of women as either belonging to a man or available to him.
EasyHeart Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 Most of the times I can tell the basic personality of a person just from looking at her facial expression during normal situation. I can tell if she is the bitch kind, the nice kind, the bad kind, the confident kind or the shy kind.No, you can't. You're speculating and then convincing yourself that you're right. NO ONE can "read" people. The only way to understand a person is to spend a lot of time with them in different situations. Otherwise, you're just deluding yourself.
Author musemaj11 Posted November 29, 2010 Author Posted November 29, 2010 No, you can't. You're speculating and then convincing yourself that you're right. NO ONE can "read" people. The only way to understand a person is to spend a lot of time with them in different situations. Otherwise, you're just deluding yourself. I said I can tell the surface personality of a person, but not in depth. When I saw someone and I thought that person was the confident type for example, most of the times I was right. Im kind of like that guy from the show 'Lie to Me'. Im good with facial expressions.
threebyfate Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 I said I can tell the surface personality of a person, but not in depth. When I saw someone and I thought that person was the confident type for example, most of the times I was right. Im kind of like that guy from the show 'Lie to Me'. Im good with facial expressions. Define surface personality and in depth. What you're saying in the first sentence appears to conflict with the second paragraph.
Author musemaj11 Posted November 29, 2010 Author Posted November 29, 2010 Define surface personality and in depth. What you're saying in the first sentence appears to conflict with the second paragraph. I can tell whether someone is the confident or shy type from first impression. But I cant tell if that person is a good person, a liar, or a violent person.
threebyfate Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 I can tell whether someone is the confident or shy type from first impression. But I cant tell if that person is a good person, a liar, or a violent person.Oh yeah, that is easy. It's the subconscious processing of what visual and auditory senses have harvested.
Star_Bright Posted November 29, 2010 Posted November 29, 2010 Most of the times I can tell the basic personality of a person just from looking at her facial expression during normal situation. I can tell if she is the bitch kind, the nice kind, the bad kind, the confident kind or the shy kind. I think that many people are complicated and can't be typecast into "kinds."
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