I have always been fascinated by the comment that someone has a "friendly face".
But, my question is this: what are the physical traits that make a human face be perceived as "friendly"? Are there any social psychology studies out there that have looked into this issue? What is your own theory on this?
posted by jacobean
on Apr 27, 2013 -
8 answers
I know that the brain filters things and adds symbolic meaning which makes our perception of reality uniquely subjective, but still I grew up believing that others were seeing more or less the same things I was seeing, which was a fair representation of objective reality. Now I'm starting to question that and wondering what 'normal' is.
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posted by PercussivePaul
on Apr 16, 2013 -
29 answers
I have severe synesthesia, and part of it means that I hear what I see. Would this be specifically useful in any professional capacity?
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posted by nímwunnan
on Mar 4, 2013 -
14 answers
Has anyone any experience with having distorted time periods or even days. What I mean by distorted is that my concept of time is really off and if I didn't have a watch on I don't think that I could accurately guestimate ten minutes, let alone hours of time.
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posted by nidora
on Dec 29, 2012 -
23 answers
Are people significantly more likely to laugh at people who have a reputation as being funny?
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posted by WhitenoisE
on May 9, 2012 -
20 answers
Whats up with my vision? I sporadically have a condition I have trouble describing.
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posted by Hither
on Jan 30, 2012 -
12 answers
I'm in need of graduate level schooling on psychoacoustics and audio compression on the cheap. What are the latest and/or most used textbooks on these topics?
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posted by waxboy
on Feb 10, 2011 -
3 answers
I got some pictures of myself from a recent party and it's depressing me, because I am ugly. Even all prettied up, I'm just not pretty. How do I come to terms with my appearance?
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posted by Baethan
on Jan 9, 2011 -
59 answers
Are there major concrete breakpoints in film quality/style over there years? Or are these more to do with the film to video conversion (I watch movies on television). Or are these perceived changes based on my historical memory?
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posted by sandmanwv
on Dec 28, 2010 -
6 answers
We act as if there is an objective reality, so why not assume that there is? I am looking for the philosophical theory that basically states "yah, I know everyone has different perceptions of reality and that our perceptions can deceive us, but most of us believe and act as if there is a shared objective reality (so there probably is one.) Can anyone recommend a simple text/author that might describe this?
posted by turtlefu
on Dec 6, 2010 -
16 answers
What computer games right now have the best graphics? I'm writing a paper on shadow perception, and want to discuss the representation of shadows in graphics. It'd be really nice to get some examples of the state of the art. But I'm not a gamer so I have no idea what this is! Gamer mefites, please hope me...
posted by handee
on Oct 14, 2010 -
15 answers
Suggest books that illuminate world-views and the way perception is flavored by ideas and sentiments!
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posted by mbrock
on Aug 9, 2010 -
24 answers
Sacrifice, speech, writing and art: I am interested in the different ways in which a sacrifice, a sacrament, a spoken word and a written word act as signifiers. The notion for instance that the sacrament, at the point of its acceptance, is understood as
becoming the signified. What can you tell me / what has been written about the notions of sacrifice and their relationship to speech, art and the technologies of writing?
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posted by 0bvious
on Feb 24, 2010 -
8 answers
Is there a word for the phenomenon of finding faces in abstract shapes or patterns? (more inside)
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posted by Kensational
on Dec 5, 2009 -
4 answers
Tomato question: Did something happen late last Autumn that could have caused low-priced/budget tomatoes in (U.S.) fast-food restaurants and supermarkets to become radically better tasting? My perception of increased quality had a sudden onset, was not chain-specific, not geographically localized, and is shared by a handful of friends.
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posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj
on Aug 17, 2009 -
13 answers
How do you perceive people who wear glasses? Do people who wear glasses notice any difference in how people perceive you when you are wearing them vs. not wearing them?
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posted by comatose
on Jul 24, 2009 -
76 answers
SociologyFilter: "We are living in a society in which our perception is directed almost as often to representations as it is to ‘reality’" (Scott Lash). Any recommended writings on this notion, more recent than Baudrillard and Eco, and preferably with an emphasis on film, will be eagerly devoured.
posted by Holly
on Jul 6, 2009 -
5 answers
"What science fiction short story is this?" filter. One story about body switching/different perceptions, and another about mindreading.
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posted by anthy
on Feb 25, 2009 -
10 answers
How can you make sure that the way you view yourself is not too far removed from how you're perceived by others?
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posted by lgandme0717
on Jan 19, 2009 -
20 answers
Is there a term for that feeling when you realize someone else notices (or notices in a particular way) something you had never thought of anyone else paying attention to, or viewing similarly?
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posted by phrontist
on Dec 19, 2008 -
12 answers
I heard a term somewhere that referred to the modern phenomena of sounds being decoupled from what produces them, in the sense that it's no longer a one-to-one relationship between sound and thing. So whereas previously every time you heard a bark you knew it was a dog, now it could be a TV, a computer, or a robot dog. Likewise, a big professional sound system could sound like almost anything. I think the originator was an academic. I distinctly remembering seeing mention of this on wikipedia once. What was that term? Who coined it?
posted by phrontist
on Dec 9, 2008 -
5 answers
Do you ever perceive another person's face as being the mirror image of what it "ought" to be?
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posted by Tube
on Nov 12, 2008 -
8 answers
Dear doctors, nurses, undertakers, anatomists, and other professional seers of the secrets of the human body: how does your daily interaction with the inner workings of man affect the way you see your friends and lovers?
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posted by prefpara
on Nov 10, 2008 -
11 answers
To what extent can we discern different colours? What of this power is merely relational (a light blue, a lighter blue)? Have studies been done to determine if our "resolution of discernment" (a particular distance in nanometers of which we can differentiate two visual wavelengths with unaided vision)? What's the difference between how we speak of colour, how we conjure it up in its particularity in our imagination, and how we differentiate it through experience?
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posted by ageispolis
on Oct 31, 2008 -
13 answers
How is it that as you grow older your perception of people's faces as being roughly in your age group grows with it?
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posted by =^^=
on Oct 27, 2008 -
9 answers
I'm trying to find a psychological/sociological study on men and women's views of the ideal female body type.
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posted by Jaltcoh
on Oct 19, 2008 -
6 answers
In
an image like this, does the alignments of the faces affect the viewers' perceptions or opinions of the people, and if so, does this cognitive bias for or against left or right carry over even to
images where the faces are the same (Ie: "I think both people on the left side of either image look more trustworthy.")? Does the alignment of a
single subject and
addition of negative space also have an affect ("The woman in the second image looks meaner.")?
I'm not so much asking for a referendum on these particular examples as I am curious about any empirical studies or statistics relating to this topic. Thanks!
posted by Alvy Ampersand
on Sep 27, 2008 -
2 answers
The phenomenology / ontology of text: has anyone examined this issue directly in philosophical, literary and/or critical terms?
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posted by 0bvious
on Sep 18, 2008 -
26 answers
Can a "low-functioning" artistic person like me maintain a great relationship with a "high-functioning" creative business man?
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posted by InterestedInKnowing
on Sep 13, 2008 -
5 answers
What are some examples of psychological studies demonstrating how people are less perceptive than they believe?
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posted by Lownotes
on Aug 1, 2008 -
11 answers
Why does red text on black background appears 'closer to me' than green text on black background, when the two text elements are next to each-other?
Other combinations yield all kinds of different 'distances'.
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posted by spacefire
on Jun 1, 2008 -
7 answers
I'm looking for great websites that focus on the misconceptions that modern cultures have about one another. A (hopefully) better explanation, as well as a super-deluxe bonus question inside. (Including some begging!)
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posted by Fuzzy Skinner
on Apr 30, 2008 -
17 answers
A google search confirms: "Time flies when you're having fun" is actually true, because the body's internal clock is influenced by dopamine. However, when the alarm goes off and I groggily stumble out of bed, it has been my life-long experience that times passes quickly. This seems like a contradiction.
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posted by proj08
on Apr 19, 2008 -
7 answers
Recursion filter: I recently came across the phrase '
Mise en Abyme' and have become fascinated by recursion in literature, language and film. What writings have used these themes in their
form to address the questions they posed?
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posted by 0bvious
on Apr 2, 2008 -
20 answers
Name-my-major, Hivemind. So I go to an unusual school in that we don't have clear-cut majors, and we basically pick an area of "focus". I'm actually currently (unofficially) studying my own brain, because it's strangely hampered in certain capacities (like the process of reading music, despite being very musical and understanding cognitively exactly what's going on), or performing basic math (despite endless repetition). It's also weirdly bolstered in other regards: I have an unbelievable propensity for forming the visual "distortions" one might associate with hallucinogens.
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posted by dmaterialized
on Mar 13, 2008 -
14 answers
