[Baking Typewriter] Why We Can't Help But Be Drawn to Faces

A Scientific Exploration of "Face Evaluation"
Through Psychology and Neuroscience

Everyone has experienced looking at a stranger's face and feeling, "They seem trustworthy," or "Something feels off." In fact, this intuition is less about simple emotion and more about the brain's instinctive judgment. A face is like a business card or a signboard, carrying a wealth of information. Choi Hoon, a professor of psychology at Hallym University, scientifically unravels the familiar yet little-understood world of faces in his book "Why Are We Drawn to Faces?"

The first part of the book explores the brain's remarkable ability to recognize faces. This is not a matter of values or ethics, but an area of information processing and perception. Even if we resolve not to judge by appearances, our brains analyze another person's face in just 0.1 seconds, grasping age, gender, and even emotion. Understanding this process makes us realize just how much information is embedded in the glances we usually overlook. Another intriguing point is that the mechanism for recognizing "my own face" differs from that for judging "others' faces." The reason your own face looks strange or unfamiliar in photos is not simply a matter of mood.

The second part addresses the sensitive topic of facial attractiveness. While beauty may seem subjective, research reveals certain patterns. The book scientifically explains why symmetrical faces are preferred, why makeup creates an optical illusion, and why simply wearing glasses can enhance perceived trustworthiness.

The book also highlights the importance of "communication through faces" in human evolution. The author notes the unusually large whites of the human eye. Although this makes gaze direction easily visible and increases the risk of being detected by enemies, it actually favored cooperation and survival. Humans developed the use of rich facial expressions to signal gaze direction and convey intentions to allies. In this way, we learned to "speak without words" through eye movements, subtle muscle twitches, and the angle of the eyebrows.

In this context, the book points out that Botox can interfere with communication. Making facial expressions is closely linked to experiencing emotions. When facial muscles are paralyzed, it becomes difficult to express natural emotions, which in turn affects our ability to feel emotions fully. Furthermore, it can even diminish our ability to recognize others' expressions.

The greatest strength of this book is its ability to explain scientific concepts in everyday language. The somewhat unfamiliar topics of neuroscience and psychology are made engaging through practical examples. Visual materials are used extensively to vividly convey various experiments and research findings. Due to portrait rights issues, the book frequently features photos of the author or acquaintances, or images of people generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

The revised edition especially incorporates a wealth of new research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the period when we wore masks and covered half our faces, we learned to read emotions and detect subtle changes in expression using only the eyes and eyebrows. The author suggests that this experience has enriched the way we communicate through faces.

Ultimately, this book is a journey that explores the depth of human relationships through the small window of the face. Contrary to what the title might suggest, it does not devolve into superficial "face evaluation." After closing the book, readers will come to see faces not merely as appearances, but as a language through which emotions and social signals are exchanged. To see a face, in the end, is to understand humanity and its world. Now, we will find ourselves looking at not only others' faces, but also our own in the mirror, with a new perspective.

Why Are We Drawn to Faces? | Choi Hoon | Hyunamsa | 308 pages | 20,000 won