Understanding People’s Face Value
What does Hillary Rodham Clinton’s face say about who she is? Naomi Tickle can tell you. A practicing personologist, she believes human behavior and personality traits are related to physical structure.
“When I first heard about personology 17 years ago, I thought it was another one of those crazy California fads,” Tickle says. “But it works. I had myself analyzed, and the personologist discovered things about me that I have never told anyone.”
Now she heads the International Centre for Personology outside of San Francisco where she reads faces for a living. By scrutinizing the shape of a nose, the thickness of an upper lip and the corner of an eye, she is able to give clients information about themselves, advice on career choices and improved communication skills, and help understanding children and spouses.
Personology is also used by some casting directors, though apparently not the ones who hired Anthony Hopkins for the film “Nixon.”
“He’s a wonderful actor, but he was totally unconvincing as Richard Nixon,” Tickle says.
With practice, anyone can read a face. We asked Tickle for a few tips. For more about personology, check out her book, “It’s All in the Face” (Daniel’s Publishing, 1997), or Web site at https://www.naomitickle.com.
Q: Some believe the eyes are the window to the soul. What can you tell from them?
A: People with big irises really feel emotions. Monica Lewinsky’s irises are huge. You also see the trait in movie stars like Julia Roberts and Brooke Shields. These people fall in love within the first five minutes of meeting someone.
Hillary Clinton’s and Madeline Albright’s eyelids are exposed. These women like to get to the bottom line. They often cut off conversations to get to the point. They are very bored in meetings unless they are running them.
Q: Can you tell from Hillary’s face why she stays with Bill?
A: Hillary has an oval forehead, so she’s a maintainer. Home is important. She likes to see things through. Her eyes are wide-set, which says she is also a very tolerant person.
Q: Talk about famous features. What do Mick Jagger’s lips say?
A: Anyone who has large lips loves to talk. If you ask them for directions, they give you the tour. People with thin lips have a hard time expressing what they feel. They keep things inside. They may be very short when answering questions, but a lot is going on inside. However, ask them for directions and they will be concise.
Q: Can you tell from their faces if two people are compatible romantically?
A: Yes. I look for similar texture of hair and similar width of face. It’s also good to have a similar tolerance level, which refers to how close or far apart the eyes are. Similar intellect, interest in people and body proportion is also important. Take leg length, for example. If both people are long-legged, they are likely to enjoy the same activities. Short-legged people like to run around, but long-legged people are content to be couch potatoes.
Q: Do people who’ve had plastic surgery throw you off?
A: Paula Jones will always want to be the boss no matter what she does to her nose. But she doesn’t have to be like that. If you are aware of your personality traits, you can control them.
Booth Moore can be reached by e-mail at booth.moore@latimes.com.
High authoritativeness: The authoritative trait is indicated by the width of the jaw.
Low authoritativeness: A narrow jaw indicates this person is less authoritative.
Construction: Square foreheads indicate the “construction” trait. Someone with this feature enjoys starting new projects but may not complete them.
Conservation: Round foreheads indicate the “conservation” trait. Someone with this feature likes the status quo and enjoys the comforts of home.
