can you tell a person's character by his looks?

Singapore
June 17, 2010 4:00am CST
Do some people look pleasant to you and you find that, yes, you can make friends with that person after some time? I find that I cannot tell a lot about people's characters just by their appearance. Some of my closest friends I never did expect them to be because they were not outstanding like a star or someone like that but I like them for what's inside rather than what's outside. I do have some good friends whom I know through online chatting though I have not seen them nor hear their voices. So, do you try to guess a person's character by how they look? Did the truth prove you right or wrong later?
4 people like this
31 responses
@ohiocy (214)
• Malaysia
18 Jun 10
I don't think there's any people out there that can actually do that.. I mean unless you have some kind of a power or that you have exceptionally good observation skill. Anyway I think it is quite rude to jump to conclusion on someone based on their appearances. Everyone is just as mysterious as you are to yourself in the mirror. Cheers.
@ohiocy (214)
• Malaysia
19 Jun 10
o_O wow.. I actually quoted someone else saying by accident..
• Singapore
19 Jun 10
It shows a clever and analytical mind :)
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
"Everyone is just as mysterious as you to yourself in the mirror." Jostein Gaarder once said something to that effect, that human beings are the most mysterious beings of all and we should explore within ourselves to solve the mystery of the universe rather than look for answers in outerspace. It is so philosophical.
• Canada
18 Jun 10
That's a good question and i often wonder about that. I have this silly game i like to play. When i'm in public and around a bunch of strangers-like maybe on a bus or in a coffee shop or something, i like to look at the people there and make guesses about them. Like, look at a person's face and try to determine if the person is intelligent, and generally what kind of person they are. It is not that i'm trying to be judgmental. I just find it interesting to do. I realize that i could be totally wrong in my assessment.
• Canada
18 Jun 10
Right- it's just for fun. Listen, it's an inexpensive hobby :)
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
Gave you a + for that!
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
I like to do that too, but I'm just guessing their moods for the moment, just for fun and to while away the time. But of course, I totally forgot about those people after that when I'm caught up with the mundane life.
@julyteen (13252)
• Davao, Philippines
7 Jul 10
Don't judge the book according to it's cover because you do not know what really the content of it. What if the book I'm talking about has content better than the good looking one. Maybe the publisher has no enough budget to make a good cover? It's the same if we apply this to a person. We can't judge a person based only to his/her appearance. Better to know him first before you conclude.
• Singapore
8 Jul 10
I have met many who's so beautiful inside that I have never really noticed what they look like outside even though I might have formed a judgement on them based on first impressions. I can't help forming an impression at first look but after I know the person, I would usually forsake that impression and know them by their true character instead.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
18 Jun 10
Hi bluemoon~ I agree that you really shouldn't totally judge a person by the way they look because you can definitely be wrong, at least some of the time! You can only get to know someone by talking to them. It is easier to get to know someone by physically being able to spend time with the, but I have learned that I have made some really close friends right her on the Lot too! We "speak" here, off the Lot too! There are many ways that you can get to know someone pretty well, but it has nothing to do with their looks!
• Singapore
19 Jun 10
I agree myLot is a great way of communication. There's some disadvantage though because we can't see the person face to face and words can be edited, so I think there is still a barrier, but of course if we communicated long enough, we can really get to know a person, even online.
@meowcow (931)
• Philippines
17 Jun 10
Lol yes guilty here. I know it's wrong but I do it mainly for fun, that's my excuse. I like to try to guess what the person's going to be like even before he or she speaks. I can usually tell by his or her facial features and what he or she wears. This is all based on patterns I have seen before with people with the same taste in clothing and even in some cases they have similar facial features. But I try as much as possible to just try to guess what they are all about rather than judge immediately just because of their physical features. Here in my country I know a lot of rich people who just wear shorts shirts and slippers most of the time. You'd never know they were very very rich. Interesting topic, bluemoonpavilion! ++ to you!
@meowcow (931)
• Philippines
18 Jun 10
You should try giving them little dialogues! My friend and I used to play that game all the time while waiting for something. And back then there wasn't much internet yet and fancy phones and mobile games and stuff. So we would just make up silly little dialogues watching from rooftops and stuff. I appreciate your silliness and your willingness to embrace it. I really admire people who have good enough imagination to amuse themselves. I like that particular little quirk in some people is what I'm saying. It's an art, even if no one ever knows or hears it lol!
• Singapore
17 Jun 10
Hello meowcow, thanks for your compliments. Sometimes I like to do that too, i.e, guessing things about people before I know them. Sometimes I do that while I am waiting for the train or waiting to cross a traffic light, I like to observe them and try to guess what they are thinking. Sounds a bit silly because I can never verify but its all for fun :) Sometimes I find that the very rich people would not show off their wealth by flashing, instead they would dress simple but elegant and I can appreciate that.
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
I like your suggestion of giving them lines to spout! But then I may have to find another quirky companion or else the conversation would get too confusing to follow! I think no idea is too silly, sometimes one thing leads to another and soon we may be on our way to something big. The world is as big as how we imagine it to be.
@vikas_711 (106)
• India
18 Jun 10
I do think some people can. But i can not. Some people can, iam saying so beacuse some has gussed about me, my charcter and other things. I am talking about the stranges, who meet you while travelling or other way. They guseed and many perdictions were right.
• India
18 Jun 10
hm, i mean while travelling we just start conversation with strangers, to pass the time. They just guess, and sometimes very accurate.
• Singapore
19 Jun 10
Oh wow, feels quite scary to me. I once had a friend who went around observing people and can guess correctly what our astrological signs are. I was so amazed! But that involves quite a lot of observation power.
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
That's weird, maybe you have very animated expressions, so people can guess even when you are on the road? Do you feel happy or unhappy that people read you easily?
@ronnyb (6113)
• Jamaica
17 Jun 10
I dont think you can tell a persons character by looks because someones character is inside.I mean so often we see so many pretty persons and they are obviously nasty and sometimes we see some ugly people and their character is obsolutely golden.Agin you see some small perosns and their personality is fiery and then you see a giant and he is gentle as a mouse
• Singapore
17 Jun 10
I agree with what you said, I have met several people who behave just the opposite of how they look. I feel that it is such a pity that someone very beautiful on the outside can be so bad.
@bestylish (922)
• Philippines
18 Jun 10
I can't really tell... Personally, I don't care about how other people look. If they talk to me, I'll talk to them the same way they are talking to me. What I mean is that if the way they talk is annoying me, I will reply something that could make them also feel annoyed. There's a saying... an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. HAHA! That's the kind of person I am. You guys might think I'm an unpleasant person. HAHA! Happy mylotting!
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
you are unpleasant....nah, I don't think that, I think its reasonable to think that some times, and it might be good for the other person, don't have to be nasty but teach them a lesson for taking advantage of others. Hope they learn from the experience.
@edorms36 (275)
• United Arab Emirates
18 Jun 10
I beleive that looks can be deceiving, and for most of the time the person who's got the most angelic look is one whose got a very devilish character. The beauty of a person can't be seen from the outside it will always be from within, the character will show on how a person behaves and not through the superficial looks one is projecting, looks is not the definite way to define a character, "it is only through the heart that one see's rightly, what is essential is invisible to the human eye". This is one of my favorite lines, when defining character from the famous story, the fox and the prince.
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
It's also one of my favourite quotes from The Little Prince. The true beauty of a person shines through his/her kindness, wisdom, understanding, empathy and all other good character traits, and not by external beauty.
@annavi23 (6522)
• Philippines
18 Jun 10
yes,i can tell a person's character by his looks. sometimes there were people who are easily read and some are hard. some people also are good at hiding their feelings or real attitudes,but you can always see it in their eyes. it reflects our souls. some friends of mine i thought they were rude,but in time i figured out they are nice people.some also i knew personally i thought they were nice people but it turned out they were those people i want to get rid of because of their awfulness and bad traits,never trust them again. i also have a friend who can read my attitude just by seeing my picture,i guess she was really good when it comes to those things,i guess it's kind of they have studied learning attitudes through pictures.
@annavi23 (6522)
• Philippines
21 Jun 10
yes,you have to look closely to their eyes,so you'll know the truth behind every smile from them.there are people who really are good at hiding their true emotions.it's like you're a clown but when you are sad,you just tend to forget that you are sad and lighten up yourself cause it is your job to bring happiness to others. so,might as well hidd your feelings for a while and make happy for others.
• Philippines
18 Jun 10
looks can be so deceiving. i've met some girls who just looked like boticelli angels and they had such a mean streak to them. anyway, it's maybe cliche' but it's true that you can't judge a book by its cover. in my case, i'm often mistaken for someone who has no sense of humor but i love to laugh and i find humor in the most trivial of things. people always tell me afterwards how they just didn't expect me to be so funny. i think it's great that my looks could mislead people, it's always fun to prove people wrong for me.
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
I can sense your humour from what you said, "prove people wrong", so cute... I also am easily tickled, I find so many things to laugh at everyday, even myself and especially when I'm feeling down, I will tell myself, "What are you doing to yourself by being unhappy? Do you like wrinkles on your face? The more the merrier perhaps?" When I get this far, my mood has changed, hahahah...
@puccagirl (7294)
• Israel
17 Jun 10
Of course not. Not in most cases anyway. But it is very common that people try to do exactly that. But people who judge others based on superficial things alone are very often surprised, keep that in mind. And not always in a good way!
• Singapore
17 Jun 10
By that argument, it seems that we often jump straightaway to conclusions. I've been surprised many times by my friends. Lately I'm having some issues with a colleague but I think I need to start another discussion on that. Her actions has totally changed my initial impressions of her.
• Pakistan
17 Jun 10
well the answer is that i cannot tell one,s character by his look but if i remain close to him by any means i can tell you what kind of this person is.
• Singapore
17 Jun 10
Sounds like you know how to see a person well, that's a good trait. If I can do that, I will only be near those who are more positive in life and are generous hearted (not in the financial sense) vs someone who's always negative and grumbling about life.
17 Jun 10
I did a take test on whether you could spot a serial killer by his photo. I scored perfectly somehow. I think I was lucky. So I think you can for certain things. Like does he or she take care of themselves. But beyond that, you can't.
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
I took a similar test and I failed miserably. I think I'll stick to not judging people by their looks ;P
@redhotpogo (4401)
• United States
17 Jun 10
It depends on what you mean by looks. If you include the clothes they wear then its 50/50, but if you're just going on the pure appearance of the person's body, and physical characteristics, then ya you can tell a person by their looks. Most people anyway. I'm usually right, but there have been a few times that I was wrong. Sometimes people surprise you.
• Singapore
18 Jun 10
I would include the clothes in, what you choose to wear and how you wear it also reflects a person's personality.
@sublime03 (2339)
• Philippines
17 Jun 10
Not all but you can for some. Like for me, the one thing I am definitely showing is I am just a simple person. No matter how crazy my thoughts are and all, I am still this simple little girl inside who just wants real people. But then again, there are some who wants the world to know what kind of a person they are so they make an effort to dress up and all.
• Singapore
17 Jun 10
Very nice to hear that. Keep yourself simple and you may get more out of life than you think. I'm also a straightforward kind of person so I dislike hypocrites.
@epicure35 (2814)
• United States
20 Jun 10
It's true that looks do play a part in how we try to evaluate people. Of course, all of us are better understood by our character qualities, and that takes time to know. I do imagine how a person I may have never seen might look by their voice, their opinions, and how they express themselves. I am always surprised if I get to meet such a person, most notably, by their looks, e.g. if I imagined them short with dark hair, or whatever. The image in my mind must go! However, some "books can be judged by their cover", meaning some folks don't go very deep and what you see is what you get in some cases. But, most people are full of surprises in their depth of character when you get to really know them.
@tomitomi (5429)
• Singapore
17 Jun 10
That's usually the first thing we see in a person. And it's hard not to notice sometimes. Basing on looks alone may get you to a first impression but it may not always be true. You need more than just looks to form a good and reliable judgement. And that obviously depends on what you have in mind.
• Singapore
17 Jun 10
Of course it's better to know a person first but maybe when a person really stands out from the crowd, we tend to notice and form impressions.
@aquariand (464)
17 Jun 10
there is an old saying - never judge a bookk by its cover and i tend to think this is right, its always nice to get to know someone before deciding on their character
• Singapore
17 Jun 10
Wise words and I will try to follow this.
• Turkey
7 Jul 10
Yes, I can tell a person's character. Sometimes phsical look can say so much. And 80% percent of I told is true :)