The DemystifySci Podcast

What Your Face Says About You - Taylor Northcutt, DemystifySci #373

Oct 15, 2025
Guest
Taylor Northcutt
Taylor Northcutt, creator of the ProSopa YouTube channel, explores the fascinating world of physiognomy, the idea that our faces reflect our inner selves. He discusses how ancient cultures read faces for clues about health and temperament. The conversation delves into the modern implications of face-reading, including how personal development can alter our appearance. Taylor also addresses the societal rejection of physiognomy, its potential in relationships, and even its connections to genetics and trauma. A live face reading demonstration adds an interactive twist!
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INSIGHT

Global Roots Of Face Reading

  • Physiognomy appears across major ancient cultures and converges on similar correlations between face and temperament.
  • Taylor argues these systems grew from observation and systematization akin to early scientific methods.
ANECDOTE

Lincoln's Reported Face-Based Hiring Call

  • Taylor recounts an anecdote where Abraham Lincoln reportedly dismissed a promising job candidate because he "didn't trust his face."
  • The man later proved to be a fraud, illustrating historical use of face-based judgment.
INSIGHT

Why Physiognomy Was Exiled

  • Modern rejection of physiognomy is largely ideological, tied to 20th-century blank-slate progressivism.
  • Taylor links that shift to cultural motives, not purely to disconfirming evidence.
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