# Typing people (accurately) by appearance



## Ambiguous (Aug 17, 2009)

(I somewhat stole this from the socionics thread on here but I felt like this should be put in a new thread)


I've been studying up on MBTI pretty hardcore for the past 3-4 years and can't get away from how knowing someone's type can almost help you step inside the mind of what other people are thinking/feeling.

But anyways, in studying MBTI and applying it to people I know, I feel like I've developed my own working model (most likely through using Ti) where I can sort of intuitively recognize someone's personality type within the first 30 seconds of meeting them. I have quite a few friends who are into MBTI and I've made a game out of typing people with them and being correct most of the time.

I believe 70% of my ability to guess a persons type is actually facial structure. For example, most ENFPs tend to have high cheekbones, a more defined jawline and eyes that look like they're looking at a sparkly new toy. ISFPs have a shyer look to them but their eyes seem to mirror the environment they are put in. 

The rest falls somewhere between mannerisms, body language, and gut feelings, but it seems to work. I wish I could give some more concrete examples, but it's late and I can't think of any right now.

It's not something tangible that I can put an exact description to. It's like getting a sense in poker of what someone's hand is without knowing exactly why. But I feel pretty confident that i can type somewhere around 75%-85% of people accurately within the first minute of meeting them.

Has anyone else had success with typing people fairly quickly? It seems likely that NTs would be able to do this and find this useful.


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## Van (Dec 28, 2009)

Have you come across pod'lair? They seem to do something similar with mannerisms and their system looks like it's based on the MBTI. I don't know a lot about it, but you might be interested.
Pod'Lair | Everything is Energy Evolving


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## Ambiguous (Aug 17, 2009)

Looks interesting. I'll check it out, thanks.


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## TheWaffle (Aug 4, 2010)

If you ever see a man walking through town with a machete, you can safely assume he's an INTJ.


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## scarygirl (Aug 12, 2010)

We are what we look like, somehow...

How do INFPs look like? How do all NFs look like? xD


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## TheWaffle (Aug 4, 2010)

INFP's always have a nostalgic look on their face.


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## L'Empereur (Jun 7, 2010)

scarygirl said:


> We are what we look like, somehow...
> 
> How do INFPs look like? How do all NFs look like? xD


INFP









INFJ









ENFJ









ENFP










Socionics.org


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## Harley (Jul 5, 2009)

TheWaffle said:


> If you ever see a man walking through town with a machete, you can safely assume he's an INTJ.


Meanwhile us ladyfolk prefer to use samurai swords. Less clunky.


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## Herp (Nov 25, 2010)

This INFJ on the picture sure looks like it's going to kill someone.

And also, Pod'Lair. They claim to read people with 85% accuracy. I just find that their names are too, I don't know, mystic for me. But it's easy to reference it with the MBTI, and it's worth a try, IMO.


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## TheWaffle (Aug 4, 2010)

OcarinaOfRhyme said:


> ENFP


What drug is this one on?


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## L'Empereur (Jun 7, 2010)

Salvia probably. . .


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## Ambiguous (Aug 17, 2009)

The INFP ENFP and ENFJ look pretty accurate in those sketches. The ENFP could look like an ENFP face run over by a semi, but I don't have enough acedoctal evidence to confirm this.


To answer the earlier question, INFPs seem to have a calm, daydreamylike appearance on their face most of the time.


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## Van (Dec 28, 2009)

OcarinaOfRhyme said:


> ENFJ


Hey what, my ENFJ-like friend actually makes this face. The INFJ looks like he's trying to burn through the computer screen with his laser eyes.


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## topgun31 (Nov 23, 2010)

At first, I thought this was all B.S., but then I checked out that link. The drawings are actually pretty accurate haha! I know people in real life that match up to a good amount of types. Don't know how they do it though.


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## Deja Vu (Dec 26, 2009)

The drawings are pretty accurate in terms of expression. I dont think the facial structures match up though. Its more the "faces" they make, as was aptly put by the person above me.


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## dude10000 (Jan 24, 2010)

Interesting....

Let's try: Chomsky, Dawkins, Tarantino, O'Reilly, DRose

INTP:

















INTJ:










ENTJ:










ESTJ:










ISTP:


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## Magnificent Bastard (Sep 22, 2010)

JHBowden said:


> Interesting....
> 
> Let's try: Chomsky, Dawkins, Tarantino, O'Reilly, DRose
> 
> ...



Interesting. I don't think Tarantino is an ENTJ, though. Could you do more, like an ENTP? lol.


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## dude10000 (Jan 24, 2010)

> Could you do more, like an ENTP? lol.


Enjoy!

ENTP:

Carlin, Feynman, Russell, Yankovic


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## Intermundia (Dec 8, 2010)

This is bullshit. 


At first glance it may appear that ones looks could determine the outcome of ones personality. Some studies=Even Babies Discriminate: A NurtureShock Excerpt. - Newsweeksuggest that we that we make unconscious judgments based solely on the appearance of another and in turn determines how we act towards said person, consequently this will shape how the person being judged reacts to the world. However, there is an array of subjective factors and situations which also shape personality. Behavioral determinism plays a part as well. With this in mind, it becomes impossible to type someone solely on their appearance.


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## dude10000 (Jan 24, 2010)

> With this in mind, it becomes impossible to type someone solely on their appearance.


That's true, and trivially true, in that nothing deductively follows from any experience. The flip side to this is that pure reason tells us nothing about another person's type; at some point, we need to look outward.

Consider someone like Milton Friedman, the economist. I've seen him typed as INTJ or ENTJ, but when we observe his mannerisms, he resembles people we know who have tested ENFP. Same thing with the philosopher A.J. Ayer -- supposedly sensors don't do things like philosophy, but he physically displays all of the signs of an ESTP, and has a biography consistent with his manner.


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## Magnificent Bastard (Sep 22, 2010)

This is just me, but every ESTJ I've met in life has much denser bone structure than other types. They also have thick necks and thicker-looking skulls. I'm describing someone that looks like a typical club bouncer. Why is it that we're more likely to see an ESTJ that bears these characteristics rather than characteristics befitting a book-worm type?

Did the ESTJ work out and play sports in his youth to the extent that it made his bones denser and his muscles shorter and bulkier?

I don't think type prescribes how you look, but at least your look almost always coincides with it. Or maybe your type does prescribe your look during conception. Who knows?


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## Zefyra (Jan 5, 2011)

I think type influences physical appearance insofar as that it affects people's general demeanor, expression, how they present themselves etc. If someone is Fe-dom for instance, it could be pretty easy to see by their vast facial expressions, the way the speak, how the dress to a certain extent. But I dont think inherited physical appearance has much to do with personality type.


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## Intermundia (Dec 8, 2010)

JHBowden said:


> That's true, and trivially true, in that nothing deductively follows from any experience. The flip side to this is that pure reason tells us nothing about another person's type; at some point, we need to look outward.
> 
> Consider someone like Milton Friedman, the economist. I've seen him typed as INTJ or ENTJ, but when we observe his mannerisms, he resembles people we know who have tested ENFP. Same thing with the philosopher A.J. Ayer -- supposedly sensors don't do things like philosophy, but he physically displays all of the signs of an ESTP, and has a biography consistent with his manner.



So is it not possible that Friedman had parents, friends, or colleges that exhibited such mannerisms and in turn allowed him to pick up such mannerisms? If you look at any group of friends you will clearly see that they adopt one another's behavior to a certain extent despite appearance and personality type.


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## lirulin (Apr 16, 2010)

Intermundia said:


> So is it not possible that Friedman had parents, friends, or colleges that exhibited such mannerisms and in turn allowed him to pick up such mannerisms? If you look at any group of friends you will clearly see that they adopt one another's behavior to a certain extent despite appearance and personality type.


Amen to that. I giggle hysterically, squee at kitties, and frantically wave my hand in front of my pink face when I see something cute. This is a relatively recent development and it is all @heartturnedtoporcelain 's fault.


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## Monkey King (Nov 16, 2010)

This is almost like picking up an apple, throwing it in a basket fulll of apples, shaking it, and trying to find the apple you threw in. Just saying.


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## vel (May 17, 2010)

Ambiguous said:


> But I feel pretty confident that i can type somewhere around 75%-85% of people accurately within the first minute of meeting them.
> 
> Has anyone else had success with typing people fairly quickly? It seems likely that NTs would be able to do this and find this useful.


When I am at a public place of some kind and like a mall or airport or coffee shop I try to type people by their mannerisms. You can certainly pick up the ADD-like behavior of ExxPs, the rough and clear-cut gestures of judgers, the quick reflexes of Se types, the anticipatory anxious attitude of IxxJs, the originality in appearance of Ps and mimicry of what is everyone else wearing in Js.

Unfortunately you cannot check their type for sure so there is no way you can estimate your own accuracy. You can only make assumptions.



OcarinaOfRhyme said:


> Socionics.org


awesome link, I haven't seen that one yet



Van said:


> Hey what, my ENFJ-like friend actually makes this face. The INFJ looks like he's trying to burn through the computer screen with his laser eyes.


That's called the INFJ stare of death: http://personalitycafe.com/infj-forum-protectors/20976-infj-stare-death.html



JHBowden said:


> Carlin, Feynman, Russell, Yankovic


Carlin is ENTJ actually. He uses a ton of Te-ish sarcasm and due to Ni he talks about things that already exist, that he has observed in past. His humor lacks the imaginative Ne component. I read that he had his whole life pre-planned since early age like the judger that he is


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## heartturnedtoporcelain (Apr 9, 2010)

lirulin said:


> Amen to that. I giggle hysterically, squee at kitties, and frantically wave my hand in front of my pink face when I see something cute. This is a relatively recent development and it is all @heartturnedtoporcelain 's fault.


I take total and utter responsibility for all those insane mannerisms.


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## dude10000 (Jan 24, 2010)

> *Intermundia*: So is it not possible that Friedman had parents, friends, or colleges that exhibited such mannerisms and in turn allowed him to pick up such mannerisms? If you look at any group of friends you will clearly see that they adopt one another's behavior to a certain extent despite appearance and personality type.


I'm sure you know that inductive reasoning, i.e., reasoning from experience, is necessarily fallible; it is trivial to point this out. However, trying to reach conclusions about our world, including others, including ourselves, from pure reason alone, is impossible.

In other words, you're like one of those people who dismiss arguments by saying, "well, that's your opinion!" or "you could be wrong!" Well, of course my opinions are my opinions, and any of us can always be wrong. This is trivial. We might as well state that Chicago is Chicago, or that grass is grass.

As far as resemblances go, suppose someone resembles an ISTJ in every way, and matches the description perfectly. But the person insists they are ENTP. What is more likely: that the person has a super-secret magical ENTP "essence" that is masked by the person's genetics and influences from friends, parents, employment, and edcuation, or that the person just happens to be an ISTJ? My point is that there is nothing really deep going on with the MBTI: it is just a system of description at best, recycled Kant and Schopenhauer at worst.


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## Intermundia (Dec 8, 2010)

JHBowden said:


> I'm sure you know that inductive reasoning, i.e., reasoning from experience, is necessarily fallible; it is trivial to point this out. However, trying to reach conclusions about our world, including others, including ourselves, from pure reason alone, is impossible.
> 
> In other words, you're like one of those people who dismiss arguments by saying, "well, that's your opinion!" or "you could be wrong!" Well, of course my opinions are my opinions, and any of us can always be wrong. This is trivial. We might as well state that Chicago is Chicago, or that grass is grass.
> 
> As far as resemblances go, suppose someone resembles an ISTJ in every way, and matches the description perfectly. But the person insists they are ENTP. What is more likely: that the person has a super-secret magical ENTP "essence" that is masked by the person's genetics and influences from friends, parents, employment, and edcuation, or that the person just happens to be an ISTJ? My point is that there is nothing really deep going on with the MBTI: it is just a system of description at best, recycled Kant and Schopenhauer at worst.



The point I'm trying to make is that human beings are naturally impressionable. We adopt behavior by observing others to a greater or lesser extent. Mannerisms can be picked up regardless of personality type, but that is not to say certain personalities are more adept to adopt certain patterns of behavior. 


And if you want to argue logical fallacies, don't make an inference of my behavior from just one of my posts.


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## nevermore (Oct 1, 2010)

Just chanced across this picture. As I've seen both Bill Nye (the Science Guy) and Abe Lincoln typed as INTP I thought it was interesting:


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## InsideOutside (Feb 2, 2011)

topgun31 said:


> At first, I thought this was all B.S., but then I checked out that link. The drawings are actually pretty accurate haha! I know people in real life that match up to a good amount of types. Don't know how they do it though.


If you know someone who looks like that ENFP character, man, I feel bad for that guy...


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## PeevesOfCourse (Apr 15, 2010)

My first thought was "those pics have about as much validity as phrenology, but the latter has some validity, it's not devoid of validity, LOL...anecdotally. Actually, the INFJs I do know have kind of dark passionate wild eyebrows. The ENFPs are more Buddha-like, roundish. There could be something to it. I tend to judge more by mannerisms, "look in the eye", what they are wearing. A fellow "N" will notice you are looking at them much sooner than an S will.


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## Maurreen (Feb 14, 2011)

This thread is really interesting, but impossible for me to apply.

Other than facial expressions, I can't say what makes one person's face different from another's.


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## DarkSideOfLight (Feb 15, 2011)

vel said:


> When I am at a public place of some kind and like a mall or airport or coffee shop I try to type people by their mannerisms. You can certainly pick up the ADD-like behavior of ExxPs, the rough and clear-cut gestures of judgers, the quick reflexes of Se types, the anticipatory anxious attitude of IxxJs, the originality in appearance of Ps and mimicry of what is everyone else wearing in Js.
> 
> Unfortunately you cannot check their type for sure so there is no way you can estimate your own accuracy. You can only make assumptions.


Love the word cannot. It makes me think at speed of light. You actually CAN.
Plain and simple. Make assumption go and talk to the person. 
Extroversion and introversion is done dead easy - reaction.
The rest is a matter of practise. Body language, meta programmes, key words etc. Use a damned NLP questionnaire if you have to.

After a while you can do this fast, simple, create statistics and figure out where the most common mistakes are with observational assumptions made in the first place. Plus, if you believe that words count only for the 7% of communication it should be working very well. I'm intuitive about that, which again makes me think that I merged ENTJ and ENTP to great extension.


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## PeevesOfCourse (Apr 15, 2010)

(for NT faces above) I showed my 7 yr old these faces and asked him "which face mama made the most", he picked out the intj right away, he has no idea about MBTI. 

*impressed*


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## Mysteriousness (Feb 24, 2011)

T's wear Vibram's? or is it S's...


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