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Brain Looks Beyond Eyes to Recognize Faces: Scientists

New research shows that eyebrows, noses are key to distinguishing people

By Rebecca Smith Hurd,  Newser User

Posted Jan 19, 2009 3:43 PM CST

(Newser) – Want to make yourself hard to recognize? Get a nose job and shave your eyebrows, say facial-recognition experts, who have yet to fully understand—or agree upon—how we “see” or “read” faces. Psychologists and neuroscientists, fueled by the need to quickly and correctly identify people in the age of terrorism, are uncovering some “unexpected data,” the Boston Globe reports.

New findings indicate the first place we look on a face is left of the nose, then at it, to determine in a split-second whether we know someone. Glasses don’t change appearance much, but shaving eyebrows is “acutely disruptive.” Men’s skin skews red, while women’s skin is greenish. Why? Scientists continue to seek answers, but suspect physiological and cognitive factors.

A facial recognition program is demonstrated during the Biometrics 2004 exhibition and conference in London. Some scientists now believe eyebrows may be as crucial as eyes in recognizing faces.
A facial recognition program is demonstrated during the Biometrics 2004 exhibition and conference in London. Some scientists now believe eyebrows may be as crucial as eyes in recognizing faces.   (Getty Images)
Experts continue to examine facial recognition technologies as effective means to determine a person's identity and to improve security.
Experts continue to examine facial recognition technologies as effective means to determine a person's identity and to improve security.   (Getty Images)
During the Security Show at Tokyo Big Sight in March 2008, a face recognition system estimated passers-by's age by checking wrinkles and frame development through a surveillance camera.
During the Security Show at Tokyo Big Sight in March 2008, a face recognition system estimated passers-by's age by checking wrinkles and frame development through a surveillance camera.   (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
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