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我們如何辨認和詮釋臉孔？

有關臉部外觀和思維、感情與意識的關係理論可謂比比皆是。
以美貌為例：人們對美麗臉龐的構成條件可以說是如出一轍。自古至今，儘管不同個人及文化對肉體吸引力的標準莫衷一是，美麗臉龐的定義卻總是根植於平衡與對稱感。然而，人們是否逐漸把美的事物與「好」或「可接受」這些特質畫上等號；而對於那些不合標準的人產生負面的影響？　
據說面相學(臉部特徵、表情和性格的關聯)的正式研究始於古希臘思想家畢達哥拉斯。中國人看相的古老藝術已出現超過兩千五百年。從那時候起，那些解讀臉孔的主張和理論便導出一些刻板的結論，諸如「犯罪形」面相和「聰慧形」面相。
自文藝復興以來，藝術家和科學家便強調使用新興科技來對臉孔進行研究、測量、分類，以及資訊典藏。直至十九世紀中旬，鏡子才成為日常生活的一部分；在那之前，許多人並不清楚自己的長相，只能倚賴肖像繪製和他人的反應來得知。照相攝影的發明改變了許多人對自己的觀感。社交肖像畫和科學照相成為記錄及探討個人和文化認知的兩種方式。
近三十年來，臉部構造、質感和運動的描述與分析可謂突飛猛進。現在美國政府已經要求大部分旅客持可由機器讀取的護照，其中包含面部特徵相關的「生物辨識」資料。　
你的臉部透露出什麼訊息？男性和女性臉孔有何不同？隨著年齡增長，臉部會有什麼樣的變化？我們又如何指認出自己曾目擊過的罪犯？

How do we identify and interpret faces?

There have been many theories about the relationship between facial appearance and thought, feeling and consciousness.
Take the case of beauty: there is remarkable consensus about what makes a beautiful face. From the ancient world to the modern day, the classification of the beautiful face has been based on balance and symmetry, despite wide differences between individuals and cultures as to what is considered physically attractive. Is there, however, a growing trend to increasingly link what is beautiful with what is 'good' or 'acceptable', with negative consequences for those of us who do not fit the norms?
The formal study of physiognomy (how facial features and expression relate to character) is said to have begun in classical Greece with Pythagoras. The ancient Chinese art of face reading was developed more than 2,500 years ago. Beliefs and theories about the meaning of the face have, since then, often led to stereotypes such as the 'criminal' face or the 'intellectual' face.
Artists and scientists have pressed new technologies into service to study, measure, classify and archive faces ever since the Renaissance. Until mirrors became common-place in the mid-nineteenth century, many people did not know what they looked like, relying on portraits and the reactions of other people. The arrival of photography changed the way people perceived themselves. Social portraiture and scientific photography became different ways of recording and investigating both individual and cultural identity.
In the last thirty years there have been rapid advances in the description and analysis of facial structures, textures and movements. Now the USA requires most travelers to have machine-readable passports containing 'biometric' data relating to facial characteristics.
What does your face reveal? What is the difference between male and female faces? What happens to faces as they age? And how can we identify people we have seen commit crimes?