I know, what you think. Facial and body language
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Gaze and Character: How Eyes Paint a Psychological Portrait
Sometimes it seems to me that eyes are brushes, and character is the canvas. With one stroke — and you already see whether you are facing a dreamer-artist or a pragmatic realist.
A quick, jerky gaze, constantly moving around the room, may indicate an anxious nature, hyperexcitability, or even hidden insecurity.
Rare blinking, as if the person “freezes” in their gaze, is often a sign of deep concentration. Frequent blinking, on the contrary, may indicate anxiety, nervousness, or even lying.
Lowered eyes, especially when talking about oneself, indicate vulnerability, shame, embarrassment.
Constant tension in the eye muscles — inner mobilization, the person is “on guard” even at rest.
Now imagine: you sit opposite a person, they say not a word, but their eyes wander around the room, slightly squinted, gaze tense. You already feel: they are on alert. And conversely — another person looks openly, calmly, their eyes “breathe” — you relax beside them.
This is psychodiagnostics of the gaze — when you don’t guess, but see.
Eye-Tracking: When Technology Learned to Read the Gaze
But if earlier all these observations were a matter of intuition, today science has come to the rescue. Eye-tracking is a technology that precisely records every pupil movement, every fixation, pause, and shift of the gaze. Roughly speaking, eye-tracking is a soul recorder through the eyes.
It shows which objects attract attention, how long a person looks at them, how they move their gaze in space.
In psychology, it is used to study concentration, interests, attention, fatigue. In UX design — to understand what in the interface is convenient and what irritates. In medicine — to diagnose autism, dementia, stroke consequences. In education, it is used to understand how a learner perceives the text, where they “get stuck” and where they “skim.”
Once, an ancient doctor squinted his eyes to better see the sparkle of the patient’s pupil. Today — a neuropsychologist leans over him with a laptop and sensors, analyzing how long he looks at each image in a cognitive test.
I recall one session. A young woman sat opposite me. She smiled. Her words were confident, her voice even. But her eyes darted about. Not chaotically — no. They rapidly hid in the corner every time the conversation touched on her parents. The same route, like a laid path — down-right, down-right. “Bodily memories,” I thought. Pain. She didn’t speak about it. But her eyes told everything. Since then, I increasingly think that a person does not just look with their eyes — they remember, feel, defend, and open up.
We live in a world where technology penetrates deeper into human nature. We can measure the gaze to the millimeter, build heat maps of fixations, even create behavior models based on eye movements. But one thing remains unchanged: attention to the person.
Eye-tracking is a tool. NLP techniques — a hint. And the gaze — a living fabric of personality, which only reveals itself in response to another living attention. So next time you look someone in the eyes — linger for a second. Not to analyze. But to see. Maybe, at that moment, someone will feel for the first time that they have finally been understood — without words.
Basics of Eye Movement Reactions in NLP
In neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), there is a technique related to eye movement reactions (eye signals), which supposedly allows one to determine how a person thinks, which representational systems they use (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.), and also attempts to compose a psychological portrait based on the peculiarities of the gaze and eye movements.
When a person recalls or imagines something, their eyes (unconsciously) move in certain directions. According to NLP, this can be used to understand which thinking system they are applying at that moment. Important: for left-handed people, everything can be mirrored and opposite.
Here is the full translation preserving all punctuation:
Important: For left-handed people, everything may be mirrored and opposite.
Example interpretation: if a person, when asked “What did your first teacher look like?” looks up-left, they are recalling an image — meaning they are answering honestly. If they look up-right, they are imagining an image — possibly fantasizing or inventing.
1. Eye Movements in NLP (Accessing Cues)
In NLP, it is believed that eye movements can reflect which perceptual system a person is using at the moment of speaking or thinking.
Main directions of eye movements:
(for right-handed people — for left-handed people often everything is reversed)
2. Representational Systems
In NLP, all people are divided into types depending on their preferred system of perceiving the world:
3. Personality Types in NLP
NLP uses its own approaches to personality typology but often overlaps with other systems, such as MBTI, DISC, metaprograms, and others. In NLP, special attention is given to metaprograms — internal filters of thinking.
Examples of metaprograms:
Metaprogram | Poles | Examples
Motivation | Toward the goal / Away from the problem | A person acts “to get” or “to avoid”
Orientation | Self / Others | Makes decisions based on self or the influence of others
Strategy | Process / Result | Likes the process or is only interested in the outcome
Comparison | Similarities / Differences | Sees what is common or what is different
4. How It’s All Connected
Eye movements help to “read” in real time which perception channels are active. Representational systems provide understanding of how a person thinks and perceives information.
Personality type and metaprograms explain deeper strategies of thinking, decision-making, and motivation. All together, this allows for accurately choosing the language of communication, argumentation, building rapport, and influencing behavior.
A short example. Imagine an interlocutor. When asked “How did you understand this?” they look down-right → the kinesthetic system is active.In speech: “I feel that this is right,” “I’m uncomfortable.“This means the person is kinesthetic, and it’s better to communicate with them through sensory imagery.
Predominant representational system:
How to use for a psychological portrait:
Often looks up — visual.
Often looks sideways — auditory.
Often looks down — kinesthetic or reflective digital.
Level of control and sincerity:
Rapid micro eye movements may indicate insecurity.
Prolonged “frozen” gaze — stress, internal struggle, lying (in combination with other signs).
Eye characteristics:
Dilated pupils — interest, excitement, sometimes stress
Frequent blinking — nervousness, anxiety.
Rare blinking — concentration, control, sometimes deception.
It should be noted that NLP is not recognized by the scientific community as a strictly proven methodology. Eye movement signals are not always universal and depend on context, culture, personality, and the person’s condition. It’s better to use them as part of a comprehensive observation rather than as a sole tool.
Recommendations for skill development:
Practice observing interlocutors in live communication. Compare eye movements with their responses. Use questions that provoke visual, auditory, and kinesthetic thinking. Study basic psychotypes (MBTI, DISC, socionics) and connect them with nonverbal behavior.
Throughout the chapter, we have examined how eye movements can reflect internal cognitive processes of a person. The approach of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) proposes a model according to which the direction of gaze may indicate the active representational system: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or digital.
By observing whether a person looks up, sideways, or down, we can guess whether they are remembering, imagining, feeling, or having an internal dialogue. For example, an up-left gaze may indicate visual memories, while down-right may indicate access to bodily sensations.
Although this model lacks strict scientific verification and cannot be used as the sole method of interpreting behavior, it is a useful observational tool, especially in coaching, psychology, negotiations, and everyday communication. It helps better understand the interlocutor, track hidden emotions and internal reactions that are not always expressed in words.
Thus, eyes can indeed be considered a kind of “windows of truth” — not in a mystical, but in a behavioral and cognitive sense. They give an opportunity to look beyond verbal communication and roughly determine what is happening in a person’s mind during conversation. The main thing to remember: any behavioral signals require contextual interpretation and respectful, ethical application.
Chapter 3: Mouth, Lips, Jaw
When meeting a stranger, our gaze initially involuntarily seeks the eyes — the mirror of the soul, as the saying goes. But already in the next moments, almost unnoticed by ourselves, attention slides downward — to the mouth. It is there that something more grounded, yet no less important, hides — instincts, willpower, determination, passion. There, in the curve of the lips, in the firmness of the jaw, in the way the mouth is held — lies a character code that physiognomy teaches us to read like ancient writing carved into the stone of the human face.
Lips can be silent, but their shape speaks eloquently. Full or thin, symmetrical or with a break, they reveal not only temperament but also emotional plasticity, the ability to empathize or, on the contrary, a tendency to withdraw. The jaw — like a foundation in the architecture of the face — testifies to the inner backbone. Massive, stable, stubborn — it belongs to a fighter, unyielding. Soft, with smooth lines — it may indicate flexibility of character, compliance, or even indecisiveness.
This chapter is a journey into the lower part of the face, where words are not yet spoken but the truth is already read. Here we will study how the shape of the mouth can tell about passion and restraint, how the corner of the lips reveals one’s life attitude, and how the jawline reflects willpower or its absence. We will learn to see not only physiology but also the psyche reflected in it, as if through a thin mirror.
So, let’s go below the eyes — where instincts, emotions, signals, and traces of lived years hide. There — the mouth, lips, jaw. There — the key to human essence, disguised under the familiar lines of the face.
3.1. Determining the Essence and Character of a Person by the Structure of Lips and Nasolabial Folds
If the eyes are the heavens of the human soul, then the lips are the earth on which it lives. It is here that energies are concentrated which determine our interaction with the world: how we express feelings, how we speak, kiss, argue, ask, and remain silent. Lips are the gates through which the essence of a person emerges. They can be generous or restrained, tense or relaxed, capricious, strong-willed, manipulative, or childishly open. And the nasolabial folds — the paths of lived emotions, traces of character left on the skin by time and the inner work of the soul.
Shape and Types of Lips
1. Full Lips
They speak of sensuality, generosity of the soul, a desire for pleasures, and emotional openness. Such people often love life in its bodily manifestations: delicious food, touches, tenderness. They can be caring but also prone to dependency on pleasures. It is believed that a woman with plump, soft lips can be emotional, prone to attachments, and sometimes excessively sentimental.
2. Thin Lips
Restraint, calculation, inner concentration. Such lips are a sign of a person not prone to emotional outbursts. He is more likely to think than to speak. A man with thin, tightly pressed lips can be disciplined, even ascetic, and in communication — laconic and precise.
3. Wide Mouth with Stretched Lips
A sign of sociability, artistry, and eloquence. Such people are often natural storytellers, singers, actors. A smile that spreads across the entire face reveals an enthusiast, the soul of the company, a person who is not afraid to be heard.
4. Small Mouth with Rounded Lips
Indicates introversion, secrecy, sometimes naivety. A person with such a mouth may be timid but loyal and attentive to details. A woman with a small, neat mouth is an observer, not seeking the spotlight, but deeply feels and notices a lot.
5. Asymmetrical Lips
This feature often points to inner conflict, duality, or developed intuition and the ability to navigate complex situations. For a politician or lawyer, this can be a sign of mental flexibility, the ability to play different roles.
Nasolabial Folds — The Lines of Lived Essence
Nasolabial folds are like paths carved by time and emotions. Their depth, length, and direction can reveal much about a person.
1. Deep, clear folds from the wings of the nose to the corners of the mouth
These indicate strong will, decisiveness, and experience. This is a person who has gone through trials without losing themselves; on the contrary — tempered by them. For example, an aging entrepreneur whose every day is a struggle, and the folds on their face speak of the weight of decisions made over the years.
2. Soft, smooth nasolabial lines
Such lines belong to people of a gentle nature, diplomatic, more often striving for harmony than confrontation. These people might include a teacher who knows how to listen, does not suppress with authority, but gains respect through patience and involvement.
3. Short folds, barely noticeable
Indicate a youthful soul, even if the person is already aged. Often a sign of naivety, lack of life experience, or avoidance of serious emotional burdens. For example, this could be a woman avoiding conflicts, living more in fantasies than in real confrontations.
4. Folds running below the corners of the lips, as if framing the mouth downward
Such a formation may indicate a tendency toward pessimism, dissatisfaction with oneself or the world. A person with such lines often criticizes — both others and themselves. An intellectual with a delicate soul but struggling to accept the imperfection of the world.
5. Synthesis: lips and folds as a single text
It is important to consider lips and nasolabial folds not in isolation, but together. For example: full lips + deep folds mean you are facing a person generous in spirit but with a strong inner core, possibly a mother who has been through much but preserved love.
Thin lips + downward folds — a restrained character prone to analysis, possibly with a shadow of loneliness.
Wide mouth + soft folds — a charismatic person who easily connects with people but may avoid depth, preferring lightness.
Every face is a letter written without ink. Lips are lines of emotions, spoken and unspoken. Nasolabial folds are commas and periods of life experience. Learning to read this text brings us closer to understanding not only others but ourselves — as bearers of a face that does not lie, even when we try to.
3.2. The Structure of the Mouth and a Person’s Character
The mouth is not just a part of the face. It is an instrument of expressing will, emotions, thoughts, and intentions. Its shape, resting position, dynamics during speech and silence — all these are directly connected to the deep layers of personality. Surprisingly, the mouth can tell about a person even when they are silent. Especially then.
1. Tightness and tension — character like armor
If the mouth at rest is tight, lips thin, corners turned downward — you are facing a person used to holding themselves together, often literally. These are disciplined people, sometimes rigid. They can be closed off, distrustful, suspicious. Often, behind this tension hides trauma or a deep internal conflict. They control a lot — both themselves and others. For such people, the mouth seems to say: “I won’t allow myself to be vulnerable.”
But this very tension can be a sign of willpower. They know how to keep their word, do not give in to emotions, remain steady where others collapse. Their strength is endurance. Their weakness is distrust.
2. Relaxation and softness — open, flexible character
A mouth that is softly open at rest, with full lips and a relaxed line — belongs to people inclined to openness, trust, sensuality. They easily make contact, can empathize, love the joy of life.
Such a mouth says: “I am ready to feel and share.” This can be both a gift (they are kind, sincere, creative) and a risk — they are susceptible to influence, can be led, especially if there is no firm support in the jaw. Often — these are emotional, artistic people with well-developed intuition.
3. Mouth width — the scale of personality
A wide mouth is not only an anatomical feature but also a metaphor. Such people are usually expansive in expression: they speak easily, laugh, express their opinions. They have a strong connection with the outside world, with social environments. They are extroverts by nature, even if they don’t always behave loudly. A wide mouth seems to say: “The world is my stage, and I know how to perform on it.”
Often these are leaders, speakers, those who can manage attention. At the same time — they may be prone to dominance, verbal pressure, even manipulation.
4. Small mouth — internal composure and energy economy
A small mouth is a sign of introversion, caution, restraint. Such people do not like to spill out emotions. They can be observers who speak little but meaningfully. They are difficult to “read,” and that is their strength. A small mouth says: “I am not for everyone — only for my own.”
These are often loyal, reliable, finely sensitive personalities. They choose closeness, not publicity. In conflicts — they withdraw inside, but inside they may experience a storm.
5. Mouth asymmetry — internal tension, flexibility, or duality
When one side of the lips is higher or lower than the other, this is often a signal of internal split. Such people can be extraordinarily talented, with unconventional thinking, but internal tension is almost always felt in them. Asymmetry may say: “I am more than one role. Inside me is a whole dialogue.” They can see different sides, make complex decisions, adapt. But they can also hesitate, doubt, be prone to self-analysis and even self-sabotage. These are “faces of transition” — between past and future, external and internal, logic and intuition.
6. Corners of the lips — the “mood” of character
Raised corners — kindness, optimism, lightness, inner brightness. These people attract others.
Downturned corners — criticalness, tendency toward sadness, anxiety, distrust. Often these are “old souls,” even at a young age.
Horizontal corners — neutrality, stability, balance.
Corners of the lips are the simplest but most vivid clue to character: they reveal a person’s life stance — “yes,” “no,” or “we’ll see.”
How a person holds their mouth, how they speak, how they remain silent — all this forms their style of behavior in the world. Some fire words out, others hold them back until the last moment. Some smile even in pain, others do not smile even in happiness. And in this — truth. Because the mouth, like character, is almost impossible to fake for long. The face gives away what tries to be hidden.
The mouth is the gatekeeper of our soul. It lets through only what we are ready to release outwardly. But its shape and expression already reveal what hides inside.
Learning to see the mouth not only as a physical form but as an imprint of the inner world gives us a key to understanding a person without words.
3.3. A Practical View: How to “Read” Lips and Nasolabial Folds in Life
Having knowledge is one thing. Being able to use it is quite another. Below are concentrated practices, observations, and techniques that will help the reader train their physiognomic eye in real life.
Practice 1: Observer Training
Choose 5 faces from your environment (colleagues, acquaintances, passersby, interview subjects, film characters). Look at their lips and nasolabial folds.
Questions for analysis:
What emotions predominate in the face — openness or restraint? Folds: smooth or sharp? Straight or “drooping”? What does this say about their life path. Lips: are they prone to tension or relaxed? Does your interpretation of the face match how the person behaves? Result: You will begin to see not only the appearance but also the “inner text” written by the features of the face.
Practice 2: Mirror
What to do: Look at yourself in the mirror. Without smiling. Without emotions. Just a neutral face. Ask yourself: What are my lips like? Tight or relaxed? Full or thin? Symmetrical in shape? Do I have pronounced nasolabial folds? How do they run? Are they directed toward the corners of the mouth or lower? What might this say about me? Does it match my inner feeling of myself? Bonus: Take photos of your face in different emotional states — surprise, anger, sadness, joy. And see how lips and folds change. This is a great way to observe the dynamics of personality.