What Does Your Face Say About You?

You've likely heard of astrology and genealogy, but what about personology?

Personology is the study of a person's facial structure and how it correlates to behavior. It's meant to help people tune into others thinking, feelings emotions, values, desires and interests, according to proponents.

Erik Ponzie, 38, says he is always interested in what makes certain people tick, so he took the mini profile offered on the personology Web site.

The test attempts to provide users with an understanding of the study by ranking physical traits, feeling and emotion trait areas, and automatic expression area on a scale from 2 to 8.

Physical insulation includes the texture of the face. Feeling and emotionals trait area includes eyebrow shape, space between the eyes and their size. Automatic expression includes the shape of the nose and lips.

For example, a keener nose means one relies on others, while a broader nose means a person relies on self. A broader nose says "my way is best way," the site says.

Ponzie said the test left him with more questions than answers.

While taking the mini profile Ponzie says it seemed like some traits didn't quite match. When he took the self-confidence function test that judges keen and rounder facial shapes, he said although his face is keen, he believes his personality is more like the rounder-shape face.

"If I want to get something done, I usually do it myself. I don't really like to delegate," he says.

He adds that he does not think that you can know anything about a person by looking at his face.

"If you have a particular nose, I don't think you act a certain way," says Ponzie, a grants manager.

Nevertheless, he says that doing the mini profile made him reflect on his personality. He says the descriptions provided for the eyes made him realize that he is "a take-charge type of person" and that he "can have fun, but is not the most outgoing."

Bigger Face Means More Confidence?

2knowmyself.com touts itself as the complete source for face reading on the Internet. It also provides various descriptions and what they mean about an individual's personality.

The Web site says a person with a broad face is confident by nature.

"This person has got good influencing abilities; he usually has a relativity larger distance between his two eyes because of his broad face," the site says.

A person with a thin face is confident by experience and not by nature. A broad-faced person is not usually interested in details. These types of people may also not be as adventurous.

The site says the round-faced person may also be friendlier.

A person's lip size also provides insight, according to personology. People with big lips tend to be talkative. The site says, "When you want to ask for directions down the street, pick someone with big lips; he will give you the full details on how and where to go."

Don't Judge Book By Cover

Terri Shavers, 40, says personology is too abstract for her to understand.

Shavers, who is a clinical team manager who works with the mentally ill, says looking at a person and determining certain traits is not fair.

"You can never judge a book by its cover," she says.

Nevertheless, Shavers says she understands that many people may show their emotions in their face.

"If I don't agree, you will see my eyes get real focused," she says. "I'm thinking, 'How could you not know the answer?'"

The automatic giving trait -- which is judged by one's lips -- is the only characteristic in the mini profile that Shavers thought fit her personality.

A larger top lip means a person is a considered a giver who evaluates commitment of time, talent and energy, while a larger bottom lip is considered a spontaneous giver who spontaneously shares time, talent and energy as well as gives advice for your own good.

Shavers says she is definitely the latter.

"So maybe there is some truth to this," Shavers says.