Looking trustworthy but not competent.

• Position: Facial Expressions - Brief article

We can alter our facial features In ways that make us look more trustworthy, but do not have the same ability to appear more competent, a team of New York University psychology researchers has found. Their study points to both the limits and potential we have in visually representing ourselves--from dating and career-networking sites to social media posts.

"Our findings show that facial cues conveying trustworthiness are malleable while facial cues conveying competence and ability are significantly less so," explains senior author Jonathan Freeman, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology.

"The results suggest you can Influence, at least to an extent, how trustworthy others perceive you to be in a facial photo, but perceptions of your...