Smarty Pants Podcast

Love Games and First Impressions

How to judge tennis—or a stranger’s face

Flickr/stevenpisano

By Stephanie Bastek

July 13, 2017

Psychologist Alexander Todorov tells us how we’ve got it all wrong on the science of first impressions—and warns of physiognomy’s dangerous return—while Elizabeth Wilson gives us a glimpse into the secret, sexy history of tennis, just in time for the Wimbledon finals.

Go beyond the episode:

• Alexander Todorov’s Face Value: The Irresistible Influence of First Impressions 
• Explore the Social Perception Lab at Princeton, where you can watch videos of how our visual stereotypes map onto faces
• Watch how bias shapes photographic portraits in this experiment from Canon Australia
• Elizabeth Wilson’s Love Game: A History of Tennis from Victorian Pastime to Global Phenomenon
• And, of course: live updates from Wimbledon

Tune in every two weeks to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.

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Stephanie Bastek is the associate editor of the Scholar and the producer/host of the Smarty Pants podcast.