--- description: Check out what music they listen to title: 10 Ways to Read People Like Sherlock Holmes, Backed By Research image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1da7d7458b4f845e/698853bc0b72e34bd46e462f/200553295-001-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 10 Ways to Read People Like Sherlock Holmes, Backed By Research by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 13, 2015 4:01 AM CUT  Sherlock Holmes detective bronze statue sculpture by John Doubleday 1999 in silhouette with deer stalker hat smoking pipe, Baker Street, London W1, England Sherlock Holmes detective bronze statue sculpture by John Doubleday 1999 in silhouette with deer stalker hat smoking pipe, Baker Street, London W1, EnglandGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 13, 2015 4:01 AM CUT The BBC series [Sherlock](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004132HZS/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004132HZS "undefined") is currently my favorite show on television. Sherlock Holmes instantly decodes someone’s life story and personality from a quick look at the person and their belongings. Of course, the show is fiction. But Sherlock Holmes is [a great example of expert behavior](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/with-all-we-now-know-about-the-cognitive-scie "undefined"). How much of his skill could we possess in real life with knowledge of the research on what factors predict which personality traits — and which signals are reliable? Here’s a quick rundown on how you too can develop a piercing eye like the great Sherlock Holmes: * Look at photos. Does their smile affect their whole face, or just raise the corners of their mouth? The type of [smile](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-i-predict-about-your-future-just-by "undefined") can tell you how happy someone is — and [how happy they’ll be](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-i-predict-how-happy-youll-be-in-the-comin "undefined"). * Look at what they’ve written. [Neurotic people use more negative words, extraverts more positive words and agreeable people avoid swearing.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-you-tell-about-my-personality-by-the "undefined") Creative writing can give you [a pretty good look at their overall personality and their level of general knowledge.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-tell-an-authors-personality-just-by-r "undefined") Even [text messages](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-people-tell-about-your-personality-f "undefined") are giveaways. * And what’s the time stamp on those emails? [Night owls and morning people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-personality-traits-do-night-owls-have-wh "undefined") are very different. * [A handshake](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-we-tell-about-someones-personality-f "undefined") can give you an accurate read on how extraverted and conscientious they are along with [general health and dominance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-does-your-handshake-say-about-you "undefined"). * Skip [the resume](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-recruiters-learning-about-the-real-you-fr "undefined"); it won’t tell you who they really are. A Facebook profile will show you someone’s [real personality](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-a-facebook-profile-show-you-someones-rea "undefined"). It’s also a far better predictor of [job performance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-your-facebook-profile-predict-your-job-pe "undefined"). * People could often tell photos of “America’s Most Wanted” from Nobel Peace Prize winners just by [looking at their faces](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-tell-nobel-peace-prize-winners-from-a "undefined"). More likely than not you’ll be able to tell how [extraverted and conscientious](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-you-accurately-tell-about-a-person-j "undefined") someone is by a quick glance at their mug. * CD rack? [Music powerfully predicts personality type](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-does-the-music-you-like-say-about-your-p "undefined"). And [watching a man dance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-does-your-dancing-style-tell-others-abou "undefined") can tell you a lot about who he is as well. * Know where are they from? There are [regional personality types](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-there-regional-personality-differences-in "undefined") in the U.S. * Left-handed? [Goldmine](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-left-handed-people-more-trustworthy-or-le "undefined"), especially in the area of trust and creativity. * The outside of a house can be relied on to tell you [how sociable the occupant is](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-others-tell-how-sociable-you-are-just-by "undefined"). A quick look at someone’s bedroom can tell you [their politics](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-tell-a-conservative-from-a-liberal-by "undefined"). **Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/03/can-you-learn-to-dissect-peoples-personalitie/ "undefined")**_._** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/ "undefined") [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/ "undefined") [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3914937/read-people-like-sherlock-holmes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3914937/read-people-like-sherlock-holmes/"},"headline":"10 Ways to Read People Like Sherlock Holmes, Backed By Research","datePublished":"2015-06-13T04:01:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:29:46.590Z","description":"Check out what music they listen to","url":"https://time.com/3914937/read-people-like-sherlock-holmes/","keywords":["Psychology","Research","People"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1da7d7458b4f845e/698853bc0b72e34bd46e462f/200553295-001-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1da7d7458b4f845e/698853bc0b72e34bd46e462f/200553295-001-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"sherlock-holmes-statue","caption":"sherlock-holmes-statue","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3914937/read-people-like-sherlock-holmes/","name":"10 Ways to Read People Like Sherlock Holmes, Backed By Research"}}]}] ```