Physiognomic Observations
Everyone feels where he should approach or withdraw, or rather, something attracts or repels him, and so there is no need for investigation or explanation. We should not disturb this unconscious or only half-conscious process. As a rule, it facilitates social intercourse. In particular situations, however, physiognomic observation can be helpful—when you want to know what exactly is attracting or repelling you, what you expect of another person, or what you have to expect from him. You may want to understand the web into which you are woven. The art of reading another person can be taught and learned.
The basic idea was simple enough: it assumed a connection between outward appearance and the formation of character. As was later true of psychoanalysis, physiognomy was a mixture of serious scientific inquiry and parlor game.
Safranski, Rüdiger. Goethe: Life as a Work of Art. Liveright Publishing, 16 May 2017, p. 161.