The cognitive and social impact of acquired facial differences: From visual salience to dehumanisation

Faces are central to human perception, communication, and social judgment. This review explores how acquired facial differences alter face perception and elicit implicit bias, disrupted gaze patterns, and emotional disengagement. Drawing from neuroscience, developmental psychology, and cultural history, I examine how facial atypicality affects attention, emotion recognition, and empathy. Facial differences trigger heightened visual salience but reduced social processing, contributing to dehumanisation. Cultural and media portrayals reinforce harmful associations between appearance and morality. Understanding the cognitive mechanisms behind facial stigma is critical for addressing prejudice and improving social inclusion for individuals with facial differences.