Faces in Comic Strips

Strip - strip - smile - stripe.

Have you ever wondered how a cartoonist can draw a face with just a few pencil strokes? Most people immediately recognize that even sloppily drawn lines form a face, even if the artist draws only a partial face.

This is also the case with pictograms or icons. These are often figurative abstractions of images, with informative value.
This is caused by the fact that (socially oriented) people around them like to see faces. In fact, we unconsciously form a hopeful expectation in our minds (search image) of what we would like to see.
Both the hardware (our brain) and the software (our mind) have built-in mechanisms to immediately recognize or even reconstruct faces.

From an evolutionary perspective, this trait has both survival and reproductive value.

In short, we perceive certain lines and (geometric) shapes in the face better and find them attractive. Unconsciously, these attractive shapes bring people closer together, allowing initial communication to begin. Visual attraction helps with falling in love, as well as with the bonding phase of a couple. It can even stabilize the romantic relationship over the years, because: as long as a man continues to find his wife beautiful, he will be less inclined to cheat. A harsh truth, yet essential to realize.

For example: stress or bitterness can cause furrows in the face and alter facial expression.
However, realize that visual beauty is only one of many factors that keep partners together. Positive intellectual challenge or certain mutual emotional experiences can also prolong a relationship.
And of course, it is very important that partners remain happy together while raising their children. Children of warm homes have a better chance to become emotionally stable and self-assured adults.