How a Phrenology Head Was Traditionally Used

Phrenology was a pseudoscience that claimed bumps on a person's head were linked to specific aspects of their personality. Phrenologists used phrenology heads, also called busts, to do "skull readings." Supposedly, the readings could reveal information about a person's character.

The practice was based on the idea that certain brain functions were found in specific parts of the organ. Phrenologists thought that the brain was composed of muscles that grew bigger the more they were used, just like muscles in other parts of the body. Phrenologists proposed that the areas that had grown would make bumps that could be felt on the outside of the skull.

Let’s talk a bit about how phrenology was used and some examples of phrenology readings. We'll also cover why phrenology was considered a pseudoscience and how it perpetuated scientific racism and gender stereotypes.

A Brief History of Phrenology

A German physician named Franz Joseph Gall developed phrenology in the 1700s.

Gall thought that “bumps” on the brain could be seen and felt by looking at and touching the skull. His theory was that a person's brain bumps corresponded to certain traits, characteristics, and abilities.

By the mid-1800s, phrenology had become widely discredited as nothing more than pseudoscience. However, phrenology readings continued to be popular throughout the 19th century.

Phrenology, Scientific Racism, and Stereotyping

Phrenology had a key place in the medical and scientific racism of the 19th century. It was frequently used as a way to justify slavery and racial inequality, with proponents of phrenology suggesting that the pseudoscience "proved" the biological superiority of White people.

Socioeconomic areas like crime and education also intersected with the scientific racism that phrenology perpetuated.

While phrenology is considered a pseudoscience today, modern scientific racism is often rooted in similar themes—for example, studies suggest that differences in arrest rates and IQ scores are because of inherent differences in racial groups rather than reflecting systemic racism.

Phrenology also played a role in the creation and perpetuation of gender stereotypes. For example, the shape and size of a woman’s head were used to justify why she wouldn’t be fit for a career in science but would be better suited to raising children.

Regions of the Phrenology Head

A phrenology head or bust has different regions of the brain linked to different personality characteristics.

In most classic examples of phrenology busts, there were 35 different regions of the head (though Gall only recognized 27 faculties). The regions were linked to the 35 faculties listed below:

1. Amatativeness (reproductive instincts, sexual desires)
2. Philoprogenitiveness (love for one's children)
3. Concentrativeness (ideas, emotions)
4. Adhesiveness (affection for others, friendship)
5. Combativeness (self-defense, courage, fighting)
6. Destructiveness (murderous instincts)
7. Secretiveness (duplicity, deceit)
8. Acquisitiveness (sense of property, tendency to steal)
9. Constructiveness (wants to build and create)
10. Self-esteem (self-interest, selfishness)
11. Love of approbation (need for esteem, love of praise)
12. Cautiousness (fear; timidity)
13. Benevolence (kindness, compassion)
14. Veneration (respect for others)
15. Firmness (determination, stubbornness)
16. Conscientiousness (justice, love of truth)
17. Hope (expects good things to happen)
18. Wonder (desire for new experiences, appreciation for the world)
19. Ideality (love for excellence and beauty)
20. Wit (cleverness)
21.  Imitation (acting like someone else)
22. Individuality (awareness of facts and existence)
23. Form (observant of physical form)
24. Size (understanding of dimensions, distance)
25. Weight (perception of weight, momentum)
26. Coloring (visual perception and appreciation)
27. Locality (relative position)
28. Number (math ability)
29. Order (preferring physical arrangement, mechanical skills)
30. Eventuality (understanding of the order in which things happen)
31. Time (perception of time, duration)
32. Tune (musicality)
33.  Language (affinity for language, verbal and written expression)
34. Comparison (understanding differences, ability to make analogies)
35. Causality (understanding cause-and-effect)

How a Phrenology Reading Traditionally Worked

During a skull reading, a phrenologist would measure and carefully feel a person’s head. They would make note of bumps and indentations in the skull. Next, they would compare the findings to a phrenology bust to determine what the surface of the skull had to say about the person’s natural aptitudes, character, and tendencies.

Phrenology Examples

Here are some phrenology examples that may have been common when having a reading with a bust and charts:

• A man’s head may reveal whether he was honest or deceitful as a husband.
• A woman’s head may reveal if she is a reliable mother.
• A student’s head may reveal if they learned by being a “thinker” or a “looker.”
• A person’s head may reveal if they prefer music in a minor key or a major key.