What do the candidates' faces say about their personalities?

Presidential candidates talk and talk and talk. But will they walk all that talk? The clues are spread across their faces, suggests Seattle author Jean Haner, an expert in the ancient art of Chinese face reading.

Basically, she believes your face reflects your "inner spirit and original design." Here are glimpses of how Haner, who has written, "The Wisdom of Your Face," sizes up Obama, Clinton and McCain. Her readings don't, she adds, reflect her political views.

Barack Obama: "His temples are slightly indented, which indicates that he may be compulsive about work, and needs regular exercise to de-stress. But it also shows he is highly disciplined, and that spirituality plays an important part in his life.

"His eyebrows show his tremendous drive and the ability to take on the difficult work ... His lower eyelids indicate genuine care for other people. A mole near his nose indicates that this is a man with a special purpose in the world."

Hillary Rodham Clinton: "Overall, the most impressive information seen in her face is how deeply she really cares about others and how she wants to help people; she views the country as one family. There are so many places on her face which reveal that her main motivation in her work is to help others. ...

"The shape of her face shows tremendous strength ... Hillary's forehead indicates she's very creative in problem-solving. ... Her cheeks reveal both a strength and a challenge — her inherent desire to speak her mind. Her prominent cheeks are the feature that can make some men have a negative reaction to her, as subliminally they'll feel she's an overpowering and threatening woman."

John McCain: "The most important feature on his face is his very heavy prominent jaw. But his jaw is not the strong, well-defined jaw that reflects good 'roots of the tree' — ... the strong belief system. His jaw is quite massive and full. This shows firm values and beliefs, but more than that, it reveals someone who holds huge potential for anger and control.

"This feature, combined with his somewhat narrowed deep-set eyes show he is not so comfortable expressing his emotions, and he will need to suppress his feelings until be explodes into anger or upset."

Haner, who began learning the technique after marrying into a Chinese family, will hold book readings this month and teach a workshop in April (www.wisdomofyourface.com).

Richard Seven: 206-464-2241 or rseven@seattletimes.com