phrenology

Phrenology was a 19th-century belief that the shape and bumps of a person's skull could reveal their character, personality, and mental abilities. Practitioners thought different areas of the brain were responsible for specific traits, and that these mental faculties influenced the skull's surface. By examining the skull's contours, they claimed to assess traits like intelligence, courage, or morality. While it seemed plausible at the time, phrenology lacked scientific evidence and was later discredited. Today, we understand that personality and abilities are complex and cannot be determined by skull shape, but phrenology played a role in early attempts to link physical anatomy with psychology.