How a Phrenology Head Was Traditionally Used

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At a Glance

Phrenologywas 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.

Why Phrenology Is Now Considered a Pseudoscience

A Brief History of Phrenology

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

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 is regarded as a pseudoscience along the same lines as palm reading and astrology.

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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.

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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:

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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:

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10 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eling P, Finger S.Franz Joseph Gall’s non‐cortical faculties and their organs. TheHistory of the Behavioral Sciences. 2019;56(1):7-19. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21994Parker Jones O, Alfaro-Almagro F, Jbabdi S.An empirical, 21st century evaluation of phrenology.Cortex. 2018;106:26–35. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2018.04.011Harvard Library.Scientific racism.Thompson, Courtney E. (2021).An Organ of Murder: Crime, Violence, and Phrenology in Nineteenth-Century America. New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark, New Jersey, and London:Rutgers University Press. pp. 55, 191n4.ISBN978-1978813069.University of Cambridge.Skulls in print: scientific racism in the transatlantic world​​.Harvard Library.Scientific racism.Staum, Martin S. (2003).Labeling People: French Scholars on Society, Race and Empire, 1815–1848. Montreal:McGill-Queen’s University Press.ISBN978-0773525801.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2016-01-27.Eling P, Finger S.Franz Joseph Gall’s non‐cortical faculties and their organs. TheHistory of the Behavioral Sciences. 2019;56(1):7-19. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21994Hints about Phrenology.Ladies Magazine.1833;6.Vaught LA.Vaught’s practical character reader. Chicago, IL: L.A. Vaught; 1902.

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eling P, Finger S.Franz Joseph Gall’s non‐cortical faculties and their organs. TheHistory of the Behavioral Sciences. 2019;56(1):7-19. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21994Parker Jones O, Alfaro-Almagro F, Jbabdi S.An empirical, 21st century evaluation of phrenology.Cortex. 2018;106:26–35. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2018.04.011Harvard Library.Scientific racism.Thompson, Courtney E. (2021).An Organ of Murder: Crime, Violence, and Phrenology in Nineteenth-Century America. New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark, New Jersey, and London:Rutgers University Press. pp. 55, 191n4.ISBN978-1978813069.University of Cambridge.Skulls in print: scientific racism in the transatlantic world​​.Harvard Library.Scientific racism.Staum, Martin S. (2003).Labeling People: French Scholars on Society, Race and Empire, 1815–1848. Montreal:McGill-Queen’s University Press.ISBN978-0773525801.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2016-01-27.Eling P, Finger S.Franz Joseph Gall’s non‐cortical faculties and their organs. TheHistory of the Behavioral Sciences. 2019;56(1):7-19. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21994Hints about Phrenology.Ladies Magazine.1833;6.Vaught LA.Vaught’s practical character reader. Chicago, IL: L.A. Vaught; 1902.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Eling P, Finger S.Franz Joseph Gall’s non‐cortical faculties and their organs. TheHistory of the Behavioral Sciences. 2019;56(1):7-19. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21994Parker Jones O, Alfaro-Almagro F, Jbabdi S.An empirical, 21st century evaluation of phrenology.Cortex. 2018;106:26–35. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2018.04.011Harvard Library.Scientific racism.Thompson, Courtney E. (2021).An Organ of Murder: Crime, Violence, and Phrenology in Nineteenth-Century America. New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark, New Jersey, and London:Rutgers University Press. pp. 55, 191n4.ISBN978-1978813069.University of Cambridge.Skulls in print: scientific racism in the transatlantic world​​.Harvard Library.Scientific racism.Staum, Martin S. (2003).Labeling People: French Scholars on Society, Race and Empire, 1815–1848. Montreal:McGill-Queen’s University Press.ISBN978-0773525801.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2016-01-27.Eling P, Finger S.Franz Joseph Gall’s non‐cortical faculties and their organs. TheHistory of the Behavioral Sciences. 2019;56(1):7-19. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21994Hints about Phrenology.Ladies Magazine.1833;6.Vaught LA.Vaught’s practical character reader. Chicago, IL: L.A. Vaught; 1902.

Eling P, Finger S.Franz Joseph Gall’s non‐cortical faculties and their organs. TheHistory of the Behavioral Sciences. 2019;56(1):7-19. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21994

Parker Jones O, Alfaro-Almagro F, Jbabdi S.An empirical, 21st century evaluation of phrenology.Cortex. 2018;106:26–35. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2018.04.011

Harvard Library.Scientific racism.

Thompson, Courtney E. (2021).An Organ of Murder: Crime, Violence, and Phrenology in Nineteenth-Century America. New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark, New Jersey, and London:Rutgers University Press. pp. 55, 191n4.ISBN978-1978813069.

University of Cambridge.Skulls in print: scientific racism in the transatlantic world​​.

Staum, Martin S. (2003).Labeling People: French Scholars on Society, Race and Empire, 1815–1848. Montreal:McGill-Queen’s University Press.ISBN978-0773525801.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2016-01-27.

Hints about Phrenology.Ladies Magazine.1833;6.

Vaught LA.Vaught’s practical character reader. Chicago, IL: L.A. Vaught; 1902.

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