The positive characteristics of the sanguine type are extroversion, communicability, motivation, self-motivation, festivity, joy of life and energy. He is passionate, very curious and is mainly interested in news, which makes him creative and innovative. He is spontaneous and fast. He makes his presence felt and always ends up being the centre of attention. He works and interacts well with other people because he enjoys being in their company; and easily creates empathy. He does not like routine or closed places, he needs space. He is not afraid to venture into something new, he is audacious and has a lot of initiative. He is intuitive, spontaneous, and transparent. He likes flashy, colourful, luminous, and shiny things.

The negative characteristics of the sanguine type are irregularity, inconstancy, disorganization, and lack of structure. He can easily lose focus and have difficulty concentrating, and sometimes abandon tasks without completing them. He can become shallow and frivolous. He is also vain, forgetful, and temperamental, and may have tantrums. He can swing between euphoria and depression. His extroversion can make him inconvenient, nosy, and noisy. His visibility makes him the target of jokes and jibes, which he assimilates well when they are not mean. His impetuosity can put him in difficult situations and his taste for adventure and risk makes him reckless.

The sanguine type is agile, athletic, musical, and energetic. When walking, he transfers the weight of his body forward, appearing to float. Standing, he moves constantly; when sitting, he always seems ready to get up. This makes him tend to be a good dancer and a good athlete. He gestures a lot, with quick, expressive, and wide movements. He needs space and does not like small, closed spaces, preferring the outdoors. His speech is clear and articulate. He eats quickly, with a preference for light dishes and informal dinners. He likes loose clothing and flashy ornaments.

His face is angular in shape, usually hexagonal with a straight or lozenge side. The profile is triangular, with a sloping forehead. The hair is brown, light brown or golden blonde, but not very light. Usually he has a large, upturned, or prominent nose, almond-shaped or large eyes, an expressive mouth, and an engaging smile.

The sanguine type’s colour is yellow, therefore from the warm colour group and, more precisely, related to the spring, sahara, and calypso types. Note that the word calypso refers to dancing and festive music. His element is air, light and transparent.

Slanted lines, which express dynamism, energy, and drive, when found in face shapes, features and gestures, are indicators of sanguine characteristics.

Typically, Sanguine cultures are warm, extroverted, and cheerful, like those of the Mediterranean – the Italian, for example – and, in many ways, those of the Arab countries. Sanguine music is light, moving, festive and apt for dancing, like the salsa, the chorinho, Italian operas and Mozart's piano symphonies. The sanguine dances are fast and moving, performed on the fore of the foot, such as samba, frevo, lambada, salsa, rock’n roll, polkas, rills, and waltzes.

From the book Integrated Visagism: identity, style, and beauty (Senac SP, 2009) ©

These images and this text are protected by the Copyright Law and cannot be used without the express authorization of the author.

Quotations of excerpts from the text must be accompanied by proper credits.