Do you look rich or poor?Research reveals how face can determine wealth

Lifestyle

by alexandra klausner

You may have been told you have a poker face, but maybe you have a money face?

A new study from the University of Glasgow surveyed people about what makes them look rich, based on superficial judgments.

The study, conducted among white participants from Western cultures, determined which facial features were associated with high and low social status based solely on people's perceptions.

The findings, published in the APA Journal of Experimental Psychology, show that people with narrow faces, upturned mouths in a smile, raised eyebrows, closely spaced eyes, and bright, warm skin are more He revealed that he looked wealthy.

People also associated these facial features with trustworthiness, competence, and warmth.

On the other hand, people with wide, short, flat faces, downturned mouths, and cold complexions were considered lower class, untrustworthy, and incompetent.

Although not mentioned in the study, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon CEO Jess Bezos are both billionaires and have some of the characteristics mentioned in the study. Mr. Zuckerberg has a thin face, while Mr. Bezos has a warm, ruddy complexion.

The study authors commented on how judgments about appearance can have harmful consequences.

“People who are perceived to be of high or low social status are also often judged to have favorable or unfavorable characteristics, respectively. Such judgments cannot be formed even from facial appearance alone. , this can have significant downstream effects, including disadvantaging those considered to be of lower social class status,” study author Dr. R. Thora Bjornsdottir said in a press release. .

“This result suggests that social class stereotypes explain the association between facial appearance and judgments of an individual's social class status. This suggests that the stereotypes we hold about others It emphasizes that our impressions of others can lead to certain advantages or disadvantages for them. Yes,” she added.

Rachel E. Jack, a professor of computational social cognition, said she hopes the study will point out people's biases and help prevent them from occurring in the future.

“Our study shows how specific facial attributes play an important role in linking perceptions of social class and related stereotypes. These findings support core social cognitive theories. “Not only is this valuable for advancing understanding, it could also inform future interventions aimed at interrupting biased perceptions,” he said.

This is not the only study to try to determine a person's wealth by looking at their face.

A 2017 University of Toronto study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people's faces can reveal whether they are rich or poor. The study involved guessing real people's wealth based on their photos, and the study participant guessed with his 53% accuracy.

“Over time, your face comes to permanently reflect and reveal your experiences,” said study co-author Nicholas Ruhl. “Even when we think we're not expressing something, the remnants of that emotion are still there.”