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Post by emmajessicalin on May 3, 2016 3:04:14 GMT
In the reading "Inferences of Competence from Faces Predict Election Outcomes", the results from the study showed that people make inferences of competence based solely on facial appearance. This reading made me curious as to what specific facial features lead to perceived competence. The following picture is part of an NYU study that found that we are able to alter our facial features in ways to make us appear more trustworthy, but we don't have the same ability to appear more competent. This is because upturned eyebrows and an upward curving mouth can lead to someone being perceived as more trustworthy, but only variations in facial structure can change someone's perceived competence. Wider facial structures are associated with more competence whereas thinner facial structures are associated with less competence. ![]()  One problem with this study is that they only used male faces. Do you think females having a wider facial structure would also lead to a perception of higher competence? If not, what facial features do you think are associated with more perceived competence in females? Why do you think males having a wider facial structure leads to a perception of higher competence?
Researchers from Brandeis University analyzed small-claims-court cases and found that differences in baby-facedness of defendants had a huge impact on whether the defendant was found guilty. Baby-faced people are those who have large eyes, higher eyebrows, large foreheads, and a rounder face.The way we perceive others' faces has a huge impact on our decisions and actions, whether we notice them or not. In what other scenarios would our perceptions of others' faces be of major significance (ex: job interviews)? Have you ever analyzed your own facial features or thought about what stereotypes others would perceive about you?
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Post by lilyzhuo on May 3, 2016 20:15:21 GMT
I think the idea of a thinner facial structure conveys less competence, versus a wider facial structure conveying greater competence, is interesting in light of the fact that women, on the other hand, often strive to have thinner facial structures through the power of makeup and contouring; contouring has been such a big trend in the past few years, as opposed to past decades and centuries. It seems the opposite may hold true for women, that thinner features portray a greater sense of competence and professionalism, whereas a (naturally) wider facial structure may be unconsciously judged as being less professional or more child-like. In general, our perceptions of others' faces can be significant, not just in job interviews, because often it only takes 7 seconds for someone to make a first impression which may actually last; these impressions may influence how we interact with them long-term in a way we never would've thought.
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Post by elipshutz on May 3, 2016 20:31:22 GMT
It is interesting to think that wider faces tend to appear more trustworthy in terms of age. Initially when kids are born they have very wide faces, or at least chubby faces. Infants and growing children have baby fat and chubby cheeks. This overall feature adds to the cuteness ( not to mention they are kids so how could they not be cute). But I think it is interesting that a young feature is one that is considered trustworthy. As people get older they tend to loose the excess baby fat in their faces, and as mentioned above, adults or teens try to go above and beyond to make their face appear thinner. When looking at age, babies extremely trustworthy. In a sense they have not yet developed the skills or reasoning to deceive people. They are under the power of their care takers and lack communications skills. This naivety and overall dependence on others, prevents them from telling lies. As children grow and begin to mature they start to tell lies. However typically these are harmless or at least easy to detect as false. Also there is the idea that they are still developing their own moral code and do this through trial and error. I think toddlers are a trustworthy group and perhaps their wideness of faces, is a trait that has been extended to be universally considered a beneficial quality.
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Post by stacyli on May 3, 2016 20:39:29 GMT
I think in general females tend to be perceived as more soft and nurturing, and therefore more trustworthy in general. However, I would think that some of the same rules that applied to the male facial features would apply to females as well. Like you mentioned above, upturned eyebrows and mouth curvature, for example, are generally perceived as kinder and more trustworthy on men, so I would think that the same likely applies on females. I think many features, in terms of dynamic cues, that are seen as more trustworthy tend to be more "feminine" features in general (ie. soft smile, friendly expression...etc.) Women with softer features and seemingly kind smiles/facial expressions are perceived as more trustworthy then. (This may also be why we get so uncomfortable when we see women with really exaggerated high arch eyebrows. They have downturned eyebrows instead of upturned ones, which has a negative effect on our perception of trustworthiness.)  Like would you trust this lady with your life?? In terms of facial structure, I'm not sure if I see as much of a correlation between thinner/wider faces in women with competence. I think it may be that wider/rounder faces tend to be perceived as more friendly because they may be perceived as almost more child-like. Children have hella round heads when they're young, so maybe rounder faces are associated with youth and therefore competence. Round features are also a pretty soft feature like upturned eyebrows and smiles, so because wide faces tend to be more round, they are also seen as more trustworthy. |
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paola
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Post by paola on May 3, 2016 21:00:12 GMT
I agree with lilyzhuo on this point. The constituents of deeming competence in a male would be the opposite in the case of females. Of course, this is just a prediction. But it seems to me that, with the growing popularity of make-up products that enhance one’s facial structures (i.e. one’s cheekbones, one’s thick and sculptured eyebrows), women with thinner facial structures and thinner faces in general are associated with more competence. This perception can also be attributed to the media, who portrays the ideal, successful woman as being a woman with a slim face along with defining cheekbones and eyebrows. These women are perceived as being professional and put together, which deems them as being more competent than others. Women with wider facial structures and wider faces in general may be deemed more child-like and as result, not taken seriously in the professional arena. There is a stigma attached to such facial features and it is our job to get rid of it. Competence should not be correlated to one’s physical features. |
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Post by Emily Leung on May 3, 2016 21:19:39 GMT
On the topic of judging people purely on looks, this article about how attractive people are more successful caught my attention: www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201208/im-successful-because-im-beautiful-how-we-discriminateBasically, yes attractive people are more successful. Obviously this is unfair as we can't really choose what we look like, but think of why we do this. It's human nature to want to please someone who is attractive to increase our chances of mating with them, even if is only .001% more. As lilyzhuo said, we make quick judgements of people within the first 7 seconds of meeting them, and physical characteristics are the easiest thing to judge quickly. |
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Post by nicolegreenbaum on May 3, 2016 21:47:52 GMT
Similar to Emily's point, I found it interesting that studies have shown people find facial symmetry to have an effect of ratings of attractiveness in human faces. More symmetrical faces are perceived as more attractive in both males and females, though facial symmetry plays a larger role in judgments of attractiveness concerning female faces. Despite the widespread assumption that symmetry might be a sign of good health, studies have not proven a link between the two. Why do you think facial symmetry is a trait of attractiveness if there is no correlation between symmetry and health? What about symmetry affects our standards of attractiveness? Is this a biological response? *Another point for consideration: this study done at UCLA (woot woot) demonstrated there is no functional asymmetry in the facial signals of trustworthiness. |
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Post by emmajessicalin on May 3, 2016 23:12:59 GMT
lilyzhuo That’s a really interesting thing to bring up. It makes me curious as to whether or not perceived competence is related to beauty. Would an attractive women be perceived as more competent? Or are the two completely unrelated? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ elipshutz It’s actually that wider faces appear more competent and having upturned eyebrows/an upward curving mouth makes faces appear more trustworthy. But I can definitely see what you’re saying! stacyli Lol at the photo you posted. But yes, I definitely agree that more “trustworthy” features tend to be more feminine. As for why wider faces on men are perceived as being more competent -- the study mentioned that a wider facial structure is often associated with higher testosterone levels and heightened aggression and strength in men. It’s definitely interesting to think about if your perception of someone being competent also relates to your perception of someone being intimidating/dangerous/strong. paola Definitely agree with what you’re saying! Competence should not be correlated to one’s physical features, but to one’s actual abilities. However, these judgments made by people often happen subconsciously and it may be difficult to address this. @emily Leung Something that I found really surprising in the article you shared was the study done by researchers at the London School of Economics who found that attractive people tend to have higher IQ’s. Their conclusion was that physical attractiveness is significantly positively associated with general intelligence. I was actually incredibly surprised to read this. It also made me wonder -- If someone were to become “more intelligent” (started improving in whatever measure of intelligence used in this hypothetical scenario) in their lifetime, it’s unlikely that they would somehow become more attractive as well. Thus, I wonder whether the researchers are also arguing that intelligence is a fixed, inborn characteristic rather than something you can change in the course of your lifetime. @nicolegreenbaum LOL It’s true that it’s a widespread assumption -- I also thought that facial symmetry was a sign of good health. The article you linked discussed how it’s possible that facial symmetry is viewed as attractive simply because humans enjoy symmetry in most things -- such as art, nature, etc. I think this could be a valid explanation, but I wonder if there are better reasons.
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dalia
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Post by dalia on May 4, 2016 6:56:51 GMT
I think that in general, womanly features are associated with more trustworthiness, like what Stacy said. However, for competence, I feel like such features may be perceived in an opposite manner, as signs of incompetence. This is because although soft features connote warmth, coziness or trustworthiness (such as those usually associated with woman), they may be perceived as signs of weakness in a professional setting, especially one that is extremely competitive.
That being said, I wonder how this might vary across different cultures or settings? While reading the article, I couldn't but think of the movie Phat Girlz which reveals how the concept of being "fat" is socially constructed. Specifically, they show how in a specific african tribe/culture, fatness is a desired and praised trait because it correlates with how healthy and wealthy a person is. Basically, fatness corresponds to social class/status because the fatter you are, the better nutrition you have. I wonder if this might be a reason why we associate fatter/wider faces with more competence. Perhaps, in an evolutionary sense, we became predisposed to correlate "fatness" with good things like higher social status, health, and hence competence? However, our modern social norms and constructed idea, like what lily said about makeup, go against this unconscious judgement/predisposition to correlate wider faces to competence.
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Post by Giulia Sperandio on May 4, 2016 9:48:26 GMT
In a study I read for another class, females with more feminine facial characteristics were proven to be more likely by conservatives. So people from a determinate gender with facial structures that represented their gender were more voted in campaigns, however these more "feminine" woman were seen as less competent after they were elected. Woman with a more masculine face, LGBT candidates are denied by more conservative voters while liberals tend to accept those more. Women with masculine faces tend to be stronger and be better off after elected.
Well, this information right there can be correct in most cases, but I somewhat do not like this research because my president (DILMA ROUSSEFF), a woman with clear male facial structures, is the worst president in the history of my country. I perceived that she was a stupid idea from the beginning, but I wonder what made the majority of my country vote on her.
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Post by emmajessicalin on May 5, 2016 4:44:10 GMT
daliaThat's a really good point. This can vary both across different cultures as well as across different time periods. According to Sarah Lohman, a 'historic gastronomist', America's views on body image changed from seeing fatness as desirable to unattractive around 1890-1920. This shift in American attitudes can definitely affect how we perceive competence. @giulia LOL that's a really interesting connection. I guess perceived competence may not always correlate with actual competence.
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