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Caton NR, Brown LM, Zhao AAZ, Dixson BJW. Human Male Body Size Predicts Increased Knockout Power, Which Is Accurately Tracked by Conspecific Judgments of Male Dominance. HUMAN NATURE (HAWTHORNE, N.Y.) 2024; 35:114-133. [PMID: 38878141 PMCID: PMC11317448 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-024-09473-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Humans have undergone a long evolutionary history of violent agonistic exchanges, which would have placed selective pressures on greater body size and the psychophysical systems that detect them. The present work showed that greater body size in humans predicted increased knockout power during combative contests (Study 1a-1b: total N = 5,866; Study 2: N = 44 openweight fights). In agonistic exchanges reflective of ancestral size asymmetries, heavier combatants were 200% more likely to win against their lighter counterparts because they were 200% more likely to knock them out (Study 2). Human dominance judgments (total N = 500 MTurkers) accurately tracked the frequency with which men (N = 516) knocked out similar-sized adversaries (Study 3). Humans were able to directly perceive a man's knockout power because they were attending to cues of a man's body size. Human dominance judgments-which are important across numerous psychological domains, including attractiveness, leadership, and legal decision-making-accurately predict the likelihood with which a potential mate, ally, or rival can incapacitate their adversaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil R Caton
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
| | - Lachlan M Brown
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Amy A Z Zhao
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Barnaby J W Dixson
- School of Psychology, The University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
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2
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Weight Stigmatization in Political Contexts: an Interaction with Gender. TRENDS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s43076-022-00238-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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3
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Zhang J, Tao S. Vocal Characteristics Influence Women's Perceptions of Infidelity and Relationship Investment in China. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 20:14747049221108883. [PMID: 35898188 PMCID: PMC10303567 DOI: 10.1177/14747049221108883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal characteristics are important cues to form social impressions. Previous studies indicated that men with masculine voices are perceived as engaging in higher rates of infidelity and being less committed to their relationship. In the current study, we examined how women in China perceive information regarding infidelity and relationship investment conveyed by the voices (voice pitch and vocal tract length) of males, and whether different vocal characteristics play a similar role in driving these impressions. In addition, we examined whether these perceptions are consistent in Chinese and English language contexts. The results indicated that women perceived men with more masculine voices (lower voice pitch and longer vocal tract length) as showing a lower likelihood of infidelity and higher relationship investment; further, women who preferred more masculine voices in long-term relationships, but not in short-term relationships, were more likely to perceive men with masculine voices as less likely to engage in infidelity and more likely to invest in their relationship. Moreover, the participants formed very similar impressions irrespective of whether the voices spoke native (Chinese) or foreign (English) languages. These results provide new evidence for the role of the voice in women's choices in selecting long-term partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- School of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shuli Tao
- School of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
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4
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Do 3D Face Images Capture Cues of Strength, Weight, and Height Better than 2D Face Images do? ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 7:209-219. [PMID: 34462715 PMCID: PMC8387548 DOI: 10.1007/s40750-021-00170-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Objectives A large literature exists investigating the extent to which physical characteristics (e.g., strength, weight, and height) can be accurately assessed from face images. While most of these studies have employed two-dimensional (2D) face images as stimuli, some recent studies have used three-dimensional (3D) face images because they may contain cues not visible in 2D face images. As equipment required for 3D face images is considerably more expensive than that required for 2D face images, we here investigated how perceptual ratings of physical characteristics from 2D and 3D face images compare.
Methods We tested whether 3D face images capture cues of strength, weight, and height better than 2D face images do by directly comparing the accuracy of strength, weight, and height ratings of 182 2D and 3D face images taken simultaneously. Strength, height and weight were rated by 66, 59 and 52 raters respectively, who viewed both 2D and 3D images. Results In line with previous studies, we found that weight and height can be judged somewhat accurately from faces; contrary to previous research, we found that people were relatively inaccurate at assessing strength. We found no evidence that physical characteristics could be judged more accurately from 3D than 2D images. Conclusion Our results suggest physical characteristics are perceived with similar accuracy from 2D and 3D face images. They also suggest that the substantial costs associated with collecting 3D face scans may not be justified for research on the accuracy of facial judgments of physical characteristics.
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5
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Rathee S, Mishra H, Mishra A. The Perils of Leading a Democracy. Int J Aging Hum Dev 2020; 92:472-491. [PMID: 32233645 DOI: 10.1177/0091415020912932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Environmental characteristics can influence aging. Democracy results in higher life expectancy for its members. However, there is a lack of research that indicates the influence of democracy on its leaders. Specifically, we examine how the nature of democracy affects the perceived aging of its leaders. In this paper, we capture perceived aging via face perception. We suggest that leaders in a democracy are perceived to age more compared to those in an autocracy. Counter to the common belief that democracies are less stressful, we find that the stress of being a leader in a democracy can have adverse effects. Study 1 uses picture pairs of 268 leaders from across the world, and participants judge age difference in years between the pictures. Study 2, a controlled study, examines downstream influences on the leader's specific attributes. Results indicate that leaders appearing to age more are more likely to avoid complex decisions, to be less charismatic, and to be less inspiring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelly Rathee
- 7060 David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - Himanshu Mishra
- 7060 David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - Arul Mishra
- 7060 David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
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6
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Integrating faces and bodies: Psychological and neural perspectives on whole person perception. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 112:472-486. [PMID: 32088346 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The human "person" is a common percept we encounter. Research on person perception has been focused either on face or body perception-with less attention paid to whole person perception. We review psychological and neuroscience studies aimed at understanding how face and body processing operate in concert to support intact person perception. We address this question considering: a.) the task to be accomplished (identification, emotion processing, detection), b.) the neural stage of processing (early/late visual mechanisms), and c.) the relevant brain regions for face/body/person processing. From the psychological perspective, we conclude that the integration of faces and bodies is mediated by the goal of the processing (e.g., emotion analysis, identification, etc.). From the neural perspective, we propose a hierarchical functional neural architecture of face-body integration that retains a degree of separation between the dorsal and ventral visual streams. We argue for two centers of integration: a ventral semantic integration hub that is the result of progressive, posterior-to-anterior, face-body integration; and a social agent integration hub in the dorsal stream STS.
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7
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Watkins CD, Xiao D, Perrett DI. Social Transmission of Leadership Preference: Knowledge of Group Membership and Partisan Media Reporting Moderates Perceptions of Leadership Ability From Facial Cues to Competence and Dominance. Front Psychol 2020; 10:2996. [PMID: 32010029 PMCID: PMC6971406 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While first impressions of dominance and competence can influence leadership preference, social transmission of leadership preference has received little attention. The capacity to transmit, store and compute information has increased greatly over recent history, and the new media environment may encourage partisanship (i.e., "echo chambers"), misinformation and rumor spreading to support political and social causes and be conducive both to emotive writing and emotional contagion, which may shape voting behavior. In our pre-registered experiment, we examined whether implicit associations between facial cues to dominance and competence (intelligence) and leadership ability are strengthened by partisan media and knowledge that leaders support or oppose us on a socio-political issue of personal importance. Social information, in general, reduced well-established implicit associations between facial cues and leadership ability. However, as predicted, social knowledge of group membership reduced preferences for facial cues to high dominance and intelligence in out-group leaders. In the opposite-direction to our original prediction, this "in-group bias" was greater under less partisan versus partisan media, with partisan writing eliciting greater state anxiety across the sample. Partisanship also altered the salience of women's facial appearance (i.e., cues to high dominance and intelligence) in out-group versus in-group leaders. Independent of the media environment, men and women displayed an in-group bias toward facial cues of dominance in same-sex leaders. Our findings reveal effects of minimal social information (facial appearance, group membership, media reporting) on leadership judgments, which may have implications for patterns of voting or socio-political behavior at the local or national level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D. Watkins
- Division of Psychology, School of Applied Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Dengke Xiao
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - David I. Perrett
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
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Lowman GH, Harms PD, Mills MJ. The Influence of Job Candidates’ Physical Appearance on Interview Evaluations. JOURNAL OF PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1027/1866-5888/a000223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. The influence of a candidate’s physical appearance on interview evaluations is well documented. However, few models exist that explain how and why specific components of physical appearance influence interviewer perceptions. We address this discrepancy by identifying the primary components of appearance and integrating findings from the appearance literature to explain the relationship between candidate appearance and interview evaluations. We propose that interviewers compare traits inferred from a candidate’s physical appearance with traits associated with their prototype for the job position. Interviewers perceive a strong person-job fit when these traits align, which is indicated by a prototype match. By detailing this progression in the proposed conceptual model, this paper answers calls from recent research and provides new directions for future inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graham H. Lowman
- Michael A. Leven School of Management, Entrepreneurship and Hospitality, Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Peter D. Harms
- Department of Management, Culverhouse College of Commerce, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Maura J. Mills
- Department of Management, Culverhouse College of Commerce, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
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9
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Knapen JEP, Pollet TV, van Vugt M. When Better Seems Bigger: Perceived Performance of Adult Professional Football Players Is Positively Associated With Perceptions of Their Body Size. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 17:1474704919841914. [PMID: 31035787 PMCID: PMC10481066 DOI: 10.1177/1474704919841914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Research has shown a positive association between cues of physical formidability and perceptions of status, supporting a generic "bigger-is-better" heuristic. However, does better also lead to appraisals as bigger? Recent research suggests that the perceptual association between body size and social status can also be explained in terms of prestige. To test whether perceptions of prestige lead to higher appraisals of body size, we examined whether people apply a "better is bigger bias" (BBB) in football, where performance and body size tend to be uncorrelated. In two studies, we examined real coalitional sports groups on a national (Study 1) and team level (Study 2), and we manipulated target performance in an experimental third study. Results suggest that perceived performance significantly predicted both the perceived height (Studies 2 and 3) and perceived weight (Studies 1 and 2) of professional football players, supporting the BBB. Support for the team had a positive effect on body size estimations of the players; however, we did not find any support for winner or loser effects. We discuss these results in light of individual versus team performance and coalitional affiliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill E. P. Knapen
- Section of Social and Organizational Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas V. Pollet
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Mark van Vugt
- Section of Social and Organizational Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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10
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Korenman LM, Wetzler EL, Carroll MH, Velilla EV. Is it in your face?: Exploring the effects of sexual dimorphism on perception of leadership potential. MILITARY PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/08995605.2018.1556555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Korenman
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
| | - Elizabeth L. Wetzler
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
| | - Marjorie H. Carroll
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
| | - Elizabeth V. Velilla
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
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11
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Knapen JEP, Blaker NM, Pollet TV. Size, skills, and suffrage: Motivated distortions in perceived formidability of political leaders. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188485. [PMID: 29267275 PMCID: PMC5739394 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Research shows that perception of physical size and status are positively associated. The current study was developed to replicate and extend earlier research on height perceptions of political leaders, indicating that supporters perceive their leaders as taller than non-supporters do, and winners are perceived as taller after the elections, while losers are perceived as shorter after the elections (winner/loser effects). Individuals use greater height and strength as indications of greater physical formidability. We hypothesized that in-group leaders’ height and strength, but not weight, would be overestimated more compared to out-group leaders’, and that this status-size association is not only driven by dominance, but also by prestige. We also tested whether previously found gender effects in estimates were due to using one’s own height as an anchor, and we used an improved methodological approach by relying on multiple measurements of physical formidability and a within-subject design for testing winner/loser effects. The results of a two-part longitudinal study (self-selected sample via voting advice website; NWave1 = 2,011; NWave2 = 322) suggest that estimated physical formidability of political leaders is affected by motivated perception, as prestige was positively associated with estimated formidability, and in-group leaders were estimated more formidable than out-group leaders. We conclude that distortions in judged formidability related to social status are the result of motivated social perception in order to promote group functioning and leadership. Although we did not replicate a winner-effect (greater estimations of formidability after winning the elections), we did find some evidence for a loser-effect. Earlier suggestions that men make larger estimations than women because of their own larger body size are not supported. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill E. P. Knapen
- Section Social and Organizational Psychology, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Nancy M. Blaker
- Section Social and Organizational Psychology, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Management, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Thomas V. Pollet
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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12
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Schneider TM, Carbon CC. Taking the Perfect Selfie: Investigating the Impact of Perspective on the Perception of Higher Cognitive Variables. Front Psychol 2017. [PMID: 28649219 PMCID: PMC5465279 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Taking selfies is now becoming a standard human habit. However, as a social phenomenon, research is still in the fledgling stage and the scientific framework is sparse. Selfies allow us to share social information with others in a compact format. Furthermore, we are able to control important photographic and compositional aspects, such as perspective, which have a strong impact on the assessment of a face (e.g., demonstrated by the height-weight illusion, effects of gaze direction, faceism-index). In Study 1, we focused on the impact of perspective (left/right hemiface, above/below vs. frontal presentation) on higher cognitive variables and let 172 participants rate the perceived attractiveness, helpfulness, sympathy, dominance, distinctiveness, and intelligence, plus important information on health issues (e.g., body weight), on the basis of 14 3D faces. We could show that lateral snapshots yielded higher ratings for attractiveness compared to the classical frontal view. However, this effect was more pronounced for left hemifaces and especially female faces. Compared to the frontal condition, 30° right hemifaces were rated as more helpful, but only for female faces while faces viewed from above were perceived as significant less helpful. Direct comparison between left vs. right hemifaces revealed no effect. Relating to sympathy, we only found a significant effect for 30° right male hemifaces, but only in comparison to the frontal condition. Furthermore, female 30° right hemifaces were perceived as more intelligent. Relating to body weight, we replicated the so-called “height-weight illusion.” Other variables remained unaffected. In Study 2, we investigated the impact of a typical selfie-style condition by presenting the respective faces from a lateral (left/right) and tilted (lower/higher) vantage point. Most importantly, depending on what persons wish to express with a selfie, a systematic change of perspective can strongly optimize their message; e.g., increasing their attractiveness by shooting from above left, and in contrast, decreasing their expressed helpfulness by shooting from below. We could further extent past findings relating to the height-weight illusion and showed that an additional rotation of the camera positively affected the perception of body weight (lower body weight). We discuss potential explanations for perspective-related effects, especially gender-related ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias M Schneider
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of BambergBamberg, Germany.,Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences, University of BambergBamberg, Germany.,Research Group EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Æsthetics, Gestalt)Bamberg, Germany
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of BambergBamberg, Germany.,Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences, University of BambergBamberg, Germany.,Research Group EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Æsthetics, Gestalt)Bamberg, Germany
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13
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Montano KJ, Tigue CC, Isenstein SGE, Barclay P, Feinberg DR. Men's voice pitch influences women's trusting behavior. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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14
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Abstract
This research uses evolutionary theory to evaluate followers' preferences for physically formidable leaders and to identify conditions that stimulate those preferences. It employs a population-based survey experiment (N ≥ 760), which offers the advantages to internal validity of experiments and external validity of a highly heterogeneous sample drawn from a nationally representative subject pool. The theoretical argument proffered here is followers tend to prefer leaders with greater physical formidability because of evolutionary adaptations derived from humans' violent ancestral environment. In this environment, individuals who allied with and ultimately followed physically powerful partners were more likely to acquire and retain important resources necessary for survival and reproduction because the presence of the physically powerful partner cued opponents to avoid a challenge for the resources or risk a costly confrontation. This argument suggests and the results indicate that threatening (war) and nonthreatening (peace, cooperation, and control) stimuli differentially motivate preferences for physically formidable leaders. In particular, the findings suggest threatening conditions lead to preferences for leaders with more powerful physical attributes, both anthropometric (i.e., weight, height, and body mass index) and perceptual (i.e., attributes of being "physically imposing or intimidating" and "physically strong"). Overall, this research offers a theoretical framework from which to understand this otherwise seemingly irrational phenomenon. Further, it advances the emerging but long-neglected investigation of biological effects on political behavior and has implications for a fundamental process in democratic society, leader selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregg R Murray
- Department of Political Science, Texas Tech University, 10 Holden Hall, Lubbock, TX 79409-1015,
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15
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Re DE, Rule NO. The big man has a big mouth: Mouth width correlates with perceived leadership ability and actual leadership performance. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2015.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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16
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Fruhen LS, Watkins CD, Jones BC. Perceptions of facial dominance, trustworthiness and attractiveness predict managerial pay awards in experimental tasks. LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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17
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Abstract
People can reliably infer various traits, states, and group memberships from minimal cues. Despite impressive demonstrations of the breadth of social perception, however, few studies have critically examined the sensitivity and limits of social perception in specific quantitative terms. Here, we investigated the just noticeable difference for perceptions of a facial trait with profound consequences for social behavior, that is, facial attractiveness. Building on research examining facial adiposity, we determined the changes in body mass index needed to meaningfully alter perceivers’ judgments of weight and attractiveness. Although perceivers recognized differences as small as 1.33 kg/m2, changes of roughly twice that size (2.38 kg/m2 and 2.59 kg/m2 for women and men, respectively) were necessary to alter attractiveness. These findings contribute to a greater basic understanding of the precision and limits of social perception and may provide information of value to medical practitioners and individuals seeking to manage changes in weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Re
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicholas O. Rule
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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18
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Stulp G, Buunk AP, Verhulst S, Pollet TV. Human height is positively related to interpersonal dominance in dyadic interactions. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117860. [PMID: 25719490 PMCID: PMC4342156 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2014] [Accepted: 01/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Across cultures, taller stature is linked to increased social status, but the potential reasons why this should be are unclear. One potential explanation is that taller individuals are more likely to win a dyadic confrontation with a competitor (i.e., they are more dominant), which leads to higher social rank. Although some previous studies have shown that perceptions of status or dominance are related to height, and are therefore consistent with such an explanation, there is surprisingly little research testing whether height actually has any influence on the behavioural outcomes in real-life social interactions. Here, we present three naturalistic observational studies demonstrating that height predicts interpersonal dominance during brief dyadic interactions. Study 1 investigated the likelihood of giving way in a narrow passage (N = 92); Study 2 investigated giving way in a busy shopping street, plus the likelihood of colliding with another individual (N = 1,108); and Study 3 investigated the likelihood of maintaining a linear path while walking, and potentially entering another individual’s personal space (N = 1,056). We conclude that human height is positively related to interpersonal dominance, and may well contribute to the widely observed positive association between height and social status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gert Stulp
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Abraham P. Buunk
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Curaçao, Willemstad, Curaçao
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas V. Pollet
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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19
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Looking like a leader-facial shape predicts perceived height and leadership ability. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80957. [PMID: 24324651 PMCID: PMC3851990 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2013] [Accepted: 10/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Judgments of leadership ability from face images predict the outcomes of actual political elections and are correlated with leadership success in the corporate world. The specific facial cues that people use to judge leadership remain unclear, however. Physical height is also associated with political and organizational success, raising the possibility that facial cues of height contribute to leadership perceptions. Consequently, we assessed whether cues to height exist in the face and, if so, whether they are associated with perception of leadership ability. We found that facial cues to perceived height had a strong relationship with perceived leadership ability. Furthermore, when allowed to manually manipulate faces, participants increased facial cues associated with perceived height in order to maximize leadership perception. A morphometric analysis of face shape revealed that structural facial masculinity was not responsible for the relationship between perceived height and perceived leadership ability. Given the prominence of facial appearance in making social judgments, facial cues to perceived height may have a significant influence on leadership selection.
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20
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Re DE, Perrett DI. The effects of facial adiposity on attractiveness and perceived leadership ability. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2013; 67:676-86. [PMID: 23971489 DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2013.825635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Facial attractiveness has a positive influence on electoral success both in experimental paradigms and in the real world. One parameter that influences facial attractiveness and social judgements is facial adiposity (a facial correlate to body mass index, BMI). Overweight people have high facial adiposity and are perceived to be less attractive and lower in leadership ability. Here, we used an interactive design in order to assess whether the most attractive level of facial adiposity is also perceived as most leader-like. We found that participants reduced facial adiposity more to maximize attractiveness than to maximize perceived leadership ability. These results indicate that facial appearance impacts leadership judgements beyond the effects of attractiveness. We suggest that the disparity between optimal facial adiposity in attractiveness and leadership judgements stems from social trends that have produced thin ideals for attractiveness, while leadership judgements are associated with perception of physical dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Re
- a School of Psychology , University of St Andrews , St Andrews , Fife , UK
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