A face for all seasons:searching for context-specific leadership traits and discovering a general preference for perceived health

Previous research indicates that followers tend to contingently match particular leader qualities to evolutionarily consistent situations requiring collective action (i.e., context-specific cognitive leadership prototypes) and information processing undergoes categorization which ranks certain qualities as first-order context-general and others as second-order context-specific. To further investigate this contingent categorization phenomenon we examined the “attractiveness halo”—a first-order facial cue which significantly biases leadership preferences. While controlling for facial attractiveness, we independently manipulated the underlying facial cues of health and intelligence and then primed participants with four distinct organizational dynamics requiring leadership (i.e., competition vs. cooperation between groups and exploratory change vs. stable exploitation). It was expected that the differing requirements of the four dynamics would contingently select for relatively healthier- or intelligent-looking leaders. We found perceived facial intelligence to be a second-order context-specific trait—for instance, in times requiring a leader to address between-group cooperation—whereas perceived health is significantly preferred across all contexts (i.e., a first-order trait). The results also indicate that facial health positively affects perceived masculinity while facial intelligence negatively affects perceived masculinity, which may partially explain leader choice in some of the environmental contexts. The limitations and a number of implications regarding leadership biases are discussed

The Napoleon Complex: When Shorter Men Take More

Inspired by an evolutionary psychological perspective on the Napoleon complex, we hypothesized that shorter males are more likely to show indirect aggression in resource competitions with taller males. Three studies provide support for our interpretation of the Napoleon complex. Our pilot study shows that men (but not women) keep more resources for themselves when they feel small. When paired with a taller male opponent (Study 1), shorter men keep more resources to themselves in a game in which they have all the power (dictator game) versus a game in which the opponent also has some power (ultimatum game). Furthermore, shorter men are not more likely to show direct, physical aggression toward a taller opponent (Study 2). As predicted by the Napoleon complex, we conclude that (relatively) shorter men show greater behavioral flexibility in securing resources when presented with cues that they are physically less competitive. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Datasets reported in bald paper: STUDY 2

Data files for Study 2 of bald pape

Datasets reported in bald paper: STUDY 1

Data files for Study 1 of bald pape

Bald paper R code and output

R code and output from Study 1, Study 2, and Study

Datasets reported in bald paper: STUDY 3

Datasets for Study

Cue masking and cultural signals: Testing context-specific preferences for bald(ing) leaders

Androgenic Alopecia affects the majority of aging men and consequently a substantial number of leaders. Yet, there is little research on how male pattern baldness (MPB) influences leader perceptions, and no research on context-specific leader preferences for bald men. Across three studies, we add to this sparse literature by investigating a) how baldness as a biological cue for age (i.e. MPB) affects various trait perceptions, as opposed to baldness as a cultural signal for dominance (i.e. a shaved head), and b) how this information influences contingent leader preferences across coordination problems. We hypothesized a preference for a dominant leader appearance (shaved head) during war vs. peace, and a preference for an older leader appearance (MPB) during exploitation vs. exploration. In Study 1, we find that men with MPB are indeed perceived as older and that head shaving attenuates this age cue while increasing perceived dominance. Studies 2 and 3 do not show increased leader preferences for men with MPB or men with shaved heads, in any context. Instead, both studies show a particular dislike for men with a shaved head when the coordination problem requires intergroup peacekeeping

Summary of results.

<p>Summary of results.</p