The Perceived Benefits of Height: Strength, Dominance, Social Concern, and Knowledge among Bolivian Native Amazonians

Research in industrial countries suggests that, with no other knowledge about a person, positive traits are attributed to taller people and correspondingly, that taller people have slightly better socioeconomic status (SES). However, research in some non-industrialized contexts has shown no correlation or even negative correlations between height and socioeconomic outcomes. It remains unclear whether positive traits remain attributed to taller people in such contexts. To address this question, here we report the results of a study in a foraging-farming society of native Amazonians in Bolivia (Tsimane’)–a group in which we have previously shown little association between height and socioeconomic outcomes. We showed 24 photographs of pairs of Tsimane’ women, men, boys, and girls to 40 women and 40 men >16 years of age. We presented four behavioral scenarios to each participant and asked them to point to the person in the photograph with greater strength, dominance, social concern, or knowledge. The pairs in the photographs were of the same sex and age, but one person was shorter. Tsimane’ women and men attributed greater strength, dominance, and knowledge to taller girls and boys, but they did not attribute most positive traits to taller adults, except for strength, and more social concern only when women assessed other women in the photographs. These results raise a puzzle: why would Tsimane’ attribute positive traits to tall children, but not tall adults? We propose three potential explanations: adults’ expectations about the more market integrated society in which their children will grow up, height as a signal of good child health, and children’s greater variation in the traits assessed corresponding to maturational stages

Do Impressions of Health, Dominance, and Warmth Explain Why Masculine Faces are Preferred More in a Short-Term Mate?

Men high in facial masculinity are preferred more as a short-term partner (STP) than a long-term partner (LTP). We used a representative sample of natural faces to examine whether the greater preference for masculine-looking men as a STP could be explained by the fact that they look healthier, more dominant, or lower in warmth. None of these attributes explained the greater preference for facial masculinity in a STP. Rather, masculinity mediated the greater preference for healthy and dominant looking men as a STP. Women also preferred men who appeared high in warmth more as a LTP than a STP, an effect independent of facial masculinity, but mediated by facial expression. Our results suggest that women do not prefer masculine-looking men more as a STP than a LTP simply because they look healthier, more dominant, or less warm

To be or not to be...disabled: Priming effects on perceptions of warmth and competence

Eyssel FA, Zebrowitz LA. To be or not to be..disabled: Priming effects on perceptions of warmth and competence. Presented at the 24. International Congress of Psychology, Berlin

The influence of political candidates’ facial appearance on older and younger adults’ voting choices and actual electoral success

Younger adults (YA) judgments of political candidates’ competence from facial appearance accurately predict electoral success. Whether this is true for older adults (OA) has not been investigated despite the fact that OA are more likely to vote than YA and may respond differently to particular facial qualities. We examined whether OA and YA ratings of competence, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and babyfaceness of opposing candidates in US Senate elections independently predicted their own vote choices and actual election outcomes. OA and YA ratings of attractiveness, competence, and trustworthiness positively predicted their choices, but the effect of competence was weaker for OA. Babyfaceness negatively predicted OA, but not YA, choices. OA and YA competence ratings equally predicted the actual election winners, while OA, but not YA, attractiveness ratings did so. Trustworthy and babyface ratings did not predict actual winners. These findings have implications for understanding age differences in candidate preferences and the prediction of election outcomes