Inferences of competence from faces predict election outcomes.
We show that inferences of competence based solely on facial appearance predicted the outcomes of U.S. congressional elections better than chance (e.g., 68.8% of the Senate races in 2004) and also were linearly related to the margin of victory. These inferences were specific to competence and occurred within a 1-second exposure to the faces of the candidates. The findings suggest that rapid, unreflective trait inferences can contribute to voting choices, which are widely assumed to be based primarily on rational and deliberative considerations.
Todorov
Alexander
A
Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. atodorov@princeton.edu
Mandisodza
Anesu N
AN
Goren
Amir
A
Hall
Crystal C
CC
D000375:Aging; D002605:Character; D003657:Decision Making; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D035082:Federal Government; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007600:Judgment; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D011057:Politics; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D035502:Trust; D014481:United States