Social class is a powerful hierarchy that determines many privileges and disadvantages in society. Research shows that people are quick to form impressions of other people’s social class standing, which can have important consequences – but what specifically drives these impressions, and their relationship to judgements of harmful or advantageous stereotypes, has remained unknown.
A new study – led by the University of Glasgow and published in the APA Journal of Experimental Psychology: General – used a perception-based, data-driven method to identify the specific 3D facial features that drive perceptions of social class standing and show how these relate to other stereotype-related judgements.
Led by a team of researchers at the University’s School of Psychology and Neuroscience, the research focused on the question of what makes someone appear to be of a higher or lower social class standing (or what makes someone look rich vs. poor), and how these appearances are linked to perceptions of competence, warmth, dominance, and trustworthiness – traits which are stereotypically linked to social class. The study was carried out with White participants from Western cultures, employing a large number of face stimuli.
The results reveal a unique constellation of facial features that underlie judgements of social class. Faces perceived as poor exhibited particular characteristics such as being wider, shorter, and flatter, with downturned mouths and darker, cooler complexions. Each of these facial features also made faces appear more incompetent, cold, or untrustworthy. In contrast, faces perceived as rich were narrower and longer with upturned mouths and lighter, warmer complexions – features which corresponded to those associated with perceptions of competence, warmth, and trustworthiness.
Corresponding author Dr R. Thora Bjornsdottir (now Lecturer at the University of Stirling) said: “People who are perceived to be of high or low social class standing are also often judged as having advantageous or unfavourable traits, respectively. Such judgements are formed even just from facial appearance, and this can have substantial downstream consequences, including disadvantaging those who are perceived to be of lower social class standing.
“In our study, by revealing the facial features that underlie these subjective judgements, we provide new insights into what makes someone look rich or poor and show how these judgements relate to positive and negative stereotypes (such as competence vs. incompetence). The results suggest that social class stereotypes explain the link between facial appearance and judgements of individuals’ social class standing. This highlights that the stereotypes we hold are consequential for how we perceive others – they bias our perceptions. Our impressions of other people can then lead to particular advantages or disadvantages for them.”
Prof Rachael E. Jack, Professor of Computational Social Cognition, added: “Our research demonstrates how specific facial attributes play a pivotal role in connecting social class perceptions with related stereotypes. These findings are not only valuable for advancing our understanding of central social perception theories, but could also help with future interventions designed to interrupt biased perceptions.”
The study, ‘Social Class Perception Is Driven by Stereotype-Related Facial Features,’ is published in APA Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. The study was funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Wellcome Trust, and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk
First published: 25 January 2024
FAQs
The results reveal a unique constellation of facial features that underlie judgements of social class. Faces perceived as poor exhibited particular characteristics such as being wider, shorter, and flatter, with downturned mouths and darker, cooler complexions.
What facial features determine social class? ›
Analysis of the resulting face models showed that social class perception is driven by a specific combination of facial features—faces judged as rich are narrower and longer with protruding features and upturned mouths, and lighter, warmer complexions than those judged as poor.
What are the facial features associated with the poor? ›
Researchers said they were curious about what makes someone appear to be rich or poor. The scientists found that a combination of facial features can signal to our brains whether someone might be of a higher social standing. They found "poor" faces to be wider, shorter, and flatter with downturned mouths.
What is the social perception of faces? ›
The perception of facial features is an important part of social cognition. Information gathered from the face helps people understand each other's identity, what they are thinking and feeling, anticipate their actions, recognize their emotions, build connections, and communicate through body language.
What is perception of facial features? ›
Face perception is one of the most important aspects of social cognition. We use information transmitted from the face when we reason about other people and try to understand what may be on their minds. Face recognition is a critical skill that develops early and supports our social abilities.
What facial features show rich or poor people? ›
Each of these facial features also made faces appear more incompetent, cold, or untrustworthy. In contrast, faces perceived as rich were narrower and longer with upturned mouths and lighter, warmer complexions – features which corresponded to those associated with perceptions of competence, warmth, and trustworthiness.
What facial features are associated with rich and poor? ›
The findings, published in the APA Journal of Experimental Psychology, determined that people with more narrow faces, smiley upturned mouths, raised brows, closely-spaced eyes and a light, warmer complexion looked wealthier. People also associated these facial features with trustworthiness, competence and warmth.
What are the facial features of rich people? ›
The study found that faces deemed 'rich' were also viewed as more trustworthy, capable, and honest. Some of the characteristics of these faces included chiselled features, raised eyebrows and rosy cheeks.
What facial features look rich? ›
In the study, scientists analysed the snap judgements people make about each other and found faces deemed 'rich' are also considered more trustworthy. They have smiley mouths, chiselled features, raised brows, closely-spaced eyes and rosy cheeks - characteristics that also seem trustworthy, warm and competent.
What does a wealthy face look like? ›
HAVING a narrow, long-featured and friendly face could make people think you're rich, a study suggests. The shape of your face can bias what others perceive about your background and wealth, University of Glasgow researchers found.
The concept of face refers to a social representation of a person reflecting the respect, regard or confidence others have in them which the person in question is conscious or aware of himself or herself (Goffman 1972, p. 5).
How to tell someone's personality by their face? ›
The distance between the top of the eye to the eyebrow indicates the level of friendliness. As per Steven, people with higher eyebrows usually tend to like more personal space. They are friendly and possess good social skills however they will draw a line if someone encroaches on their personal space.
What does Goffman mean by face? ›
What is Goffman's concept of face? Goffman defines face as “The positive public image you seek to establish in social interactions”. He suggests that individuals are emotionally attached to the face they have constructed for social situations and feel good when their face has been protected or maintained.
What are the 8 facial features? ›
- FACE.
- EYES.
- NOSE. EARS.
- MOUTH.
- TEETH.
- CHIN.
- HAIR.
Facial information is processed by our brain in such a way that we immediately make judgments about, for example, attractiveness or masculinity or interpret personality traits or moods of other people. The appearance of each facial feature has an effect on our perception of facial traits.
What are feminine facial features? ›
Feminine Face Structure
While lips come in many sizes and shapes, women often have fuller lips than men. Their chins are also typically smaller with a softer jawline that comes to the shape of a V.
What are the factors to consider when determining social class? ›
Objective indicators include things like education levels, occupation, and income. Regardless of whether the indicators are considered individually or collectively, people will still be classed according to them.
What are the 3 methods used to identify social class? ›
Sociologists typically use three methods to determine social class: The objective method measures and analyzes “hard” facts. The subjective method asks people what they think of themselves. The reputational method asks what people think of others.
What is social class characteristics? ›
In sociology, social class refers to people with a similar status in society. This status is determined by various factors, such as wealth, work, income, education, family, race, and ethnicity.
Can physical traits assess a person's social class? ›
They are many features that can be used to identify someone's class in the society (Thompson & Hickey, 2005). Individual appearance can be an evidence of the social class one belongs, though it's not necessarily the case.
