If you have ever been excluded from a social situation, it might have been to do with the shape of your face. Depending on how ‘warm’, ‘cold’, ‘competent’ or ‘incompetent’ you appear can all impact on whether you’re excluded from a social group or not, according to new research.
Researchers from the University of Basel have investigated the concept that facial clues influence how social exclusion is judged. The study found that people are more likely to be excluded from a social group if they appear ‘cold’ or ‘incompetent’.
The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, looked at how humans often look to ‘superficial indicators,’ such as the face, for guidance on whether or not to include or exclude someone in a social setting.
The team of psychologists presented different male faces to a total of 480 participants. The facial characteristics had previously been altered using a recently developed method for facial manipulation, in order to make the portraits appear ‘warm’ or ‘cold’, and ‘competent’ or ‘incompetent’. A face could be considered ‘warm’ if the person is smiling or has large eyes, as these are seen as more open and welcoming features. On the other hand, a cold face may be scowling, with narrowed eyes, as this would make the person appear unfriendly.
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The participants looked at each image for two seconds before deciding how acceptable it was for a group to exclude this person.
In previous studies, people agreed that it is not fair or justified to exclude a person for no other reason than their face – but facial clues have been shown to influence a variety of judgements as well as emotional and behavioural responses.
For the University of Basel’s study, participants found it more acceptable to socially exclude people whose faces looked ‘cold’ and ‘incompetent’. This was because, for individuals with these facial features, it is often perceived their goals are incompatible with the rest of the group and they are unable to contribute to the group in a meaningful way; therefore, they would ‘be a burden.’
Individuals who were ‘cold’ and ‘competent’ were also considered acceptable to exclude, as these individuals typically evoke feelings of envy or jealous.
It was considered least acceptable to excluded those that looked ‘warm’ and ‘incompetent’. Dr Semla Rudert, from the Centre of Social Psychology at the University of Basel and lead researcher for the study, said that a possible explanation for this could be because these people are often perceived as especially in need of protection and therefore excluding them from the group would be particularly cruel.
“Our results suggest that the first impression a person makes can also influence moral judgments that would actually call for objectivity,” said Rudert.
These impressions can also have consequences for how people behave in social exclusion situations.
“It is conceivable that a cold and incompetent looking victim of exclusion would get less support or, in the worst case, bystanders may even actively join the ostracizing group – all based on one glance at the face of the victim,” Rudert added.
Facial clues are also used to judge candidates in other scenarios, such as the suitability for a job in an interview. Studies have shown that ‘good-looking’ people are preferred in interview situations as they are expected to be better performers and therefore more worthy of trust.
In addition, more attractive people are generally considered to be more intelligent, as researchers demonstrate how facial impressions consistently influence the decisions we make.
