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Inferences of Competence from Faces Predict Election Outcomes
Alexander Todorov,1,2*Anesu N. Mandisodza,1Amir Goren,1Crystal C. Hall1
We show that inferences of competence based solely on facialappearance predicted the outcomes of U.S. congressional electionsbetter than chance (e.g., 68.8% of the Senate races in 2004)and also were linearly related to the margin of victory. Theseinferences were specific to competence and occurred within a1-second exposure to the faces of the candidates. The findingssuggest that rapid, unreflective trait inferences can contributeto voting choices, which are widely assumed to be based primarilyon rational and deliberative considerations.
1 Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. 2 Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
Present address: Department of Psychology, New York University,New York, NY 10003, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: atodorov{at}princeton.edu
Facial Similarity Between Voters and Candidates Causes Influence.
J. N. Bailenson, S. Iyengar, N. Yee, and N. A. Collins (2009)
Public Opin Q
|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
A neural basis for the effect of candidate appearance on election outcomes.
M. L. Spezio, A. Rangel, R. M. Alvarez, J. P. O'Doherty, K. Mattes, A. Todorov, H. Kim, and R. Adolphs (2008)
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci
3, 344-352
|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
In your face: facial metrics predict aggressive behaviour in the laboratory and in varsity and professional hockey players.
Present address: Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA. 
