What does it mean to find the Face of the Franchise? Physical Attractiveness and the Evaluation of Athletic Performance
David Berri, Rob Simmons, Jennifer Van Gilder & Lisle O'Neill
Economics Letters, June 2011, Pages 200-202
Abstract: We show that attractiveness, as measured by facial symmetry, leads to
greater rewards in professional sports. National Football League quarterbacks who are more attractive are paid greater salaries and this premium persists after controlling for player performance.
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About Face: The Association between Facial Appearance and Status Attainment
among Military Personnel
Thomas Hochschild & Casey Borch
Sociological Spectrum, May/June 2011, Pages 369-395
Abstract: This research assesses the extent to which facial appearance is related to
occupational status attainment. Through the use of Internet technology, a diverse random sample of research participants viewed Navy boot camp photographs and rated sailors across nine dimensions. Sailors who were rated highly attractive were also thought to be intelligent and to possess leadership qualities. And, consistent with social expectancy theory and status generalization theory, sailors who were rated high across these three traits advanced to higher ranks, and did so more rapidly, than those rated low on these traits. The findings of this study underscore the sociological significance of facial appearance as a means by which people are stratified within social structural contexts.
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Identifying personality from the static, nonexpressive face in humans and
chimpanzees: Evidence of a shared system for signaling personality
Robin Kramer, James King & Robert Ward
Evolution and Human Behavior, May 2011, Pages 179-185
Abstract: Many aspects of personality are honestly signaled on the human face, as
shown by accurate identification of personality traits from static images of unknown faces with neutral expressions. Here, we examined the evolutionary history of this signal system. In four studies, we found that untrained human observers reliably discriminated characteristics related to extraversion solely from nonexpressive facial images of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). In chimpanzees, as in humans, there is therefore information in the static, nonexpressive face that signals aspects of an individual's personality. We suggest that this performance is best explained by shared personality structure and signaling in the two species.
Nod to Kevin Lewis, who is beautiful.
1 comment:
Great pointers to interesting research, though in my esteem, "Through the use of Internet technology..." in an abstract is nearly as inane as "Through the use of word processing technology, we typeset our findings for publication." But, I'm just a grad student.
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