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Published on: November 6, 2014
Inferences of competence from faces predict election outcomes
Alexander Todorov1, Anesu N Mandisodza, Amir Goren
1Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. atodorov@princeton.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|June 11, 2005
Summary
Facial appearance inferences accurately predicted U.S. election outcomes, showing rapid, unreflective judgments influence voting choices. These competence judgments, made within a second, impacted election results beyond chance.
Area of Science:
- Political Psychology
- Social Cognition
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Voting decisions are often assumed to stem from rational deliberation.
- The role of rapid, non-conscious judgments in political choices is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if facial appearance inferences predict U.S. congressional election outcomes.
- To determine the speed and specificity of these trait inferences.
Main Methods:
- Participants' rapid (1-second) exposure to candidate faces.
- Analysis of inferences of competence based on appearance.
- Correlation with actual election results (e.g., U.S. Senate races).
Main Results:
- Inferences of competence from facial appearance predicted election outcomes better than chance.
- Accuracy reached 68.8% in 2004 U.S. Senate races.
- Inferences were linearly related to the margin of victory and specific to competence.
Conclusions:
- Rapid, unreflective trait inferences from facial appearance can significantly influence voting behavior.
- These findings challenge the assumption that political choices are solely based on rational deliberation.
- Non-conscious facial processing plays a role in electoral success.
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