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Updated: May 15, 2026
09:49
Holistic Facial Composite Creation and Subsequent Video Line-up Eyewitness Identification Paradigm
Published on: December 24, 2015
Trustworthy-looking face meets brown eyes.
Karel Kleisner1, Lenka Priplatova, Peter Frost
1Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. kleisner@seznam.cz
Plos One
|January 18, 2013
Summary
Perception of trustworthiness is influenced by facial features, not eye color itself. Brown-eyed individuals were perceived as more trustworthy due to associated facial shapes, not their eye color.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Facial Perception
Background:
- Facial cues significantly impact social judgments.
- Eye color is a noticeable facial trait that may influence perceptions.
- Previous research has not fully disentangled the effects of eye color and facial morphology on trustworthiness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of eye color on perceived trustworthiness.
- To examine the role of facial shape in mediating the relationship between eye color and trustworthiness.
- To determine if eye color or associated facial features primarily drive trustworthiness perceptions.
Main Methods:
- Participants rated the trustworthiness of facial photographs varying in eye color.
- Geometric morphometrics analyzed facial shape variations associated with eye color.
- Eye color was digitally altered in male facial photographs to isolate its effect.
Main Results:
- Brown-eyed faces were perceived as more trustworthy than blue-eyed faces.
- Facial shape significantly correlated with trustworthiness, particularly for male faces.
- After digitally altering eye color, the effect of eye color on trustworthiness disappeared.
Conclusions:
- The perceived trustworthiness associated with brown eyes is likely due to correlated facial features, not eye color itself.
- Facial morphology plays a crucial role in trustworthiness judgments, potentially overriding the direct effect of eye color.
- Future research should consider the interplay between multiple facial features in social perception.
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