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The Perils of Leading a Democracy
Shelly Rathee1, Himanshu Mishra1, Arul Mishra1
17060 David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.
International Journal of Aging & Human Development
|April 3, 2020
Summary
Leaders in democracies appear older due to increased stress, impacting their decision-making and charisma. This study explores the link between political systems and perceived leader aging.
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Environmental factors influence aging processes.
- Democracy is linked to higher life expectancy, but its effect on leaders is under-researched.
- Perceived aging of political leaders warrants investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how democratic versus autocratic systems affect the perceived aging of political leaders.
- To explore the consequences of perceived aging on leader attributes and behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Cross-cultural analysis of 268 leaders' images, assessing perceived age differences.
- Study 2: Controlled experiment examining downstream effects of perceived aging on leader characteristics.
Main Results:
- Leaders in democracies are perceived to age more than leaders in autocracies.
- Increased perceived aging in leaders correlates with avoidance of complex decisions.
- Leaders appearing older are rated as less charismatic and inspiring.
Conclusions:
- The stress inherent in democratic leadership contributes to increased perceived aging.
- Perceived aging negatively impacts a leader's effectiveness and public perception.
- Political systems significantly shape the aging experience and attributes of their leaders.
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