Distinguishing Dictators From Democrats Based On Appearance

A new and interesting study has demonstrated that one can determine whether a leader is a democrat or an autocrat just by looking at the face of that leader. Eric W. Dolan had this information in PsyPost. Here is an excerpt:

New research provides evidence that democratically elected leaders tend to have more attractive and warmer faces than authoritarian leaders. The findings, which appear in Social Psychological and Personality Science, suggest that a leader’s facial appearance often reflects the political system in which she or he operates.

People quickly form judgments based on the appearance of a person’s face, including judgments about their ability to lead. However, most research demonstrating a relationship between leaders’ facial appearance and their political success has examined democratic political systems. Study author Miranda Giacomin and her team sought to expand on this research by comparing leaders from democratic nations to those from authoritarian regimes.

“I’m interested in the ideas people have about what leaders should look like, how these ideas may change across contexts, and whether these ideas match with how leaders actually look,” explained Giacomin, an assistant professor at MacEwan University.

Find the full article through this link.