Study Reveals Differences in the Faces of the Rich and the Poor

Jakarta — Human faces apparently carry more information than we realise. A study from the University of Toronto shows that a person’s economic status can be guessed purely from their facial features, even when they are not displaying any expression. In the study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the researchers presented 160 black-and-white photographs of men and women with neutral, expressionless faces and no accessories. Half of the photos depicted individuals of higher economic status, while the other half depicted members of the working class. Participants were then asked to guess the social class of each face. The results were surprising: about 68% of their guesses were correct, even though they could not explain why. “When asked how they did it, they did not know. They were not aware how they could guess correctly,” said researcher R-Thora Bjorsdottir, quoted from CNBC Make It in Jakarta, Sunday 8 March 2026. Eyes and Mouth To probe this, the researchers magnified facial features such as the eyes and mouth. The findings remained consistent. The emotional cues embedded in the face apparently helped people infer social status, even from still photographs. People from wealthier backgrounds tended to have happier, calmer-looking expressions. By contrast, those from poorer economic backgrounds showed more tense and strained appearances, even when the person was silent. “This study suggests that differences in wealth can be reflected in a person’s face,” explains Bjorsdottir. But another researcher, Nicholas O. Rule, cautions that face-based perception can be dangerous. If society continues to judge people solely on their facial appearance, this could reinforce stereotypes and exacerbate inequality. “This could be part of a poverty cycle. Different treatment of people deemed to be ‘face-rich’ could create widening inequality,” Rule said.