The Difference Between the Faces of the Rich and Poor, According to a Study

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - It turns out that a person’s wealth can be seen in their face. This was found in a study from the University of Toronto. The study used black-and-white photographs with neutral expressions and no accessories. The photos included 80 pictures of men and 80 of women. The subjects consisted of 50% wealthy individuals and the remainder working-class. The photos were shown to participants who were asked to guess their social class. More than half (68%) answered correctly. They also did not realise why they could guess. ‘When asked how they did it, they did not know. They did not realise how they could guess it correctly,’ said R-Thora Bjorsdottir, a researcher on the study, as reported by CNBC Make It, cited Sunday (7 July 2024). They then studied by enlarging facial features. Many correct answers were based only on looking at the eyes and mouth. According to the study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, wealthy people tend to have faces that appear happy and not anxious. Conversely, the poor tend to have faces that appear stressed. ‘The relationship between wealth and social class has been widely discussed in previous research. However, this study finds that wealth differences can be reflected in the faces of individuals,’ he said. The study notes that people with a lot of money are more likely to be happy. They are also less anxious than those who must meet their needs. However, another researcher, Nicholas O. Rule, explains there are negative consequences when many people guess social class based solely on facial cues. For example, treating people with wealthy-looking faces. ‘Face-based perceptions of social class may have significant consequences… We know there is a poverty cycle and this could be one of its contributors,’ said Rule. (fsd/fsd) Add as a preferred source on Google [Gambas:Video CNBC]