You Can Tell a Democrat or Republican by His or Her Face

Monday, February 01, 2010
Democrat or Republican?

Who says you can’t tell a (partisan) book by its cover. Two researchers from Tufts University

argue that Republicans and Democrats can be distinguished by certain facial characteristics. In one study, participants were able to accurately choose Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate from GOP candidates by only looking at their faces. In a second study, people were able to distinguish between Democrats and Republicans in college just by looking at their yearbook photos. And from a third study, researchers were able to pinpoint which qualities made someone look Democratic or Republican. Those who seemed “powerful” were identified as Republican, while subjects considered “warmer” turned out to be Democrats.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 
Democrats and Republicans Can Be Differentiated from Their Faces (by Nicholas O. Rule and Nalini Ambady, PLoS ONE)

Comments

Charlotte Erwin 14 years ago
Wouldn't this be profiling?

Leave a comment