For the majority of students, picking out a first day of school outfit has been a huge ordeal since before we had all of our teeth. Decked out in our finest Gap Kids and Limited Too apparel, we were taught from an early age to present our best selves on the first day of school. Even now, some 13 years later, as we enter our first days of college, many of us make an effort to put our best selves forward.
However, for many college students, the days of polished appearances are the rare exception. As the semester wears on, our laundry pile grows to insurmountable heights and sleep becomes a privilege, appearance often takes a back seat to everything else. So why, if we know sweatpants will be our go to, and yoga pants will be considered “dress-up,” do we make such an effort to look our best on the first day of school?
The idea that “first impressions are everything,” may have something to do with it. However, it’s not just the clothes you wear and how your hair is styled, but your inherent facial features and characteristics that are weighed heavily in these first impressions. And as it turns out, this desire to present our best self, has some scientific backing.
A recent study published in Science Daily suggests that when meeting someone for the first time, a person forms his or her opinion within 200 milliseconds (1). In this sense, before you even have time to breath, the individual you are meeting has started to form their opinion of you. What could possibly provide enough information to allow us to form such instantaneous ideas, you may ask? The answer surprisingly lies in the position of your nose, eyes, and mouth.
In this study, researchers at the Department of Psychology at the University of New York examined the correlation between facial features and perceived personality traits. The team analyzed 1,000 pictures of faces, examining 65 different facial features, ranging from chin curve to eye gradient. Based on these features, each face was rated for three different characters: approachability, dominance, and attractiveness. Next, the team created a model that they hoped would accurately predict what type of facial features produced each trait (2).
In testing the accuracy of their model, the team created cartoon faces that represented these three different character traits, asking participants to give their first impressions of the faces. What they found was incredible, and somewhat concerning.
The model that this team created accurately predicted participants’ first impressions of the faces. The cartoons, which the model labeled as more dominant and aggressive, were characterized accordingly in the test of the model. So what do these results say about society, and our efforts to present our efforts to look our best? Is it a presenting our best selves and trying to make a great first impression completely out of our control?
Not exactly. Researchers who conducted this study reasoned that results can help us to decide when and how to put our best faces forward, especially when it comes to social networking that involves profile pictures like Facebook or Linkedin. “You would use [these results] to decide when is a good time to take a photograph, or maybe to choose the photograph that’s really optimal in putting forward the best possible impression – and you might want to put forward different kinds of social impressions in different situations” (1), said Dr. Tom Hartley, neuroscientist, and director of the study.
In this sense, we can use this information to project our best image in society. This poses the question though, is the idea of being a good judge of character a total farce when our opinions are preemptively swayed simply by the alignment of one’s eyebrows?
While the predictions of the model were correct, the study does not prove that these facial features are consistent with certain character traits. After all, the subjects of the study were cartoon faces, an animated, but rather inanimate bunch.
Although the results may be concerning, the study does provide some helpful insight as to how one can appear more attractive and approachable. Unsurprisingly, a large smile was consistent with favorable responses. Big eyes, and a tilted head, reminiscent of an attentive puppy dog, elicited more positive feedback as well (1).
The study also provided insight as to the effects of “changeable features” such as lighting, pose, and expression. All of these factors can be manipulated in pictures or on film to make a person appear more or less favorable, according to Hartley. So fear not, for even if you have a dominant, aggressive facial structure, there are still ways to put your best face forward.
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