Attractive Equals Smart? Perceived Intelligence as a Function of Attractiveness and Gender

Abstract

Method

Procedure

Discussion

Participants were 38 men and 40 men attending the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.

Participants viewed target pictures of either three unattractive men and three unattractive women or three attractive men and three attractive women. Target pictures were derived from hotornot.com, and were agreed upon by each researcher to maximize inter-rater reliability. Pictures in which targets wore neutral clothing and had no glasses, facial piercings, or hats were chosen to minimize any possible confounds. Participants provided their impressions of each target’s age, time spent on social media sites, promiscuity, number of romantic partners, and intelligence. Perceived intelligence was rated using a 9- point scale ranging from not intelligent at all to very intelligent. Impressions of the target’s age, promiscuity, social media usage, and number of romantic partners were included to hide the true purpose of the experiment from our participants.

We conducted this study to see if there is a difference in how people rate attractive people’s perceived intelligence and unattractive people’s perceived intelligence. We also wanted to see if there was a difference in how participants rate male and female targets’ intelligence based on level of attractiveness. Our first hypothesis was not supported, there was not a significant difference in participants’ ratings of targets’ perceived intelligence based on their level of attractiveness. Our second hypothesis was fully supported, in that attractive male targets were rated as more intelligent than unattractive male targets but female targets were rated similarly as a function of attractiveness. This is an expected outcome because previous research has found that the association between actual physical attractiveness and actual general intelligence is stronger among men than among women (Kanazawa, 2012). We also found an effect for participant sex. Female participants rated targets’ intelligence significantly higher than male participants rated targets’ intelligence.

Kaileen McMickle, Ausin Murphy, and Britney ShattuckFaculty Mentor: Dr. April Bleske-Rechek

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

ResultsPrevious research suggests that people who are attractive are perceived as more friendly, agreeable, and intelligent than are people who are unattractive.  Given the importance people attach to intelligence for social, educational, and hiring decisions, we designed a study to determine whether attractiveness affects people’s impressions of others’ intelligence. College students viewed faces of (unknown) young men and women who had been previously rated by others as attractive or unattractive. Participants who viewed attractive women did not rate the women as more intelligent compared to participants who viewed unattractive women. However, participants who viewed attractive men rated the men as more intelligent than did participants who viewed unattractive men. The findings of our study have important implications for academic and professional situations, where attractiveness may play a role in how people treat others. Researchers interested in the effect of attractiveness on perceived intelligence may find it beneficial to include participants from culturally diverse areas and different age groups to expand the sample population.  To expand even further, future studies could incorporate full-body images to determine if results remain consistent when more than faces are being rated.

attractive female and male target examples

Unattractive female and male target examples

The experiment was a 2 (participant sex) x 2 (target sex) x 2 (target attractiveness) expericorr mixed-subjects design. To collect participants, a table was set up in an area where a lot of students typically walk through between classes. Participants were also obtained by administering the study in a psychology classroom with 46 students, and by asking random college students in the lunch area. Participants were initially told that the researchers were interested in people’s first impressions and that it would only take a few minutes of their time. They were assured that their responses would remain anonymous. Before each participant completed the questionnaire, a consent form was given to the participant to read and then sign. The study took an average of about five to ten minutes, and candy was offered upon completion to show appreciation for participants’ time and effort. After each participant finished the questionnaire they were given a debriefing form to read; each participant was also verbally debriefed about the purpose of the study.

Primary Findings

HypothesesHypothesis 1: Attractive people will be perceived as more intelligent than unattractive people will be.

Hypothesis 2: Target attractiveness has a stronger effect on perceptions of male targets’ intelligence than on perceptions of female targets’ intelligence..

Hypothesis 1, that attractive people will be perceived as more intelligent than unattractive people will be. was not supported, F(1, 74) = 0.16, p = .687. The partial η2 = .00, indicating no effect. Participants did not perceive attractive people as more intelligent than they perceived unattractive people to be.

As shown in Figure 1, Hypothesis 2, that target attractiveness has a stronger effect on perceptions of male targets’ intelligence than on perceptions of female targets’ intelligence. was supported, F(1, 74) = 19.67, p < .001. The partial η2 = .21, indicating a large effect. The interaction of target sex and target attractiveness accounted for 21% of the variance in target perceived intelligence. We found that participants rated female targets similarly as a function of attractiveness, but they rated attractive male targets as more intelligent than unattractive male targets.

As shown in Figure 2, we also found a main effect of participant sex, F(1, 74) = 6.49, p = .013, η2 = .08,. Women rated targets’ intelligence significantly higher than did men.

ImplicationsThe findings of our study have important implications for academic and professional situations. In an academic setting, it may be advantageous for students to be looked at more favorably by their professors; being attractive may give instructors the impression of higher intelligence, possibly leading to valuable educational opportunities. For someone interested in job progression and interviews, being attractive may inflate other’s perceptions of that person’s intelligence, therefore potentially allowing for job offers and advancement, as well as greater pay. Attitudes, such as friendliness and respect, toward people who are perceived to be more intelligent may be apparent benefits in the workplace or other settings where intelligence is socially observed as important.

Figure 1. Effects of attractiveness on judgments of male and female targets’ intelligence.

Figure 2. Men’s and women’s judgments of male and female targets’ intelligence.