The face of personality: Adaptive inferences from facial cues are moderated by perceiver personality and motives

Sacco, Donald F.; Brown, Mitch

doi:10.1111/spc3.12410

Cited by 15 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 78 publications

(159 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Additionally, personality characteristics of the perceiver interact with target characteristics to influence preferences. For example, individuals with a greater need to belong had greater preferences for extraverted faces, and women with greater neuroticism had stronger preferences for agreeable male faces (Sacco & Brown, , ).…”

Section: Perceiver × Target Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a comprehensive model of face impressions: What we know, what we do not, and paths forward

Hehman

Stolier

Freeman

et al. 2019

Social & Personality Psych

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A person's impression of another depends upon three sources of variance. The characteristics of the target, the characteristics of the perceiver, and the interplay between the two. Researchers have dedicated different amounts of study to these three sources of variance, and therefore they differ in how well they are understood. The present work will first review the portions of the face impression process that are understood well, then identify and discuss portions of the process less well understood. We will then question to what extent the current state of knowledge will generalize to novel targets and populations. Finally, we will review several modeling approaches that can accommodate relatively unexamined yet important sources of variance in impression formation, suggesting a clear path forward toward a comprehensive understanding of face impressions.

show abstract

Section: Perceiver × Target Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a comprehensive model of face impressions: What we know, what we do not, and paths forward

Hehman

Stolier

Freeman

et al. 2019

Social & Personality Psych

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The question of how individual differences shape first impressions has remained relatively unexplored. Perhaps the most extensive set of studies on how target and perceiver characteristics interact to shape social perception was conducted by Brown and Sacco (2016b, 2016aSacco & Brown, 2018b).…”

Section: Motivational Tradeoffs In Social Perceptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who likes extraverts? Re-examining motivational tradeoff effects in social perception

Jaeger¹,

Jones²,

Satchell³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although many facial features elicit similar personality impressions across different perceivers, there are also substantial individual differences. Brown and Sacco conducted several studies to explore which perceiver characteristics explain these differences. Applying the idea of motivational tradeoffs, they showed that extraverted-looking targets are perceived more positively by perceivers whose social needs are more likely to be met by extraverted individuals. Here, we conduct two preregistered replications of their studies, testing if participants with (a) stronger affiliative needs, (b) weaker pathogen concern, and (c) a more unrestricted sociosexual orientation form more positive impressions of extraverted-looking individuals. Using the original stimuli and study design (Study 1, n = 273) and two additional stimulus sets and an improved study design (Study 2, n = 367), we do not find consistent evidence for any of the proposed relationships. Our findings highlight the need for additional research to understand individual differences in social perception.

show abstract

“…Personality inferences may be rooted in inferences of targets' behavioral intentions connoting certain personalities. If one can infer the associated behavioral intentions through such cues, then one can more effectively identify another's affordance in facilitating the perceiver's goals (Zebrowitz & Collins, 1997;Sacco & Brown, 2018a), including those related to mating.…”

Section: Facial Personality and Mate Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Salient goals influence interpersonal preferences based on the extent to which targets' faces communicate extraversion (Sacco & Brown, 2018a). These affiliative decisions are contingent upon an assessment of the benefits and costs associated with such personalities and which is prioritized by these goals.…”

Section: Preferences For Facial Extraversionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Mating Motives' Influence on Preferences for Facially Communicated Extraversion

Brown¹

2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human facial structures communicate personality from which one can infer another’s behavioral intentions, forming a basis for mate selection. One particularly detectable trait through facial structures is extraversion. Extraversion is a trait associated with heightened interest in promiscuous mating strategies and preferred among individuals similarly interested in short-term mating, implicating extraverted mates as ideal trait for short-term mating. Nonetheless, behavioral repertoires associated with extraversion may also pose risks, particularly in long-term mating, as their increased promiscuity may undermine their fidelity to a specific partner, thereby potentially reducing biparental investment in any offspring produced. Thus, a preference for introversion (i.e., low extraversion) may be desirable in long-term mating. This dissertation sought to determine the extent to which differential mating contexts, as elicited through activating context-specific motives, influence preferences for facially communicated extraversion versus introversion. Men and women were experimentally primed with mating motives, either long-or short-term, or a control state before indicating the extent to which various mating-related motivational states were activated (i.e., arousal, intrasexual competition, infidelity concerns, sociosexually unrestricted attitudes). Finally, I tasked them with indicating their preferences among male and female face pairs manipulated to communicate high and low levels of extraversion. Consistent with previous research, participants reported a preference for extraverted female faces and aversion to extraverted male faces. However, and contrary to hypotheses, differential mating contexts influenced neither men’s nor women’s preferences for extraversion. Furthermore, no motivational states provided the predicted mediation pathways. I frame these results based on various methodological limitations that could inform future research and posit future directions.

show abstract

The face of personality: Adaptive inferences from facial cues are moderated by perceiver personality and motives

Cited by 15 publications

References 78 publications

Toward a comprehensive model of face impressions: What we know, what we do not, and paths forward

Toward a comprehensive model of face impressions: What we know, what we do not, and paths forward

Who likes extraverts? Re-examining motivational tradeoff effects in social perception

Differential Mating Motives' Influence on Preferences for Facially Communicated Extraversion

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About