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People with a 'cold' face are judged more harshly than others

New research shows people often make a “moral judgment” based on facial expressions.

Gesichtszuege_EN_big University of Basel University of Basel

NEW RESEARCH HAS found that people may find social exclusion acceptable if the person being left out has a ‘cold’ facial expression.

Researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland have found that an impartial third party is more likely to view excluding a person as acceptable if they look ‘cold’ or ‘incompetent’.

In several studies, the team of psychologists presented different male faces to a total of 480 participants.

The facial characteristics had been digitally altered to make the portraits appear “warm or cold and competent or incompetent”. The participants looked at each portrait for two seconds before deciding how acceptable they thought it was for a group to exclude this person.

In all studies, participants found it more acceptable to socially exclude people whose faces looked cold and incompetent. Exclusion was found least acceptable when those excluded looked warm and incompetent.

Researchers said whether uninvolved observers view social exclusion as morally justified or not “can be very important for the victim as a possible intervention depends on that judgment”.

Making such a moral judgment, however, is often difficult and time-consuming, which is why observers revert to relatively superficial indicators for guidance. One such indicator is the face of the excluded person.

‘Cruel’

Dr Selma Rudert from the University of Basel said a possible explanation for the results could be that people who look warm and incompetent are “often perceived as especially in need of protection and therefore excluding them from a group would be particularly cruel”.

A statement from the university notes: “Earlier studies have shown that humans have very clear-cut ideas of what a warm or cold person looks like. However, there is no evidence for any relation between facial features and personality traits.

In other words: although appearances are deceptive, individuals let them guide their judgment. The perceived warmth and competence in a person’s face play an especially important role in this judgment.

Rudert said the results “suggest that the first impression a person makes can also influence moral judgments that would actually call for objectivity”.

“It is conceivable that a cold and incompetent looking victim of exclusion would get less support or, in the worst case, bystanders may even actively join the ostracising group – all based on one glance at the face of the victim.”

The research is published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

Read: Been told you’ve Resting Bitch Face? Well it’s not your fault

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18 Comments
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    Mute John Shea Hen
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    Aug 31st 2016, 7:00 AM

    Well that explains alot.

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    Mute James Xenophon
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:50 AM

    Well everyone is going to joke about this, but it genuinely has ruined my life.

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    Mute Angela O'regan
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:17 AM

    Now I know why my husband is always pulled over at the airport.

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    Mute Margie Murph
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    Aug 31st 2016, 7:17 AM

    Avoiding someone who looks mean is now a form of “social exclusion”. Could these SJW crusades get any more ridiculous.

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    Mute Martin Byrne
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    Aug 31st 2016, 7:50 AM

    Resting Bitch Face is real! Stop judging me!

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    Mute GameOverMan
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    Sep 1st 2016, 1:04 AM

    True martin…. Stop telling me to cheer up!

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    Mute Em Ni Mhurchu
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:27 AM

    Ah that explains why my sister excluded my autistic son from her daughters wedding next week. He must have a cold face. It’s got nothing on her cold heart!

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    Mute unamurray
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:40 AM

    I hope you are not going to her wedding

    61
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    Mute Em Ni Mhurchu
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:44 AM

    You bet your life I’m not! My daughter and I decided to decline the invitation once I was told that the ommission of my son’s name was deliberate and not accidental. He was the only nephew or niece excluded. Unbelievable that a sister I used to see 2 or 3 times a week could do it but there you are.

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    Mute mo
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:53 AM

    That happens in all family’s. Not just and not just because there child is autistic. Just because your child is autistic dose not give you more rights then someone else

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    Mute Em Ni Mhurchu
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:54 AM

    @mo….no….it just makes the exclusion and bullying even harder to deal with and more heartbreaking

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    Mute mo
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:58 AM

    Sorry En ni Mhurchu was tipping just seen your comment about the only 1 excluded that out of order

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    Mute DeiseDispatches
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    Aug 31st 2016, 9:20 AM

    Jeez I’m shocked at that exclusion, what a wagon is your sister and to tell you it’s deliberate not accidental omission is even worse! I hope more of her and your family call her out on it!
    I’ve a granddaughter of 5 with autism and she’s such a dote, I’d go ape if anyone excluded her based on her autism.
    So what if an autistic person finds social occasions difficult and may have meltdowns at change but that’s up to the parents to decide with the autistic person if or not they an cope. It’s not a given to exclude in case they might be an embarrassment to the bridezilla. Hope your extended family are more supportive.
    Good for you for not going. This rift could take some time to heal.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Aug 31st 2016, 10:05 AM

    Absolutely disgraceful. Also who does she expect to look after him while you’re at the wedding? I’m guessing that those that would usually do so were also invited. Its infuriating.

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    Mute Vincent Wallace
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    Aug 31st 2016, 10:18 AM

    Two sides to every story especially in families. People love to take on righteous anger and not one person here knows the sister haha.

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    Mute jerry curtin
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    Aug 31st 2016, 8:08 AM

    Frosty

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    Mute Liam Dee
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    Aug 31st 2016, 2:26 PM

    Wha pays for all these stupid researches

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    Mute Joey_Westland
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    Aug 31st 2016, 3:42 PM

    Bad news for pro abortion lobbyists.

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