The visual appearance of a political candidate’s haircut, clothing, and posture are all factors influencing whether the electorate will vote for that nominee, according to a study co-authored by Scripps College assistant psychology professor Michael Spezio, whose research will appear in a forthcoming issue of the journal Political Psychology.
“We’ve known for a long time that appearances matter and that voters who are less informed about a candidate’s positions and background tend to be much more influenced by appearances,” says Spezio, who also is a visiting associate scientist at the California Institute of Technology. “Our study shows, for the first time, that it’s not just a political candidate’s face that matters, but that other aspects of a candidate’s appearance – things over which the candidate can exert more control – matter just as much.
“That’s bad news in a tight election race when busy, uninformed voters make last-minute decisions that could affect public policy and the future of our democracy,” Spezio says. “As a result, many might vote for a candidate who doesn’t share their core values on key issues.
“The solution is to be an informed voter,” Spezio says. “It’s that simple.”
The study suggests that candidates can have greater control over how their appearance influences voters, to a degree, taking care of things like grooming, clothing, and posture.
The first of a series of 1960 election debates between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy highlights the importance of appearances. Voters who listened to the debate on the radio generally believed that Nixon won, while voters who watched the debate on television generally picked Kennedy as the winner. Kennedy appeared tanned and relaxed, while Nixon – who refused makeup – sported stubble and sweated under the hot lights.
Spezio’s research has appeared in Current Biology, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, The Journal of Neuroscience and the Journal of Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. He is the recipient of numerous grants, including those from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Fetzer Institute and the John Templeton Foundation.
The basis for this study came from the original research of Scripps College alumna Laura Loesch ’09, who wrote her undergraduate thesis on this topic and continued her work with Spezio as a graduate student at Caltech.
Other co-authors include: Frédéric Gosselin, Université de Montreal; Kyle Mattes, University of Iowa; and R. Michael Alvarez, California Institute of Technology.