"Four" Your Eyes Only: Does Wearing Eyeglasses Make You Look Smarter?

Overview

Objectives/Goals The goal of this behavioral science experiment is to determine whether people who wear eyeglasses are perceived by others to be more intelligent than people who do not wear glasses. Methods/Materials Subjects were asked to complete a written survey which contained photos of adults wearing glasses and adults who were not wearing glasses. The survey contained five groups of photographed subjects with a variety of traits. Some of the traits were characteristic of intelligence and others were not. Each set of four photos contained only one person wearing eye glasses and the other three without eye glasses. Results Results of the survey supported the hypothesis that persons who wear glasses are perceived as more intelligent than those who do not wear glasses. Of the ten traits associated with intelligence on the survey, seven of the traits were correlated to the photo of the person wearing glasses. Conclusions/Discussion Many studies have been done about first impressions. A person can form a first impression about another person's personality or skills based on how they are dressed, their hairstyles, their good-looks, their height, and even their weight. Short people are known to be paid less in jobs and receive fewer promotions than tall people. Obese people are perceived as lazy and are perceived as less competent than their thinner counterpart. This study found that people who wear glasses are perceived to be more intelligent than those who do not wear glasses. First impressions can also be influenced by eyeglasses that a person is wearing.

Awards (1)

• Honorable Mention

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Behavioral & Social Sciences · Entry J0301

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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