This article addresses the question of appearance-based effects by looking at the U.S. House of Representatives election 2016. We broaden the focus beyond existing studies by offering a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the three traits attractiveness, competence, and likability while simultaneously taking into account confounding third variables and possible interactions. Corresponding to the comparative character of electoral competition in the districts, we developed a relative measure of the three traits which we apply in an online survey. This measure also takes into account the raters’ latency times, that is, their clicking speed, as a weighting factor for their ambiguity in the ratings. With these data we test whether appearance matters for the electoral outcome. We find that attractiveness positively affects the vote share, whereas perceived likability and competence play no role. The study also tests to what extent the found appearance effects are conditioned by incumbency status, age, and gender of the contestants. Furthermore, it gives hints which aspects of their appearance candidates could change to perform better at the ballot box.

Abramowitz, A. I., Webster, S. W. (2018). Negative partisanship: Why Americans dislike parties but behave like rabid partisans: Negative partisanship and rabid partisans. Political Psychology, 39, 119-135. doi:10.1111/pops.12479
Google Scholar | Crossref
Ambady, N., Rosenthal, R. (1992). Thin slices of expressive behavior as predictors of interpersonal consequences: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 256-274. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.111.2.256
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Antonakis, J., Dalgas, O. (2009). Predicting elections: Child’s play! Science, 323, 1183-1183. doi:10.1126/science.1167748
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Arbour, B. (2014). Candidate-centered campaigns. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/openurl?genre=book&isbn=978-1-349-67978-2
Google Scholar
Armstrong, J. S., Green, K. C., Jones, R. J., Wright, M. J. (2010). Predicting elections from politicians’ faces. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 22, 511-522. doi:10.1093/ijpor/edq038
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Atkinson, M. D., Enos, R. D., Hill, S. J. (2009). Candidate faces and election outcomes: Is the face-vote correlation caused by candidate selection. Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 4, 229-249.
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Ballew, C. C., Todorov, A. (2007). Predicting political elections from rapid and unreflective face judgments. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104, 17948-17953. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/104/46/17948.short
Google Scholar
Banducci, S. A., Karp, J. A., Thrasher, M., Rallings, C. (2008). Ballot photographs as cues in low-information elections. Political Psychology, 29, 903-917. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2008.00672.x/full
Google Scholar
Bar, M., Neta, M., Linz, H. (2006). Very first impressions. Emotion, 6, 269-278. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.6.2.269
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Barrett, A. W., Barrington, L. W. (2005). Is a picture worth a thousand words? Newspaper photographs and voter evaluations of political candidates. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, 10, 98-113. doi:10.1177/1081180X05281392
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals
Bartels, L. M. (2018). Partisanship in the Trump era. The Journal of Politics, 80, 1483-1494. doi:10.1086/699337
Google Scholar | Crossref
Bassili, J. N. (2000). Reflections on response latency measurement in telephone surveys. Political Psychology, 21, 1-6. doi:10.1111/0162-895X.00174
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Berggren, N., Jordahl, H., Poutvaara, P. (2010). The looks of a winner: Beauty and electoral success. Journal of Public Economics, 94(1-2), 8-15. doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2009.11.002
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Bishin, B. G., Stevens, D., Wilson, C. (2006). Character counts? Honesty and fairness in election 2000. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70, 235-248. doi:10.1093/poq/nfj016
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Bull, R., Hawkes, C. (1982). Judging politicians by their faces. Political Studies, 30, 95-101. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.1982.tb00522.x
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI
Campbell, A., Converse, P., Miller, W., Stokes, D. (1960). The American voter. New York, NY: Wiley.
Google Scholar
Dion, K., Berscheid, E., Walster, E. (1972). What is beautiful is good. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24, 285-290. doi:10.1037/h0033731
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Dunkake, I., Kiechle, T., Klein, M., Rosar, U. (2012). Schöne Schüler, schöne Noten? Eine empirische Untersuchung zum Einfluss der physischen Attraktivität von Schülern auf die Notenvergabe durch das Lehrpersonal [Good looks, good grades? An empirical analysis of the influence of students’ physical attractiveness on grading by teachers]. Zeitschrift Für Soziologie, 41, 142-161.
Google Scholar
Efrain, M. G., Patterson, E. W. J. (1974). Voters vote beautiful: The effect of physical appearance on a national election. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science Revue Canadienne des Sciences du Comportement, 6, 352-356. doi:10.1037/h0081881
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Epstein, D., Zemsky, P. (1995). Money talks: Deterring quality challengers in congressional elections. American Political Science Review, 89, 295-308. doi:10.2307/2082426
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Esser, F., Strömbäck, J. (Eds.). (2014). Mediatization of politics: Understanding the transformation of Western democracies. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Funk, C. L. (1999). Bringing the candidate into models of candidate evaluation. The Journal of Politics, 61, 700-720. doi:10.2307/2647824
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Gordon, R. A., Crosnoe, R., Wang, X. (2013). Physical attractiveness and the accumulation of social and human capital in adolescence and young adulthood: Assets and distractions. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mono.v78.6/issuetoc
Google Scholar
Hagenah, J., Rosar, U., Klein, M. (2010). Physische Attraktivität und individuelles Leistungsverhalten. Oder: Warum und wann unattraktive Männer die besseren Fußballer sind [Physical attractiveness and individual performance. Or: Why and when unattractive men are the better soccer players]. Soziale Welt, 61(1), 51-68.
Google Scholar
Hamermesh, D. S., Biddle, J. E. (1994). Beauty and the labor market. The American Economic Review, 84, 1174-1194. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2117767
Google Scholar
Heilman, M. E., Saruwatari, L. R. (1979). When beauty is beastly: The effects of appearance and sex on evaluations of job applicants for managerial and nonmanagerial jobs. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 23, 360-372. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(79)90003-5
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Herrmann, M., Shikano, S. (2015). Attractiveness and facial competence bias face-based inferences of candidate ideology. Political Psychology, 37, 401-417. doi:10.1111/pops.12256
Google Scholar | Crossref
Jacobson, G. C., Carson, J. L. (2016). The politics of congressional elections (9th ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Google Scholar
Jäckle, S., Metz, T., (2016). Brille, Blazer Oder Bart? Das Aussehen Als Determinante Des Wahlerfolgs von Bundestags- Direktkandidaten [Glasses, Blazer or Beard? Physical Appearance as a Determinant of Electoral Success for German MPs]. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 57, 217-246. doi:10.5771/0032-3470-2016-2-217
Google Scholar | Crossref
Jäckle, S., Metz, T., (2017). Beauty Contest Revisited: The Effects of Perceived Attractiveness, Competence, and Likability on the Electoral Success of German MPs. Politics & Policy, 45, 495-534. doi:10.1111/polp.12209
Google Scholar | Crossref
Johnson, S. K., Podratz, K. E., Dipboye, R. L., Gibbons, E. (2010). Physical attractiveness biases in ratings of employment suitability: Tracking down the “beauty is beastly” effect. The Journal of Social Psychology, 150, 301-318. doi:10.1080/00224540903365414
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Kenrick, D. T., Gutierres, S. E. (1980). Contrast effects and judgments of physical attractiveness: When beauty becomes a social problem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38, 131-140. Retrieved from http://www.beauty-review.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Contrast-effects-and-judgments-of-physical-attractiveness-When-beauty-becomes-a-social-problem.pdf
Google Scholar
Kinder, D. R. (1986). Presidential character revisited. In Lau, R. R., Sears, D. O. (Eds.), Political cognition: The 19th annual Carnegie symposium on cognition (pp. 233-255). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Google Scholar
King, A., Leigh, A. (2009). Beautiful politicians. Kyklos, 62, 579-593. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6435.2009.00452.x
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Klein, M., Rosar, U. (2005). Physische Attraktivität und Wahlerfolg. Eine empirische Analyse am Beispiel der Wahlkreiskandidaten bei der Bundestagswahl 2002 [Physical attractiveness and electoral success. An empirical investigation on candidates in constituencies at the German federal election 2002]. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 46, 263-287. doi:10.1007/s11615-005-0249-2
Google Scholar | Crossref
Kriesi, H. (2012). Personalization of national election campaigns. Party Politics, 18, 825-844. doi:10.1177/1354068810389643
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI
Langlois, J. H., Kalakanis, L., Rubenstein, A. J., Larson, A., Hallam, M., Smoot, M. (2000). Maxims or myths of beauty? A meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 390-423. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.390
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Langlois, J. H., Ritter, J. M., Casey, R. J., Sawin, D. B. (1995). Infant attractiveness predicts maternal behaviors and attitudes. Developmental Psychology, 31, 464-472. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.31.3.464
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Lawson, C., Lenz, G. S., Baker, A., Myers, M. (2010). Looking like a winner: Candidate appearance and electoral success in new democracies. World Politics, 62, 561-593. doi:10.1017/S0043887110000195
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Little, A. C., Apicella, C. L., Marlowe, F. W. (2007). Preferences for symmetry in human faces in two cultures: Data from the UK and the Hadza, an isolated group of hunter-gatherers. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274, 3113-3117. doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.0895
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
López Bóo, F., Rossi, M. A., Urzúa, S. S. (2013). The labor market return to an attractive face: Evidence from a field experiment. Economics Letters, 118, 170-172. doi:10.1016/j.econlet.2012.10.016
Google Scholar | Crossref
Lutz, G. (2010). The electoral success of beauties and beasts. Swiss Political Science Review, 16, 457-480. doi:10.1002/j.1662-6370.2010.tb00437.x
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Martinez, A. (2016, November 4). Who is the “ghost candidate” for U.S. 6th district? CBS46. Retrieved from http://www.cbs46.com/story/33632482/who-is-the-ghost-candidate-for-us-6th-district
Google Scholar
Mattes, K., Spezio, M., Kim, H., Todorov, A., Adolphs, R., Alvarez, R. M. (2010). Predicting election outcomes from positive and negative trait assessments of candidate images. Political Psychology, 31, 41-58. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2009.00745.x
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
McAllister, I. (2007). The personalization of politics. In Dalton, R. J., Klingemann, H.-D. (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of political behavior (pp. 571-588). doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199270125.003.0030
Google Scholar | Crossref
McAllister, I. (2016). Candidates and voting choice. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.73
Google Scholar | Crossref
McDermott, M. L. (2009a). Religious stereotyping and voter support for evangelical candidates. Political Research Quarterly, 62, 340-354. doi:10.1177/1065912908320668
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI
McDermott, M. L. (2009b). Voting for myself: Candidate and voter group associations over time. Electoral Studies, 28, 606-614. doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2009.05.025
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
McLellan, B., McKelvie, S. J. (1993). Effects of age and gender on perceived facial attractiveness. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne des Sciences du Comportement, 25, 135-142. doi:10.1037/h0078790
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Mlodinow, L. (2012, April 21). A facial theory of politics. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/a-facial-theory-of-politics.html
Google Scholar
Olivola, C. Y., Sussman, A. B., Tsetsos, K., Kang, O. E., Todorov, A. (2012). Republicans prefer republican-looking leaders: Political facial stereotypes predict candidate electoral success among right-leaning voters. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3, 605-613. doi:10.1177/1948550611432770
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI
Olivola, C. Y., Todorov, A. (2010). Elected in 100 milliseconds: Appearance-based trait inferences and voting. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 34, 83-110. doi:10.1007/s10919-009-0082-1
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Patzer, G. L. (1985). The physical attractiveness phenomena. doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-0202-6
Google Scholar | Crossref
Praino, R., Stockemer, D., Ratis, J. (2014). Looking good or looking competent? Physical appearance and electoral success in the 2008 congressional elections. American Politics Research, 42, 1096-1117. doi:10.1177/1532673X14532825
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI
Prysby, C. (2008). Perceptions of candidate character traits and the presidential vote in 2004. PS: Political Science & Politics, 41, 115-122. doi:10.1017/S1049096508080189
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Rosar, U. (2009). Fabulous front-runners. Eine empirische Untersuchung zur Bedeutung der physischen Attraktivität von Spitzenkandidaten für den Wahlerfolg ihrer Parteien [Fabulous front-runners. An empirical analysis of the importance of physical attractiveness of top candidates for parties’ electoral success]. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 50, 754-773. doi:10.1007/s11615-009-0155-0
Google Scholar | Crossref
Rosar, U., Klein, M. (2014). The physical attractiveness of front-runners and electoral success: An empirical analysis of the 2004 European Parliament elections. Zeitschrift Für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft, 8, 197-209. doi:10.1007/s12286-014-0206-9
Google Scholar | Crossref
Rosar, U., Klein, M., Beckers, T. (2008). The frog pond beauty contest: Physical attractiveness and electoral success of the constituency candidates at the North Rhine-Westphalia state election of 2005. European Journal of Political Research, 47, 64-79. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6765.2007.00720.x
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Rosenberg, S. W., Bohan, L., McCafferty, P., Harris, K. (1986). The image and the vote: The effect of candidate presentation on voter preference. American Journal of Political Science, 30, 108-127. doi:10.2307/2111296
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Rule, N. O., Ambady, N., Adams, R. B., Ozono, H., Nakashima, S., Yoshikawa, S., Watabe, M. (2010). Polling the face: Prediction and consensus across cultures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98, 1-15. doi:10.1037/a0017673
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Sears, D. O. (1969). Political behaviour. In Lindzey, G., Aronson, E. (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (pp. 315-458). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Google Scholar
Spezio, M. L., Loesch, L., Gosselin, F., Mattes, K., Alvarez, R. M. (2012). Thin-slice decisions do not need faces to be predictive of election outcomes. Political Psychology, 33, 331-341. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2012.00897.x
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Stockemer, D., Praino, R. (2015). Blinded by beauty? Physical attractiveness and candidate selection in the U.S. House of Representatives. Social Science Quarterly, 96, 430-443. doi:10.1111/ssqu.12155
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Todorov, A., Mandisodza, A. N., Goren, A., Hall, C. C. (2005). Inferences of competence from faces predict election outcomes. Science, 308, 1623-1626. doi:10.1126/science.1110589
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Todorov, A., Said, C. P., Engell, A. D., Oosterhof, N. N. (2008). Understanding evaluation of faces on social dimensions. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12, 455-460. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2008.10.001
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Wattenberg, M. P. (1990). The rise of candidate-centered politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Google Scholar
Zebrowitz, L. A., Montepare, J. M. (2008). Social psychological face perception: Why appearance matters. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2, 1497-1517. doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2008.00109.x
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline
Access Options

My Account

Welcome
You do not have access to this content.



Chinese Institutions / 中国用户

Click the button below for the full-text content

请点击以下获取该全文

Institutional Access

does not have access to this content.

Purchase Content

24 hours online access to download content

Research off-campus without worrying about access issues. Find out about Lean Library here.

Your Access Options


Purchase

APR-article-ppv for $37.50

Article available in:

Related Articles

Articles Citing this One: 0

Cookies Notification

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Find out more.
Top