A winning face depends on the culture of the voter

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/sfpa-awf041816.php

Public Release: 21-Apr-2016
A winning face depends on the culture of the voter
Society for Personality and Social Psychology

In this busy election season, what role does culture play in voter's minds as they view the candidates running for office? In a recent study of elections comparing candidate faces in the U.S. and Taiwan, researchers showed that in winning an actual election, perceived competence plays a more important role for candidates in the U.S. than for those in Taiwan. In contrast, perceived social competence was more vital for candidates in Taiwan than for those in the U.S.

The results appear in "Culture Matters: The Looks of a Leader Are Not All the Same," published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.

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Participants also made their own voting choices, which became the "hypothetical election results" for the study. The Taiwanese participants showed a voting preference for candidates judged higher in social competence and trustworthiness while the U.S. participants favored faces judged to be competent.

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U.S. individualism makes the trait of competence, such as getting things done, a higher value for U.S. voters than a more closely knit culture like Taiwan, where social competence is more valued, according to the researchers.

The authors recognize that in actual elections, voters assess other important information including party affiliation and views on significant issues.

In addition to understanding how culture influences voters' preferences in different societies, the research also applies to the changing global economy.

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