Politicians Beware… Appearances Matter!
Breaking News: In politics, appearances matter, and a study led by three pretty impressive individuals confirms this yet again.
In Looking Like A Winner: Candidate Appearance and Electoral Success in New Democracies, the team of M.I.T. Associate Professors Chappell Lawson and Gabriel Lenz, along with University of Colorado Associate Professor Andy Baker, led a study where subjects living in the United States and India were presented with black and white pictures of candidates for elected office (in 122 elections) in Mexico and Brazil, asking which candidates would be better elected officials.
No background information. No synopsis. Just black and white pictures, and guess what? From the abstract:
“Despite cultural, ethnic and racial differences, Americans and Indians agree about which candidates are superficially appealing. Moreover, these superficial judgments appear to have a profound influence on Mexican and Brazilian voters, as the American and Indian judgments predict actual election returns with surprising accuracy.”
The lesson for anyone running for office?
Unless you are by yourself in the comfort of your living room, someone is taking note of your appearance. If your shirt is soiled, suit is stained, shoes are dirty or heavily worn, clothing is heavily wrinkled, food is stuck in your teeth…a camera might be rolling, or shooting. Plan accordingly.
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