Social class is a big deal, affecting what advantages or disadvantages people get in society. Studies show that people quickly judge others based on their social class, and this can lead to important consequences. But what exactly causes these judgments and how they connect to stereotypes—whether harmful or beneficial—has been a mystery.

A new study from the University of Glasgow used a method based on how people perceive things, along with data, to figure out the specific facial features that influence judgments of social class.

Class judgments

The study looked at what makes someone look like they’re in a higher or lower social class, and how these looks are linked to other judgments like competence, warmth, dominance, and trustworthiness—traits connected to social class stereotypes. The study involved white participants from Western cultures and used a lot of different faces for the research.

“People who are perceived to be of high or low social class standing are also often judged as having advantageous or unfavorable traits, respectively,” the researchers explain. “Such judgments are formed even just from facial appearance, and this can have substantial downstream consequences, including disadvantaging those who are perceived to be of lower social class standing.”

The results reveal a unique mix of facial features that affect judgments of social class. Faces seen as indicating lower social status have certain features like being wider, shorter, and flatter, with mouths that turn down and darker, cooler skin tones. These features also make these faces seem less competent, colder, and less trustworthy.

Flip side

On the flip side, faces seen as rich have features like being narrower, longer, with upturned mouths, and lighter, warmer skin tones—features associated with being seen as competent, warm, and trustworthy. This study gives us insights into how facial features play a role in judgments about social class and the stereotypes that follow.

“In our study, by revealing the facial features that underlie these subjective judgments, we provide new insights into what makes someone look rich or poor and show how these judgments relate to positive and negative stereotypes (such as competence vs. incompetence),” the authors conclude.

“The results suggest that social class stereotypes explain the link between facial appearance and judgments of individuals’ social class standing. This highlights that the stereotypes we hold are consequential for how we perceive others—they bias our perceptions. Our impressions of other people can then lead to particular advantages or disadvantages for them.”