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Seemingly unrelated disciplines, when intermixed, have created frenzy from in between the pages of academic journals to the virtual spaces of style blogs. Fashion and psychology are meeting…in the lab. The impact of color on mood, the characterization of professionalism based on suit types, and even the female preference for jeans when depressed have all been examined. The latest study comes from the University of Kansas where researchers Gillath, Bahns, Ge, and Crandall (2012) examined the accuracy of first impressions of personality, attachment style, and demographic information based on shoe choices.
Two hundred and eight undergraduate students, ranging in age from 18-55 years, provided photographs of the shoe they wore most often. The shoe providers also filled out online questionnaires assessing personality traits, attachment style and demographic information. Sixty-three undergraduate students, ages 18-22 years old, examined the pictures of the shoes. Afterwards, they were asked to rate the personality, attachment style, and demographic information (age, gender, income, and political affiliation) of the unseen shoe owner.
We have long questioned the accuracy of first impressions, and these impressions begin with the external appearance, or as researchers found the shoe! What a person is wearing is what we initially see, and we process this information to make a judgment about the wearer. Although, our clothes are often discounted as nothing more than fluff, we use outfits in combination with preexisting cognitive schemas to make sense of the person we have encountered. In the shoe impression study, the wearers were unseen yet observers used the images of their shoes to make an assessment, which with certain domains were accurate.
In the University of Kansas study, observers reached high consensus when rating conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, and extraversion. In other words, given all of the personality measures, the observers judging the pictures of shoes agreed on these measures of the shoe providers. In addition to measuring consensus of observers’ first impressions, researchers also examined associations. When examining the shoes, observers expressed beliefs about the wearer based on the each of the seventeen shoe types. For shoes that were new and in good condition, observers believed that the wearers had attachment anxiety. If they were concerned about making a positive impression with their shoes, the observers concluded that they likely have similar concerns and insecurities in relationships. Attractive and stylish shoes were negatively correlated with attachment avoidance. If the presentation of your shoe is not important, you must not have concerns about what people think of you in other areas of your life. Observers believed that those who wore colorful and bright shoes were likely extroverted. Although no correlation was found, observers believed a talkative and interactive person would wear an energetic and eye catching shoe. Agreeableness was negatively correlated with a pointy toe, price of the shoe, and brand visibility. The observers likely assumed that the more expensive and uncomfortable the shoe with a visible brand name, the less agreeable the wearer must be. If the shoe was attractive and in good repair, observers assumed the wearer was conscientiousness. The attention to detail was likely consistent throughout other areas of the wearer’s life. Emotional stability was negatively correlated with pointy toes and high heels. Anyone wearing such an uncomfortable shoe must be unstable! Bright shoes were correlated with openness. Someone who feels comfortable with such a conversation piece must feel comfortable with other experiences. Attractive, pointy, well-cared for and high priced shoes were negatively correlated with liberal political affiliations. Not surprisingly faulty associations between political affiliations and levels of materialism/socioeconomic status were applied to the wearer, findings especially salient during the election year!
The researchers went beyond identifying associations between shoe type and personal factors they assessed the accuracy of these impressions. The attractiveness of the shoe was accurately correlated with the income level. The stylish shoe was positively correlated with gender and income. The more money you have the more attractive and stylish your shoe will be. The level of comfort was correlated with the gender. Women and their stilettos! The masculinity of the shoe was negatively correlated with agreeableness but positively associated with emotional stability. If you have a manly shoe, you may not be likeable, but you are deemed emotionally stable. A high top shoe was positively correlated with avoidance but negatively correlated with extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. What are you really hiding under there? The brand visibility was negatively correlated with gender but positively correlated with emotional stability. A worn shoe was negatively correlated with anxiety and positively correlated with emotional stability and extraversion. If your shoe is worn out you are too cool to care and too busy interacting with others. Colorful shoes were negatively correlated with anxiety, and positively with gender. Overall they found that age, gender, income, attachment anxiety, and agreeableness were most accurately predicted.
For future direction, I would like this study to include an examination of varying age groups providing the shoes and observing the shoes. This can include an age match (e.g. young adults examining other young adults), an age mismatch (e.g. young adults examining a geriatric population), and a wide sample (e.g. individuals across age cohorts assessing wearers across age groups). Assessing the impact of culture in the associations and accuracy of observations as well as geographic differences among wearers and observers would also be a fascinating examination, and may even provide data to improve international relations.
Luckily, as I sit here in my ratty robe, our judgments of others are not limited to a wardrobe choice. Over time we incorporate other data points, such as nonverbal and verbal cues, conversational content, and deeper interactions, into our final assessment, but the power of our look should never be discounted. It may just be the determinant that lands the job or the next date.
