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Unfakeable facial configurations affect strategic choices in trust games with or without information about past behavior

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Rezlescu, Constantin, Duchaine, Brad, Olivola, Christopher Yves and Chater, Nick. (2012) Unfakeable facial configurations affect strategic choices in trust games with or without information about past behavior. PLoS ONE, Vol.7 (No.3). e34293. ISSN 1932-6203

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0034293

Abstract

Background
Many human interactions are built on trust, so widespread confidence in first impressions generally favors individuals with trustworthy-looking appearances. However, few studies have explicitly examined: 1) the contribution of unfakeable facial features to trust-based decisions, and 2) how these cues are integrated with information about past behavior.

Methodology/Principal Findings
Using highly controlled stimuli and an improved experimental procedure, we show that unfakeable facial features associated with the appearance of trustworthiness attract higher investments in trust games. The facial trustworthiness premium is large for decisions based solely on faces, with trustworthy identities attracting 42% more money (Study 1), and remains significant though reduced to 6% when reputational information is also available (Study 2). The face trustworthiness premium persists with real (rather than virtual) currency and when higher payoffs are at stake (Study 3).

Conclusions/Significance
Our results demonstrate that cooperation may be affected not only by controllable appearance cues (e.g., clothing, facial expressions) as shown previously, but also by features that are impossible to mimic (e.g., individual facial structure). This unfakeable face trustworthiness effect is not limited to the rare situations where people lack any information about their partners, but survives in richer environments where relevant details about partner past behavior are available.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology

Divisions:

Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Behavioural Science

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Reliability, First impression (Psychology), Face, Trust

Journal or Publication Title:

PLoS ONE

Publisher:

PLOS

ISSN:

1932-6203

Official Date:

March 2012

Dates:

Date	Event
March 2012	Published

Volume:

Vol.7

Number:

No.3

Page Range:

e34293

Identifier:

10.1371/journal.pone.0034293

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Publication Status:

Published

Access rights to Published version:

Open Access

Funder:

University College, London. ESRC Centre for Economic Learning and Social Evolution (ELSE), AXA Group. Research Fund, Royal Society (Great Britain), British Academy (BA), Royal Academy of Engineering (Great Britain)

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