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Physical Attractiveness and Skill at Detecting Deception

University of Virginia

John Tang

University of Virginia

Julie I. Stone

Arbor, Inc.

Are physically attractive people more skilled than unattractive people at distinguishing truth from deception? To address this question, we showed videotapes of truthful and deceptive messages to 102 males and females classified as low, medium, or high in attractiveness. The speakers shown on the tapes were telling truths and lies to attractive or unattractive listeners of the same or opposite sex. The lies that the speakers told to attractive listeners were generally easier to detect than were the lies that they told to unattractive listeners. The lies told to attractive listeners were even more accurately identified by subjects who were themselves of average or high attractiveness (as defined by the ratings made by their peers) than by those who were unattractive. Conversely, the lies told to unattractive listeners were relatively more accurately detected by subjects who were unattractive than by those who were moderately attractive or very attractive. These findings are consistent with a skill-specificity formulation. The role of practice and experience in the development of skill at detecting deception is discussed.

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