Bit of slap: Make-up makes people look more beautiful and competent, but negatively affects judgements of trustworthiness. Images used by the scientists show models wearing no make-up, left, and increasing amounts as we move to the right. |
As many women can testify, there's a fine line between pretty and scary when it comes to make-up. Now, scientists have shown that not only does the right amount of cosmetics make all the difference when it comes to beauty, but it also affects judgements of competence and trustworthiness. For all of their positive effects on looking and feeling good, large amounts of make-up soon start to negatively impact on the way people perceive an individual's honesty. In the study, funded by Procter & Gamble, scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute asked participants to rate various looks in terms of competence, likeability, attractiveness and trustworthiness. Pictures of women wearing no make-up, and looking 'natural', 'professional,' and 'glamorous,' were shown to volunteers for different lengths of time. When shown the images for just 250milliseconds, all ratings went up with the amount of make-up, says the report, published by Plosone.org. However, when study participants were allowed to take in the pictures at length, the results changed significantly. Nancy Etcoff, the study's lead author and associate researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital told ABC news that 'we found that when faces were shown very quickly, all ratings went up with cosmetics in all different looks.' 'The women were judged as more competent, likeable, attractive and trustworthy.' Given more than just a glimpse of the images, participants showed that beauty and competence went up, but trustworthiness - or honesty - soon suffered as cosmetic looks became heavier. 'When they got to the more dramatic make-up looks, people saw them as equally likeable and much more attractive and competent, but less trustworthy,' comments Etcoff to the news site. (Read by Christine Mallari. Christine Mallari is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
化妝是漂亮還是嚇人就在一線之間,這一點許多女人都能證實。 如今,科學家指出,化妝濃淡不僅能影響美丑,還能影響人們對能力和可信賴性的判斷。 化妝能讓人看起來更漂亮,使人自我感覺良好,但化濃妝則會讓人們質(zhì)疑一個人的正直。 在保潔公司出資贊助的這一研究中,來自麻省總醫(yī)院、哈佛醫(yī)學院、波士頓大學和達納法伯癌癥研究所的科學家們讓參與者對不同的形象在能力、可親度、吸引力和可信賴性方面做出評價。 研究人員讓參與者在不同長度的時間內(nèi)分別觀看了素顏女人、妝容自然的女人、職業(yè)妝女人和妝容美艷的女人的照片。 公共科學圖書館綜合研究機構(gòu)發(fā)布的這一研究報告稱,當參與者觀看這些照片的時間為250毫秒時,隨著妝容的加重,人們的評價也全面上升。 然而,當參與者可以細細觀看這些照片時,評價結(jié)果卻發(fā)生了重大改變。 該研究的首席作者、麻省總醫(yī)院的副研究員南希?埃特考夫告訴美國廣播公司新聞網(wǎng)說:“我們發(fā)現(xiàn),當我們快速地展示這幾張臉時,人們對于相貌不同的人的評價都是隨著妝容的加重而上升?!?/p> “人們認為化了妝的女人更能干、更可親、更有魅力、更值得信賴?!?/p> 但是,在參與者長時間地端詳這些臉之后,他們的評價顯示,隨著妝容的加重,女人顯得更漂亮、更能干,但可信賴度或誠實度卻下降了。 埃特考夫告訴該新聞網(wǎng)說:“當人們看到化濃妝的臉時,人們認為她們看起來同樣可親,而且更有魅力、更能干,但是卻沒那么值得信賴?!?/p> 相關閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 陳丹妮 編輯:馮明惠) |
Vocabulary: take in: 觀看 at length: 詳盡地;長久地 significantly: 顯著地 |