We all want to present our best selves, which often means having a unique style. Even if you're no fashionista, you probably think about what you wear. Knowing what colours, shapes, and styles flatter your body and what doesn't can be helpful. According to a new study, there's something you could be wearing every day that makes you less attractive. Learn what research says could be holding you back.
Four people with and without glasses were shown to participants. Photos showed college-aged Arab men and women. Participants rated each pictured person's attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence on a 1-10 scale. Photos without glasses had "significantly higher ratings for all domains" than those with glasses. Most photos of participants without glasses were more attractive.
Participants rated others from 1-10.
"Wearing eyeglasses affected intelligence perception differently across regions and ethnicities," study authors wrote. "While our study showed a negative impact of wearing eyeglasses on intelligence rating, studies on western populations found a positive impact on intelligence perception for images and people wearing eyeglasses.
College students were studied.
They cited a French study that linked glasses to "higher socio-professional status" and older Western studies that showed glasses improved intelligence perception. They also noted that a "social stigma" against wearing glasses in Jordan could affect results. Experts say results should be treated with caution.
As with any study, there are limitations. The authors didn't assess the effect of glasses rims, facial features, or other factors that could influence attractiveness perceptions. In U.S. and Western movies and TV shows, glasses are often associated with intelligence; when someone removes their glasses, they become beautiful or attractive. This factor and the study pool must be considered, say experts.
There are limitations.
"It's a small study," says Ohana Luxury Alcohol Rehab clinical director Jay Serle, LMFT, PhD. "The study may not apply to American or British students. Different cultures have different associations with wearing glasses, so results may vary."
There are limitations.
Carol Queen, PhD, Good Vibrations Staff Sexologist, agrees, adding that the researchers stated they performed the study to add "cultural context," and it is specific to college-aged students. "It's not generalizable knowledge; it's a data point, and we can't tell by looking at the write-up whether it has elements that would definitely make it un-generalizable," she says. "So we have to be cautious in referring to it."