With a headline like this, dear readers, fans of the noble character (Khun Muen Sunthorntewa) or Khun Sriwisarawaja, don’t jump to conclusions just yet. The mirror in question isn’t for gazing at the beloved in your heart, but rather to prove whether the research from the University of Toronto, which claims that one can judge wealth and poverty by appearance, holds any truth.

         Recently, a team of researchers from the University of Toronto discovered an astonishing secret: even when people do not display any facial expressions, the structure of their faces can surprisingly indicate whether they are wealthy or poor.

         This study, published in the leading journal of social psychology (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology), is the work of Assistant Professor Nicholas O. Rule and Thora Bjornsdottir, a PhD student currently working on her dissertation. They collected black-and-white photographs of a sample group from various ethnicities and backgrounds, aged between 18 and 22, totaling 160 images—80 of men and 80 of women. The criteria for selecting the sample included individuals from families with household incomes below $60,000 and those with incomes exceeding $100,000, categorized as wealthy.

        

The researchers then cropped the images to focus solely on the faces, removing other elements that could indicate socioeconomic status. They presented these images to a group of students for just a few seconds and asked them to classify each image as either wealthy or poor.

         The results showed that the answers were correct 68% of the time, reflecting that people can instinctively assess someone's socioeconomic status upon first encounter, even if that person does not display any facial expressions or emotions.

         The two researchers believe that this phenomenon is linked to brain function, which is closely tied to our facial expressions. It is possible that individuals with financial worries often carry accumulated stress, which manifests in their facial features, such as pronounced frown lines. In contrast, wealthy individuals may experience a world filled with positivity, devoid of worries, leading to smiles and laughter, potentially resulting in happiness lines around their lips.

         However, the researchers noted that in real life, people sometimes use facial expressions to conceal certain truths, which can lead to misjudgments based on instinct. The test results indicated that when the sample images displayed expressions, such as smiling or laughing, the likelihood of incorrect classifications increased.

         Looking ahead, the two researchers are determined to continue exploring this mystery. They believe that if even a group of teenagers with limited life experience can have their financial concerns reflected in their faces, older individuals with rich life stories may yield significantly different results.

         So, for those interested, stay tuned for further findings.

Source:  www.inc.com