Do We Know How Happy Strangers Are? Accuracy in Well-Being Judgments at Zero Acquaintance

Abstract

We examined the accuracy of well-being judgments by strangers using Brunswik’s lens model. A sample of 200 college students (targets) reported their self-perception of well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect). The targets were photographed and videotaped during their self-introductions. Various physical, nonverbal, paralinguistic, and linguistic cues were measured or rated by cue coders from the photos and videotaped self-introductions. Strangers evaluated the targets’ well-being based on the videotaped self-introductions. We found significant correlations between self- and strangers’ reports of life satisfaction and positive affect but not negative affect. Loud voice and physical attractiveness mediated the correlation between self- and stranger-reports of life satisfaction. Loud voice mediated the correlation between self- and stranger reports of positive affect. These findings suggest that strangers can accurately evaluate someone’s life satisfaction and positive affect in brief self-introductions, and loud voice and physical attractiveness are the sources of the accurate well-being judgments.