When being unattractive is an advantage: effects of face perception on intuitive culpability judgments

Abstract

This experiment explored the influence of facial attractiveness and trustworthiness on guilty judgments. We recruited 128 participants, randomly assigned to high and low time pressure conditions to act as judges in a simulated blind-date swindle case. Participants judged nine male faces from the Chicago Face Database with three attractiveness levels (unattractive, neutral and attractive), featuring a 2 × 3 mixed factorial design, with consistent standardized average levels of face trustworthiness. We also assessed participants’ self-reported processing styles (rational vs. experiential) using the Rational Experiential Inventory. Notably, participants predominantly judged unattractive faces as innocent, indicating an ugly leniency effect. Our results suggest the primacy of perceived face trustworthiness over attractiveness in guilt judgments for cases where the accused’s physical appearance might facilitate the crime’s success. This highlights the importance of examining the contribution of perceived trustworthiness to guilt judgment biases, and adds to growing evidence exploring extrajudicial factors in criminal verdicts.