"Even for the Same Murderer, a Stern Appearance Increases the Likelihood of a Death Sentence"

Columbia University in the US Analyzes Mugshots of 400 People
"Appearance Bias Can Be Reduced Through Training"

A study has found that even murderers who have killed the same number of people may have different probabilities of receiving the death penalty depending on their appearance.

According to the British daily The Times on the 14th (local time), researchers from Columbia University recently announced a study showing that murderers with faces judged as suspicious are more likely to actually receive the death penalty.

The researchers conducted the study based on the mugshots of 400 male criminals who committed first-degree murder. Among the 400 murderers, 200 were actually sentenced to death, while the other 200 received life imprisonment.

Mugshots of criminals used in the study 'The Relationship Between Murderers' Appearance and Sentencing' [Image source: Capture from the scientific journal 'Psychological Science', Yonhap News]

The researchers asked more than 1,000 volunteer participants to judge the trustworthiness of the murderers by looking only at their faces without providing any information about them. As a result, those who had low trustworthiness ratings?such as faces with downturned corners of the mouth or angry eyebrows raised upward?were more often in the group that actually received the death penalty.

The Times explained, "These results are consistent with previous studies that revealed criminals' appearances influence jurors' verdicts in trials."

In psychology, there is a term called the "halo effect," which means evaluating unrelated traits as good or bad based on a prominent characteristic a person has. Like a halo that shines more brightly behind an object, a person's impression?whether positive or negative?leads to judgments about that person.

The researchers explained, "People naturally form first impressions based solely on others' appearances, and these first impressions, although often inaccurate, can lead to significant social judgments, including life-or-death decisions."

However, the researchers noted that biases based on appearance can be reduced through training.

Before the experiment, some participants were given information about several facial photos and the behaviors of those individuals and asked to memorize them. The information was designed so that the impression from the photo and the actual behavior were opposite. For example, a person with a kind appearance was described as a teacher who took bribes from parents, while a person with a suspicious and rough appearance was described as having performed good deeds such as volunteering for the homeless.

After learning this information, when participants were asked about the sentences they would give to the criminals shown in the photos, the relationship between facial trustworthiness and sentencing was reduced or disappeared.

The researchers interpreted these results as "supporting previous studies that showed biases based on appearance have led to tragic outcomes in real life, and more importantly, suggesting potential ways to combat this kind of bias." This study was published in the latest issue of the journal Psychological Science on the same day.

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