Eye Glasses Body Language
Cue: Eye Glasses Language
Synonym(s): Glasses Body Language.
Description: When eye glasses are worn people perceive them based on pre-conceived notions.
In One Sentence: Wearing eye glasses signals intelligence generally, however, depending on eye glass style can signal other traits including high fashion, nerdiness, sex appeal and so forth.
How To Use it: Use eye glasses when it’s important to be taken seriously. Teachers, students trying to impress teachers, and any other person trying to appear smart, can benefit by the stereotype that eyeglass wearing entails.
Eye glasses make welcome additions on job interviews for desk jobs, but might be seen as a hindrance where free thinking is less valuable. In the wrong circles, for example, nerdiness can result in shame and embarrassment.
One might therefore choose eye glasses on occasions when they are most appropriate based on the context.
Research has shown that thicker eye frames tend to boost intelligence perceptions the most. Thinner and fashionable glasses can, however, boost attractiveness.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m wearing glasses because I need them (or don’t) and you think they make me look intelligent.”
Variant: See Peering Over Glasses and Sunglasses Body Language.
Cue In Action: a) To appear more studious, he put on his glasses as he presented to the audience. b) To appear more intelligent and studious and less of a seductress, Jodi Arias wore glasses during her murder trial.
Meaning and/or Motivation: Eyeglasses carry many stereotypic nonverbal messages, most of which are positive. Researchers have found that subject’s rate wearers of glasses are more intelligent, knowledgeable and studious. In fact, glasses are attributed with an increase in IQ.
Interestingly, however, is that eyeglasses can also decrease ratings of social quotients. This is especially the case when people’s other nonverbal communication doesn’t back up their perceived intelligence. Thus, glasses alone, with nothing to back them up, results in a negative image and impression – “nerdiness.”
The heavier the frame, the more people reported intelligent descriptors to the wearer. Thin frames make people appear less authoritative but more accessible. Frames that are decorative are associated with artistic or creative types.
In contrast, when women wear glasses with provocative attire they conjure images of naughty librarians. Thus, glasses can carry multiple meanings. However when such external cues are absent, women also benefit from the intelligence stereotype as well as being perceived as self-assured and outgoing.
Cue Cluster: Eye glass language can be accompanied by many cues and they will help define its meaning.
Body Language Category: Authoritative body language, Confident body language, Elective nonverbal traits, Eye Language.
Resources:
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http://bodylanguageproject.com/articles/eye-glasses-body-language-brief-summary/
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