Newscasters' Facial Expressions And Voting Behavior Of Viewers. Can A Smile Elect A President?
Abstract
Two studies were conducted to examine the association between newscasters' facial expressions and the voting behavior of viewers. Study 1 examined the facial expressions exhibited by network newscasters while referring to the 1984 presidential candidates prior to the election. Results indicated that one of the three newscasters exhibited significantly more positive facial expressions when referring to Reagan than when referring to Mondale. Study 2 consisted of a telephone survey conducted to determine whether voting behavior was associated with the nightly news program watched. It was found that voters who regularly watched the newscaster who exhibited the biased facial expressions were significantly more likely to vote for the candidate that newscaster had smiled upon. Discussion considered possible explanations for, and implications of, this association between biases in newscasters' facial expressions and viewers' voting behavior. © 1986 American Psychological Association.
Recommended Citation
Mullen, B., Futrell, D., Stairs, D., Tice, D. M., Baumeister, R. F., Dawson, K. E., Riordan, C. A., Radloff, C. E., Goethals, G. R., Kennedy, J. G., & Rosenfeld, P. (1986). Newscasters' Facial Expressions And Voting Behavior Of Viewers. Can A Smile Elect A President?. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(2), pp. 291-295. American Psychological Association.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.2.291
Department(s)
Psychological Science
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0022-3514
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2023 American Psychological Association, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Aug 1986
