"Why Are We Drawn to Ordinary Looks? The Behavior That Boosted Attractiveness [Experiment Note]"

Bowing Raises Attractiveness Ratings
Clear Effect Among Japanese, Minimal Impact for Americans
The Same Behavior Perceived Differently Depending on Cultural Background

Editor's NoteEat one now, or wait and get two. Do you remember the marshmallow experiment watching children's choices? Sometimes, a simple experiment can change our perspective on life. Let's take a fresh look at our daily lives through the lens of experimental data.

A study has revealed an unexpected way to increase likability among Japanese people. Instead of changing one’s face or style of dress, simply bowing when greeting someone can make you appear more attractive to others.

However, this effect was not universal. Japanese and American participants gave noticeably different assessments even when shown the same bowing gesture.

A study has revealed that attitude can influence attractiveness more than appearance. Photo by Getty Images

The Same Face, But... Attractiveness Increases With a Bow

The research team led by Professor Jun Kawahara of Hokkaido University and Professor Takayuki Osugi of Yamagata University recently published their findings in the international journal Japanese Psychological Research. They analyzed how bowing when greeting impacts perceptions of a person’s attractiveness.

The study focused on "ojigi," a greeting commonly seen in Japan, where a person bows their head or upper body towards another. Previous research showed that Japanese participants tended to rate the faces of people who bowed as more attractive compared to those standing upright. However, the reason for this difference remained unclear.

It was necessary to determine whether the posture of bowing itself, which may convey an impression of humility or submissiveness, increases likability across cultures, or whether the effect is a result of Japan's longstanding greeting culture.

To investigate this, the researchers created 3D models resembling people. The models stood still, or bowed their heads and upper bodies for either a short or a long duration in a greeting. Participants then evaluated how attractive they found each scenario.

The study presented images of bowing and standing still to participants from Japan, the United States, Brazil, India, China, and Taiwan, asking them to rate the attractiveness of each. As a result, Japanese participants consistently found bowing individuals more attractive, whereas this difference was almost nonexistent among participants from other countries.

Japanese Responses Remain Consistent Regardless of Race

One question remained: All of the 3D models used in the initial experiment appeared East Asian. There was a possibility that Japanese participants were simply responding more positively to the familiar combination of "East Asian appearance and Japanese-style greeting."

To confirm this, the researchers redesigned the experiment. This time, they created 3D models with appearances of not only East Asians, but also Europeans, South Asians, and Africans, and showed these to participants in Japan and the United States.

The results were similar. Japanese participants rated people who bowed as more attractive regardless of the model's racial appearance. Even when the models appeared European or African, doing the greeting gesture resulted in higher attractiveness ratings.

In contrast, American participants showed almost no difference in how they rated bowing versus standing models.

The research team also varied the baseline attractiveness of the models themselves, presenting faces considered highly attractive alongside faces with relatively lower attractiveness levels, to see if the effect of bowing changed depending on facial appearance.

Participants clearly responded to the differences in facial attractiveness. However, among Japanese participants, bowing in greeting tended to further boost the attractiveness ratings, regardless of the model’s original appearance.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Unsplash

Cultural Experience Also Impacts Likability

The researchers explained that these results demonstrate how the way people interpret greeting gestures is closely tied to their cultural background. In other words, it is possible that bowing is recognized as a familiar social signal in Japanese culture, rather than being a universally attractive gesture.

We often assume that when we find someone likable or attractive, we are judging based on external features such as face or expression. However, such judgments may also be shaped by our own cultural experiences, sometimes without us realizing it. Greeting customs that we have seen repeatedly since childhood, actions we have learned to call polite, and gestures that have become second nature can all become criteria for evaluating another person's impression.

Although this experiment did not specifically target Koreans, the findings are intriguing considering that bowing when greeting is familiar in Korea as well. At the very least, it is clear that the way we find someone likable cannot be explained by appearance alone.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.