Are you guilty of face-ism?

Washington: While society has shunned the sexist and the racist, but many of us are committing the sin of `face-ism’, say experts.

Research has shown people often make sweeping judgements of others based on their facial features. For instance, individuals with feminine-looking or naturally happy faces are consistently thought of as more trustworthy.

Competence, dominance and friendliness are also associated with specific facial traits.

Writing in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, US researchers warned that `face-ism’ can lead people to make rash decisions, from voting for a particular politician to convicting someone of a crime.

A spokesman said: `This is a troubling human tendency that needs to be corrected, or at least mitigated, because faces are not valid predictors of a person’s traits.’