http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/25/opinion/sunday/hillary-clintons-angry-face.html 2016-09-24 00:03:13 Hillary Clinton’s ‘Angry’ Face Why women look mad when men look serious. === When Hillary Clinton participated in a televised forum on national security and military issues this month, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, tweeted that she was “angry and defensive the entire time — no smile and uncomfortable.” Mrs. Clinton, evidently undaunted by Mr. Priebus’s opinion on when she should and shouldn’t smile, tweeted back, “Actually, that’s just what taking the office of president seriously looks like.” The implication of Mr. Priebus’s comment was a familiar one: A woman making stern-looking facial movements must be angry or upset. A man who looks the same, on the other hand, is focusing on the important matters at hand. This is a classic example of a psychological phenomenon that my lab has studied: how people perceive emotion differently in men’s and women’s faces. It’s something for Americans to consider as they watch the first debate between Mrs. Clinton and Donald J. Trump on Monday. In To reinforce our findings, we repeated the study using androgynous faces, created on a computer by melding male and female features. We then produced “male” and “female” versions of each face by adding gender-typical hair. Our test subjects, who were unaware of this ruse, were again more likely to attribute an internal, emotional cause to the poses in the faces with female hair, and more likely to attribute a situational cause to the poses in the faces with male hair. Or as we summarized our discovery: “She’s a bitch, but he’s just having a bad day.” This discrepancy can have serious consequences. As several studies have demonstrated, when women visit emergency rooms complaining of chest pressure and shortness of breath, which are potential signs of heart attack, they are more likely than men to be told the cause is anxiety (i.e., something about their emotional disposition), and sent home. Men with the same symptoms tend to receive preventive treatment for heart disease. This is a major reason that People in many cultures believe that women are more emotional and empathic, whereas men are more stoic and analytical. Both men and women hold these beliefs, even about themselves. However, when my lab has asked people to record their emotional experiences as they occur in everyday life, And it turns out that people are highly protective of these stereotypes. When a woman violates her emotion stereotype, people tend to view her as less likable and less trustworthy. We see this in the courtroom, for example, when women accuse men of rape or domestic violence. As Today, these stereotypes are playing out on the national stage. Polls indicate that Mrs. Clinton is seen as a more credible candidate than Mr. Trump, yet less trustworthy and likable. This discrepancy is surely rooted, in part, in Mrs. Clinton’s violations of female stereotypes. When she acts “presidential,” she is seen as harsh and cold. In contrast, when Mr. Trump insults his critics or rails against immigrants, many people attribute his anger to the situation (terrorism, the economy) rather than to something about his inner nature. She’s ingenuine; he’s giving voice to the feelings of his fellow Americans. Most of us recognize gender stereotypes when they’re blatant. But when stereotyping is more subtle, as shown by the facial photo studies, we all succumb and often don’t realize it. Keep this in mind when you watch the debate on Monday. Will you perceive Mrs. Clinton as running warm and cold, but Mr. Trump as responding to the ups and downs of the debate? When each candidate presses a point, will you see Mrs. Clinton as being irate but Mr. Trump as simply trying to best his opponent? If so, ask yourself: Is it possible that you’re channeling unconscious, cultural biases, and can you rise above them?