Style: Social Perceptions and Glasses

“Your glasses make you look brilliant!” You’ve heard it all before if you wear glasses. You may have also heard a few less flattering variations on the theme, especially in school. Children can be cruel.

But is there any truth to this? Do people look at the guy with ill-fitting glasses and think; “Yeah, okay, I should listen to him?” What else do a pair of glasses say?

Glasses and intelligence

Starting from the basics, a decent amount of research has been compiled over the years, and the studies are overwhelmingly positive.

Generally speaking, and since most studies are coordinated from samples from the American or European population, the overwhelming evidence is that prescription glasses, in general make you look smarter. Interestingly, the consensus shows that they also make you appear more successful and more honest in some studies. Looking for a pair of glasses online? A must visit is SmartBuy collection

Many people have concluded that there are now several manufacturers of ‘prescription glasses,’ which have clear glass lenses that do not adjust the user’s vision but are simply worn for effect.

The nerd effect

People recognize Bill Gates’ enormous wealth and success, but you won’t hear many people outside of the software industry say they want to have a beer, or a relationship with him.

Indeed, glasses are strongly associated with perceptions of attractiveness and intelligence, and the association can be negative as well as positive. A common stereotype is of the ‘nerd’ you may not love: the smart and successful individual but not a potential romantic partner. However, over the years glasses have had an image overhaul with frames, colours and lens tints that shout out style alongside practicality. SmartBuyGlassesUK

Frameworks, style, and effects on perception

So far, we have spoken in binary terms: glasses or not glasses? More or less intelligent? Attractive or unattractive?

As usual, nothing is that simple. Whether or not you wear glasses affects how you look and how others see you, but the type of glasses you wear, can also change perceptions.

Eyeglasses frames and social perception

A 2011 study in Europe examined how full-rimmed eyewear (with a broad, visible rim all around) compared to rimless and eyewear-less eyewear. The results were what you would expect: the more dramatic the rim, the more pronounced the perceptions. People wearing any prescription glasses were considered to be smarter than people without glasses. But rimless glasses did not negatively impact the similarity and appeal of full-rimmed glasses.

Style, distinction and memory

It might seem like rimless glasses offer the best of both worlds, this is not entirely wrong, however, it’s still a little more subtle than that. The same study also looked at how much attention was paid to the face, how distinctive people found eyeglass wearers, and how memorable these people were.

The full-rimmed eyeglass crowd was extremely dominant across the board. People spent more time looking at each other’s faces and rated them as having the most distinctive faces. Glasses of all types are also part of facial memory – if you wear glasses, there is a good chance that people will remember them as part of your appearance.

In terms of personal style, frames also give the highest contrast to eye colour, face shape and can open up the face. This will focus on the face and eyes, where the most potent emotional connections occur, which is not a bad thing for anyone who wants to communicate effectively with others.

In conclusion if your career is public facing then it is worth taking the time to find out what styles of glasses suit you, do you want to make a statement, or keep the overall affect low key? There are many online glasses stores that can help you make the right choice for your face, personality and style.