Electorate

It would be reassuring to think that the electorate chooses who to vote for based on the candidates' track records and future policy promises. In [blank] , many of us are swayed simply by the way that politicians look. Consider a 2009 study that asked Swiss students to look at multiple pairs of unfamiliar French political candidates and in each case to [blank] the one who looked most competent. Most of the time, the candidate selected by students [blank] looking the most competent was also the one who'd had real-life electoral success, the implication being that voters too had been swayed by the candidates' appearance (there's little evidence that appearance and competence actually [blank] ). Unsurprisingly, being attractive also helps win votes, especially in wartime (in peacetime, looking trustworthy is more of an advantage). Other research has shown that we're more [blank] to vote for male and female candidates with deeper voices.