The Impact of Smile Intensity on Hiring Decisions in China

Fei Xu; Xueqin Zhang; Junho Lee

doi:10.71113/JMSS.v2i2.247

Authors

Fei Xu Department of Business Administration, The Hoseo University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
Xueqin Zhang Department of Business Administration, The Hoseo University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
Junho Lee Department of Business Administration, The Hoseo University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71113/JMSS.v2i2.247

Keywords:

Smile intensity, Nonverbal behavior, Perceived credibility, Recruitment decisions, Gender stereotypes, gender stereotypes

Abstract

This study examined the effect of job applicants’ smiles on recruitment decisions using Chinese participants. In an experimental study, 305 Chinese participants were requested to rate the smiling behaviors of male and female job applicants at six different smile intensities. This study showed that perceived credibility is an important moderator of the effect of smiles on hiring. During the job interview process, job applicants’ emotional displays, such as smiles, play a crucial role in making a positive impression. Earlier investigations have explored the influences of genuine emotional expressions on service satisfaction, but empirical research on the joint effects of smile intensity and job applicant gender is scarce, especially in China. To address this gap, this research examined the impact of this interaction on job applicants’ perceived reliability. Our results showed that bright smiles were perceived as more reliable when job applicants were female (but not male). In contrast, faint smiles were more consistent with male stereotypes, leading to higher perceptions of reliability. This study further suggests that perceived credibility is a psychological mechanism that can explain the link between smile intensity and recruitment decisions.

References

[1]Adamus, M., & Ballová Mikušková, E. (2024). Gender discrimination and the backlash effect in recruitment and dismissal processes: experimental evidence from Slovakia. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 39(1), 107-129.

[2]Anderson C, John OP, Keltner D, Kring AM (2001) Who attains social status? Effects of personality and physical attractiveness in social groups. J. Personality Soc. Psych. 81(1):116–132.

[3]Barrick, M. R., Shaffer, J. A., & DeGrassi, S. W. (2009). What you see may not be what you get: Relationships among self-presentation tactics and ratings of interview and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 1394–1411.

[4]Bendick Jr, M., Jackson, C. W., & Romero, J. H. (1997). Employment discrimination against older workers: An experimental study of hiring practices. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 8(4), 25-46.

[5]Bolino, M. C., Kacmar, K. M., Turnley, W. H., & Gilstrap, J. B. (2008). A multi-level review of impression management motives and behaviors. Journal of Management, 3 4(6), 1080–1109. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206308324325

[6]Briton NJ, Hall JA (1995) Gender-based expectancies and observer judgments of smiling. J. Nonverbal Behav. 19(1):49–65.

[7]Brosy, J., Bangerter, A., & Sieber, J. (2021). Laughter in the selection interview: impression management or honest signal?. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30(2), 319-328.

[8]Brown, W. M., Palameta, S., & Moore, C. (2003) Are there nonverbal cues to com mitment? An exploratory study using the zero-acquaintance video presentation paradigm. Evolutionary Psychology, 1, 42-69.

[9]Burnett, J. R., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1998). Relations between different sources of information in the structures selection interview. Personnel Psychology, 51, 963–983.

[10]Calvo, M. G., Gutie´rrez-Garcı´a, A., Ferna´ndez-Martı´n, A., &Nummenmaa, L. (2014). Recognition of facial expressions of emotion is related to their frequency in everyday life. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 38, 549–567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-014-0191-3.

[11]CareerBuilder. (2011, November, 21). New CareerBuilder study looks at best and worst colors to wear in a job interview [Press release]. Retrieved October 19, 2016, from: http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?sd=11/21/2013&id=pr791&ed=12/31/203

[12]Carli LL (2001) Gender and social influence. J. Soc. Issues 57(4):725–741.

[13]Centorrino, S., Djemai, E., Hopfensitz, A., Milinski, M., & Seabright, P. (2011). Smiling is a costly signal of cooperation opportunities: experimental evidence from a trust game.

[14]Chiang, J. K. H., & Suen, H. Y. (2015). Self-presentation and hiring recommendations in online communities: Lessons from LinkedIn. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 516-524.

[15]Choi, S., Choi, C., & Mattila, A. S. (2020). Are All Smiles Perceived Equal? The Role of Service Provider’s Gender. Service Science, 12(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1287/serv.2019.0252

[16]DePaulo, B. M. (1992). Nonverbal behavior and self-presentation. Psychological Bulletin, 111(2), 203–243. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1557474

[17]Deutsch, F. M., LeBaron, D., & Fryer, M. M. (2007). "What's in a smile? The effects of facial expression and gender on perceptions of credibility." Sex Roles, 57(11-12), 772-783.

[18]Eagly AH, Wood W (2011). Social role theory. Handbook of Theories in Social Psychology, vol. 2 (SAGE Publications, Washington, DC),458–476.

[19]Ekman, P. (2009). Telling lies: Clues to deceit in the marketplace, politics, and marriage (revised edition). New York, NY: WW Norton & Company.

[20]Ekman, P., Davidson, R. J., & Friesen, W. V. (1990). The Duchenne smile: Emotional expression and brain physiology: II. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(2), 342

[21]Fasya, E. L., van den Bos, E., Heylen, D. K., & Kret, M. E. (2024). Smile mimicry smoothens human-virtual human interactions. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 183, 103182.

[22]Fang, X., Sauter, D. A., & van Kleef, G. A. (2019). Unmasking smiles: The influence of culture and intensity on interpretations of smiling expressions. Journal of Cultural Cognitive Science, 1-16.

[23]Finkelstein, L. M., Higgins, K. D. & Clancy, M. (2000). Justifications for ratings of old and young job applicants: An exploratory content analysis. Experimental Aging Research, 26(3), 263-283.

[24]Fricker, R. D., & Schonlau, M. (2002). Advantages and disadvantages of Internet research surveys: Evidence from the literature. Field methods, 14(4), 347-367.

[25]Goldberg, C., & Cohen, D. J. (2004). Walking the walk and talking the talk: gender differences in the impact of interviewing skills on applicant assessments. Group And Organization Management, 29, 369–384.

[26]Hall JA, Carter JD, Horgan TG. (2000) Gender differences in nonverbal communication of emotion. Fischer A, ed. Gender and Emotion: Social Psychological Perspectives (Cambridge UniversityPress, New York), 97–117.

[27]Hall Judith, A. (2009), Nonverbal Behavior in Social Psychology Research: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.

[28]Heilman, M. E., & Saruwatari, L. R. (1979). When beauty is beastly: The effects of appearance and sex on evaluations of job applicants for managerial and nonmanagerial jobs. Organizational behavior and human performance, 23(3), 360-372.

[29]Hess, U., & Hareli, S. (2017). "The role of social context for facial emotion expression." Emotion Review, 9(3), 247-255.

[30]Johnston, L., Miles, L., & Macrae, C. N. (2010). Why are you smiling at me? Social functions of enjoyment and non-enjoyment smiles. British Journal of Social Psychology, 49(1), 107-127.

[31]Kluemper, D. H., & Rosen, P. A. (2009). Future employment selection methods: evaluating social networking web sites. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(6), 567-580.

[32]Krumhuber, E., Manstead, A. S., Cosker, D., Marshall, D., & Rosin, P. L. (2009). Effects of dynamic attributes of smiles in human and synthetic faces: A simulated job interview setting. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 33(1), 1-15.

[33]Krumhuber, E., Manstead, A. S., Cosker, D., Marshall, D., Rosin, P. L., & Kappas, A. (2007). Facial dynamics as indicators of trustworthiness and cooperative behavior. Emotion, 7(4), 730.

[34]Krys, K., Vauclair, C. M., Capaldi, C. A., Lun, V. M. C., Bond, M. H., Domínguez-Espinosa, A., ... & Uchida, Y. (2016). "Be careful where you smile: Culture shapes judgments of intelligence and honesty of smiling individuals." Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 40(2), 101-116.

[35]LaFrance M, Carmen B (1980) The nonverbal display of psychological androgyny. J. Personality Soc. Psych. 38(1):36–49.

[36]Leary, M. R., & Kowalski, R. M. (1990). Impression management: A literature review and two-component model. Psychological Bulletin, 107(1), 34–47. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.1.34

[37]Levashina, J., & Campion, M. A. (2006). A model of faking likelihood in the employment interview. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 14(4), 299-316.

[38]Makudza, F. (2023). Service with a smile: the differential effects of emotional labor on boundary spanners in the banking industry. Services Marketing Quarterly, 44(1), 1-15.

[39]Matsumoto, D., Yoo, S. H., & Fontaine, J. (2008). Mapping expressive differences around the world: The relationship between emotional display rules andindividualism versus collectivism. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 39(1),55–74.

[40]Mehrabian, A. (1972). Nonverbal Communication. New York: Aldine - Atherton.

[41]Mehrabian, A. (1972). Some subtleties of communication. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 3(4), 62-67.

[42]Miles LK (2009) Who is approachable? J. Experiment. Soc. Psych. 45(1):262–266.

[43]Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Journal of advertising, 19(3), 39-52.

[44]Otta, E., Abrosio, F. F., & Hoshino, R. L. (2009). "Reading a smiling face: Messages conveyed by various forms of smiling." Perceptual and Motor Skills, 109(3), 789-800.

[45]Petty, R. E., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion.dvances in Experimental Social Psychology, 19, 123-205.

[46]Pinto, A. P., & Sousa, C. D. (2014). The applicant non-verbal behavior facing recruitment interviews. Proceedings - Research and Intervention in Human Resources, n. 5 (2014): V Conferência em Investigação e Intervenção em RH.https://doi.org/10.26537/IIRH.V0I5.2163

[47]Ravaja, N., Kallinen, K., Saari, T., & Keltikangas-Jarvinen, L. (2004) Suboptimal ex posure to facial expressions when viewing video messages from a small screen: effects on emotion, attention, and memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 10, 120-131.

[48]Roulin, N., Bangerter, A., & Levashina, J. (2014). Interviewers‘ perceptions of impression management in employment interviews. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29(2), 141–163. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-10- 2012-0295

[49]Roulin, N., Bangerter, A., & Levashina, J. (2015). Honest and deceptive impression management in the employment interview: Can it be detected and how does it impact evaluations?. Personnel Psychology, 68(2), 395-444.

[50]Ruben, M. A., Hall, J. A., & Schmid Mast, M. (2015). Smiling in a Job Interview: When Less Is More. The Journal of Social Psychology, 155(2), 107–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2014.972312

[51]Ruetzler, T., Taylor, J., Reynolds, D., & Baker, W. (2011). Understanding perceptions of professional attributes using conjoint analysis. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30(3), 551-557.

[52]Scanlon, A. E., & Polage, D. C. (2023). The strength of a smile: Duchenne smiles improve advertisement and product evaluations. International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities, 2(1), 4.

[53]Scarr S (1992) Developmental theories for the 1990s: Development and individual differences. Child Development 63(1):1–19.

[54]Scharlemann, J. P., Eckel, C. C., Kacelnik, A., & Wilson, R. K. (2001) The value of a smile: game theory with a human face. Journal of Economic Psychology, 22, 617-640.

[55]Schnall, S. and Laird, J.D. (2003), “Keep smiling: enduring effects of facial expressions and postures on emotional experience and memory”, Cognition and Emotion, Vol. 17, pp. 787-797.

[56]Treadwell, D. (2014). Introducing communication research: paths of inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

[57]Tsai, J. L., Chentsova-Dutton, Y., Freire-Bebeau, L., & Przy[1] mus, D. E. (2002). Emotional expression and physiology in European Americans and Hmong Americans. Emotion, 2,380–397. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.2.4.380.

[58]Wang Z, Mao H, Li YJ, Liu F (2017) Smile big or not? Effects of smile intensity on perceptions of warmth and competence. J. Consumer Res. 43(5):787–805.

[59]Weisbuch, M., Ambady, N., Clarke, A. L., Achor, S., & Weele, J. V.-V. (2010). On Being Consistent: The Role of Verbal–Nonverbal Consistency in First Impressions. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 32(3), 261–268. doi:10.1080/01973533.2010.495659

[60]Wilhelmy, A., Kleinmann, M., Melchers, K. G., & Götz, M. (2017). Selling and smooth-talking: Effects of interviewer impression management from a signaling perspective. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 226416