Fairness and Property Shape First Impressions ^{CEFR B2}

A study published in PLOS One by researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois examined which moral behaviors most shape first impressions and social trust. They ran three studies with hundreds of US adults. In each study, participants read short descriptions of everyday actions by fictional people—examples included helping or refusing help to a family member, following or breaking rules set by an authority, and treating people equally or showing favoritism. For every example, participants judged whether the action revealed something about the person's character or about the situation, and whether they would trust that person.

In the final study, participants made these judgments while performing a mental distraction task (memorizing long strings of numbers). The researchers found the judgments remained robust under cognitive load, indicating that many viewers form rapid, automatic impressions.

The clearest finding was that acts involving equality (fairness) and property (respecting what belongs to others) produced the strongest reactions. When someone acted fairly or respected property, observers tended to see them as highly moral, attribute the behavior to the person's true character rather than the situation, and be more willing to trust and cooperate with them. When people violated fairness or property norms, they were judged harshly and considered less trustworthy. Other moral traits such as bravery, loyalty, or deference to authority influenced impressions as well but had weaker effects. As coauthor Savannah Adams put it, "Fairness and respect for property may be the moral behaviors that matter most when it comes to social trust," and Oscar Ybarra noted the results seem "automatic and intuitive," while advising that it is still worth taking a closer look before deciding who to trust.

Source: University of Michigan