Media analysts have argued that a major factor in Barack Obama’s political success is his nonthreatening demeanor, to counteract the stereotype of the threatening black man. Researchers wondered if there might be a similar counter-stereotypical pattern for black CEOs, even on a purely visual level. They asked people to rate pictures of CEOs for baby-facedness, warmth, and competence. Relative to white CEOs, black CEOs were rated as more baby-faced – and, consistent with prior research on baby-faced stereotypes, seen as warmer and less competent. For blacks, being baby-faced meant earning more money, the study found, whereas white CEOs earned less money if they were baby-faced. According to the authors, this confirms that blacks need “disarming mechanisms??? to be successful in corporate America.
Livingston, R. & Pearce, N., “The Teddy-Bear Effect: Does Having a Baby Face Benefit Black Chief Executive Officers???? Psychological Science (October 2009).
