Humans’ Nonverbal Status Cues Alter Perceived Size - Georgetown College

Nonverbal dominance displays in many non-human species are known to increase the displayer’s apparent size. Now researchers led by assistant professor of psychology Abigail Marsh have found that humans also employ a variety of nonverbal cues that make them appear larger or smaller. Physical size, the researchers say, is closely linked to social dominance.

Marsh and her team report their findings in an article published in the May 27, 2009 edition of the journal PLoS ONE.

While several psychological studies previously have demonstrated that physical size affects perceptions of status and that status alters perceptions of physical size, “No prior study has assessed whether human nonverbal cues can, like the nonverbal cues of non-human animals, create the appearance of changes in physical size that influence the displayer’s perceived status,” says Marsh, who directs the Georgetown Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience. “Our study suggests that certain nonverbal dominance cues in humans may function as they do in other species by creating the appearance of changes in physical size.”