HYPNOTIZED august 2017
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UNDER THE SHADE
The psychological reason why you feel instantly cooler wearing sunglasses
$4.90
Under
the Shade Have you ever worn sunglasses on a cloudy day? There’s a psychological reason behind it.
Written by Melissa Dahl Photography by Wesley Nifong and Pete Bellis
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eye contact helps us form judgments about someone’s
intelligence, confidence, and sincerity, and sunglasses keep us
literally in the dark about forming those perceptions about a person.
Because they really do make your misshapen face look better. Put on a pair of
works both ways, because the wearer
said. Sales started to pick up in the
of the sunglasses feels more
1920s, but they didn’t become
inscrutable, too. One recent study
commonplace until about two
sunglasses, and voilà – instant
showed that people who wore
decades after that. The way
symmetry! The dark lenses
sunglasses acted more
sunglasses were most often used
cover up any asymmetrical oddities
selfishly and dishonestly than
prior to their commercialization helps
around your eyes, and research on
those wearing eyeglasses, which,
explain some of their inherent
facial attractiveness shows a clear link
the researchers argue, suggests
coolness, Brown said, because in
between symmetry and our
that shades delude us into feeling
their early days sunglasses were
perception of beauty. As an added
more anonymous, or unknown.
primarily used during risky water and snow sports, and were also
extra-chiseled bone structure on top
It’s colloquial wisdom that an air of mystery increases sexual desire, and research bears that notion out. Think of the common “the
of your relatively softer-featured face.
thrill is gone” complaint that
Hollywood stars of the 1950s and
Because mystery. Many of
accompanies the long-term
1960s started wearing
the snap judgments we form about
relationship, for one. And one recent
sunglasses to defend themselves
people come from looking them in
study showed that
from being recognized by the public
the eyes; shade yours, and you’re
women who were uncertain of a
or harassed by paparazzi, whose
instantly a more intriguing presence.
man’s feelings toward them
flashbulbs would often explode
“The eyes are such a tremendous
ended up reporting more attraction
violently, sometimes literally in their
source of information — and
to those men. It’s essentially the plot
faces, Brown said. But regardless of
vulnerability — for the human
of many a rom-com: We’re drawn to
practicality, movie stars’ adoption
being,” Brown explained. Eye
the people we can’t quite figure out.
of the accessory cemented the link between sunglasses and glamour.
confidence, and sincerity, and
Because of their historical link with edginess and glamour. We
sunglasses keep us literally in the
take their ubiquity for granted today,
Brown’s — hang-overs. They’re
dark about forming those
but sunglasses are a relatively
really great for hiding hang-overs.
perceptions about a person. And it
modern everyday accessory, Brown
bonus, Brown pointed out, sunglasses provide a kind of scaffolding effect, imposing the appearance of an external,
contact helps us form judgments
A
nd now, Science of Us attempts to unravel the answers to a summertime question of monumental importance: Why does nearly everyone instantly look more attractive with sunglasses on?
about someone’s intelligence,
associated with new technologies like airplane travel, which made them seem “daring and thoroughly modern.” Soon after that,
Also – and this is more from my own personal research than
You know you’re at least a little curious. And so was Vanessa Brown, a senior lecturer of art and design at Nottingham Trent University in the U.K. Her research focuses on the meaning we assign to commonplace, everyday objects, and in an academic book that’s coming out early next year, she explores the cultural and psychological relationship between sunglasses and our modern idea of “cool.” In an email to Science of Us, Brown explained what her research has uncovered about why most of us look better in shades.
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photography by kendyle nelsen and muneeb syed
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