Can Your Body Language Give Away Your Net Worth?

In our previous post "Size May Matter When It Comes To The Size Of Your..." we discussed how the size of your finger may be a precursor to wealth. But another study shows that your body language can give way your wealth status as well.

Two Psychologists from the University of California, Berkeley, Michael Kraus and Dacher Keltner videotaped pairs of undergraduate students who were strangers to one another,during on on one interviews. A total of 100 undergraduate students participated.

Usually a stylish handbag or Armani suit can signal a person's wealth, but according to the study so can their body language. People of higher socioeconomic status are more rude when conversing with others.

The researchers looked for certain gestures that indicate levels of interest in the other person during one minute conversations.

They discovered that students of parents with backgrounds of higher socioeconomic status (SES) engaged in more "impolite" behaviors, such as grooming, doodling and fidgeting. Students with Lower SES showed more "I'm Interested" gestures, including laughter and raising of the eyebrows.

The study revealed that students with higher SES fidgeted with nearby objects for an average of two seconds, but those with lower SES backgrounds almost never fidgeted during the 60 second clips. It also showed students with upper SES backgrounds groomed themselves for short stints while the lower SES students didn't. The lower SES students were more likely to nod their heads, laughed and raised their eyebrows an average of one or two seconds more than their upper SES counterparts.

Kraus explained it comes down to our animistic tendencies. Like a peacock's tail, the seemingly snooty gestures of higher SES students indicates modern society's version of "I'm fit" and "I don't need you."

Lower SES individuals can't afford to brush off others. People of lower SES backgrounds have fewer resources, and by definition should be more dependent on others.

This research can be found in the January issue of the journal Psychological Science.

This couyld bring up some interesting discussion. Is wealth a menality that is learned? Or something we are born with?