Look in the mirror. Now, look at your shoes. Can you possibly tell who you are between your ears by what you wear on your feet?
Researchers say yes. A recent experiment by psychologists at the University of Kansas found that shoes betray their owner’s emotional traits and politics, among other things –- so much so that the study’s participants were 90-percent accurate with their guesses.
As reported to the Journal of Research in Personality, flashy shoes are indeed indicative of extroverted personalities. One thing that people didn’t pick up on, however, is that brand new and well-kept shoes can often mean that the wearer has attachment anxiety.
WEIGH IN:
What do your shoes say about you?
Guests:
Omri Gillath, associate professor of social psychology, and researcher on the study, which was published in the August 2012 edition of the journal of research in personality
Angela Bahns, assistant professor of psychology at Wellesley College, and researcher on the study