by Greg Fisher
12. September 2010 07:41
The fact of wearing eyeglasses seems to have an impact on how we perceive the age of other people. A recent study, which included 4,000 subjects, found that – on average – glasses-wearers are assumed to be 3.3 years older than they really are, and those over the age of 45 as much as 5 years older.
In the study, the subject were given pictures of people; one group of subjects got pictures of people wearing glasses and the other group were shown pictures of the same people, but without glasses. Both groups were asked questions concerning the age and attributes of the people in the pictures.
In addition to looking older, according to the subjects of the study, glasses-wearers seemed physically weaker. They were also 20 per cent more likely to be seen as self-confident.
The results of the study should be seriously considered by people who need, for various reasons, to take care of their public image. Switching to contact lenses may boost their professional careers or simply improve their private lives.
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