They say, “Never judge a person till you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” but apparently, you can judge a person by staring at their shoes for about a minute. At least, that’s what researchers have found. In a recent study done by a team at the University of Kansas, participants were shown pictures of shoes and were asked to guess the personalities of the people wearing them. Surprisingly, the participants were right about the people’s personalities 90% of the time. It turns out you can correctly judge a person without actually walking in their shoes. Just looking at them might be enough.
Here are some of the surprising things they found to be true about shoes and the people that wear them:
High-income earners wear expensive shoes.
This is probably the most unsurprising of all the findings on this list. Everyone knows that the more you earn, the likelier you are to own expensive things. Even though we know that people go to great lengths to buy things they can’t afford, it still doesn’t dispute the fact that high-income earners are more likely to wear expensive shoes.
Agreeable people prefer practical shoes.
Apparently, this stems from the fact that people who prefer comfortable and practical footwear are people who like to take life easy and one step at a time. On the other hand, you’ll probably see individuals with lots of energy in less practical shoes. While this doesn’t mean that people in 6-inch heels are hostile, it does suggest that the lower the heels, the more agreeable and friendly the person is likely to be.
Old and properly maintained shoes belong to thoughtful people.
While the participants basically guessed the personality of people in old but well-kept shoes, the rationale behind their choice isn’t so far-fetched. When a person has a pair of shoes for a long time and keeps it well, it’s usually an indication that the person is very conscientious and intentional in their actions. It means that their thoughtful nature extends from their wardrobe and spreads to other aspects of their life.
Unkempt shoes belong to free thinkers.
Here, you really have to be wary about judging a person by their shoes as you might be tempted to believe that shabby and worn out shoes are indicative of a sloppy personality. The truth is that these poorly managed shoes are more likely to belong to free thinkers who love to live life by their own rules than to slobs. When you live life on your terms, you don’t care what anyone else thinks, and you can often dress without aiming to impress. That’s why they are most likely to have unkempt, but functional shoes.
Aggressive people seek out ankle boots.
Ankle boots have always had a sexy and rebellious air about them. This isn’t to say you should avoid everyone you see in ankle boots. However, it does suggest that they aren’t as likely to roll over and play it cool as someone in flats, for example.
What can you do with all this information? Well, the next time you order something online, you may want to consider how it might influence how people see you.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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