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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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