Replication of the bowing effect in a web-based experiment

Abstract

Bowing is a common practice in Japan, believed to greatly affect first impressions. As such, it is emphasized upon in school instruction and post-employment training seminars for new employees. Recently, the influence of bowing on attractiveness was investigated, and it was reported that a bowing motion enhances perceptions of attractiveness. However, previous studies primarily examined this effect via laboratory-based experiments for Japanese university students, which limits the generalizability and reproducibility of the results. Therefore, the present study examined whether this effect can be observed in a web-based experiment and for crowdsourcing service workers. The results showed that bowing increases the facial attractiveness of the 3D computer graphics human models compared to the models standing still (control condition). Further, it was established that prolonged exposure to the bent posture produced a significant bowing effect. These results were extended to the workers, suggesting that the bowing effect can be replicated in web-based experiments for Japanese participants with a broader range of demographics (age and gender, and the view of self).