Who ‘Looks’ Like a Politician? It’s Different in US and China

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Exercise 1

Vocabulary

interdependent

Adjective

ˌɪntərdɪˈpendənt

that depend on each other; consisting of parts that depend on each other

The two countries are now a lot more interdependent.

harmony

Noun

ˈhɑːrməniː

a state of peaceful existence and agreement

It's important for different races to live in harmony.

Exercising outdoors helps me achieve harmony with nature.

Our company puts a lot of emphasis on team harmony.

shallow

Adjective

ˈʃæloʊ

(of a person, an idea, a comment, etc.) not showing serious thought, feelings, etc. about something

I know it's shallow, but I'm really only dating him for his money.

What makes you think he's shallow? All he cares about is his body!

individualistic

Adjective

ˌɪndɪˌvɪdʒuəˈlɪstɪk

more interested in individual people than in society as a whole

Capitalism is by definition an individualistic system.

trait

Noun

treɪt

particular quality in your personality

Many companies used to use academic hierarchy for recruiting, but nowadays personal traits and skills are more important.

This frog's most distinguishing trait is the color of its skin.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Who ‘Looks’ Like a Politician? It’s Different in US and China

What does a leader look like? A new study finds that Americans choose leaders who look like they’ll get things done, while Chinese want someone who appears good at getting along.

It’s cultural, the researchers say.

Independent-minded Americans may value the appearance of competence above all else. But in Asian societies, people are more interdependent. Maintaining social harmony might be more important than accomplishing tasks.

The study is another example of how we’re shallower than we might like to think.

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Looks matter

But looks do matter, as scientists are discovering. The new study is one of a growing body of research in which subjects compare photographs or short video clips of competing candidates they have never seen before. Subjects choose which one they think is more intelligent, trustworthy, and so on.

Given no other information, the candidate who subjects say looks more competent wins the election with surprising regularity: 70 percent of the time in one landmark study. Even more surprising, subjects saw candidates’ photos for just one second in that experiment.

But those studies were done in the United States. The authors of the new study wondered if there might be cultural differences in what people want their leaders to look like. Would Asians be as persuaded by a competent-looking face? Americans are individualistic.

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Taiwan results

So they showed pictures of competing politicians from the United States and Taiwan to students from the University of Delaware in the U.S. and Fuzhou University in China. The students rated the politicians on a number of traits. The researchers compared those results to who actually won the elections.

Sure enough, looking more competent than your opponent was more important for the American candidates than for those in Taiwan, while looking more socially competent was more important for the Taiwanese candidates than the Americans.

Does that mean Chinese people are less shallow than Americans? Maybe.

“In Chinese culture, the teaching is, do not rely on first impressions,” Chen said.

There’s a Chinese proverb, “Distance will test a horse’s strength; time will determine a person’s character,” she notes.

Exercise 3

Questions

What kind of leaders do Chinese people generally choose?

What do Americans value above all else?

How are the studies mentioned in the article carried out?

During the studies, which candidate wins the election most of the time?

Exercise 4

Discussion

What do you think about the results of the study?

Are you an individualistic person or an interdependent one? Why?

Have there ever been any politicians whom you deemed to be good enough for your country? Why or why not?

Advanced Exercises

The following exercises are for an additional lesson.

Exercise 5

Summary

Please make a short summary of the article that you have just read. (1-2 minutes)

Exercise 6

For and Against

Bring arguments first in favor, and then against the idea that most people are very shallow when it comes to choosing their leaders. (2-3 minutes each)

Exercise 7

Discussion

What are the qualities of a good leader?

Do you think that during elections being convincing is more important than being a good professional? Why or why not?

Have you ever voted for a politician just because you liked their appearance? Why or why not?

Are you quick to judge people based on first impressions? Why or why not?

Is it that bad to judge people based on first impressions? Why or why not?

Is it difficult to change first impressions? Why or why not?

Do you think that you generally make a good first impression? Why or why not?

When is it most important to make a good impression? Why?

Care about what other people think and you will always be their prisoner. - Lao Tzu. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

10.

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. - Aristotle. What do you think about this statement?

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.