Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Facial attractiveness plays a significant role in job search evaluations, with recruiters often rating candidates with higher levels of attractiveness more favorably. This paper investigates how physical appearance and employability jointly influence applicant evaluations during resume screening. Using event-related potential (ERP) techniques, the study observes dynamic brain changes during the experiment. The findings reveal that: (1) Employability significantly enhances P200 amplitudes (reflecting early attentional allocation), while its effects on N170 and LPP components are contingent upon attractiveness levels; (2) These employability effects are selectively modulated by facial attractiveness: under high-attractiveness conditions, high employability potentiates both P200 and LPP responses (suggesting enhanced motivational engagement and emotional arousal); low employability leads to more negative N170 amplitudes (indicating early conflict detection to stereotype-incongruent cues). Conversely, no such effects emerge under low-attractiveness conditions, demonstrating that facial attractiveness gates the neural prioritization of qualification information. These results provide valuable insights into job search evaluations and highlight the neural mechanisms involved in facial perception and processing during resume screening.
Source: Behavioral Sciences
DOI: 10.3390/bs15081130
Authors: Bin Ling, Yuting Xia, Yihan Wang
Institution: Hohai University
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,654
Award: G3554965318
OpenAlex ID: W4413354895