Culture and conceptual influences on first impressions from body shape

Abstract

Prior work shows that body shape contributes to first impressions in a Western population; here, we test whether these impressions generalize to an East Asian culture and whether any observed differences are affected by nonperceptual factors. Across two studies, we examined how body shape is mapped onto personality traits among American and Chinese participants. In Study 1, participants rated 3D body models on a shared set of Big Five‐derived trait descriptors to map trait spaces within a common measurement framework. Although the primary dimension linking Conscientiousness with valence was shared by both groups, the groups differed more clearly on the secondary dimension. Americans emphasized agency and mapped Extraversion onto thinner bodies, whereas Chinese participants emphasized sociability and linked Extraversion to average/sturdier bodies. Study 2 tested whether these differences were driven by trait associations or weight stereotypes. Results aligned with Dynamic Interactive Theory, finding that culturally and linguistically embedded trait associations mirrored body impressions more closely than weight stereotypes alone. These findings reveal how shared perceptual heuristics and nonperceptual knowledge jointly shape impressions from bodies. This extends classic face‐based models of person perception to bodies and underscores the role of sociocultural context in the architecture of first impressions.