The Power of Pictures: Vertical Picture Angles in Power Pictures |
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| Authors: | Steffen R Giessner Michelle K Ryan Thomas W Schubert Niels van Quaquebeke |
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| Institution: | 1. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University , Rotterdam, The Netherlands;2. School of Psychology, University of Exeter , Exeter, United Kingdom;3. Faculty of Economics and Business , University of Groningen , Groningen, The Netherlands;4. Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Centro de Investiga??o e Interven??o Social , Lisboa, Portugal;5. Kuehne Logistics University , Hamburg, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Conventional wisdom suggests that variations in vertical picture angle cause the subject to appear more powerful when depicted from below and less powerful when depicted from above. However, do the media actually use such associations to represent individual differences in power? We argue that the diverse perspectives of evolutionary, social learning, and embodiment theories all suggest that the association between verticality and power is relatively automatic and should, therefore, be visible in the portrayal of powerful and powerless individuals in the media. Four archival studies (with six samples) provide empirical evidence for this hypothesis and indicate that a salience power context reinforces this effect. In addition, two experimental studies confirm these effects for individuals producing media content. We discuss potential implications of this effect. |
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