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Judging health care priority in emergency situations: Patient facial appearance matters

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  • Bagnis, Arianna
  • Caffo, Ernesto
  • Cipolli, Carlo
  • De Palma, Alessandra
  • Farina, Gabriele
  • Mattarozzi, Katia

Abstract

Extensive research has shown that implicit trait inferences from facial appearance can bias everyday life in a pervasive way, influencing our decisions in different social contexts such as mate choice, political vote and criminal sentence. In situations characterized by time pressure and scant information, decisions based on inferences from facial appearance may have particularly critical and serious consequences, such as in emergency healthcare. No studies today have investigated this aspect in an actual emergency.

Suggested Citation

  • Bagnis, Arianna & Caffo, Ernesto & Cipolli, Carlo & De Palma, Alessandra & Farina, Gabriele & Mattarozzi, Katia, 2020. "Judging health care priority in emergency situations: Patient facial appearance matters," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:260:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620303993
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113180
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    2. Bagnis, Arianna & Todorov, Alexander & Caffo, Ernesto & De Palma, Alessandra & Franchini, Francesco & Melucci, Pierfrancesco & Mattarozzi, Katia, 2025. "The sound of emergency: The role of vocal cues in healthcare," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 384(C).
    3. Gelly, Maud, 2025. "Sorting patients and institutional bad faith: A study of a hospital during the COVID-19 epidemic in France," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 367(C).

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