You really can judge a person by their shoes and they do not need to see anything else to do so, a new study has revealed. Psychologists from the University of Kansas found that the style, value, colour and condition of the footwear can paint a picture of the owner’s emotional, political and other vital personality traits. It is such a giveaway that in the tests, observers who were shown a picture of a pair of shoes guessed around 90 percent of the wearer’s personal characteristics. 63 students judged the personalities of volunteers who provided 208 different pairs of shoes. The observers were asked to look at each pair and guess the gender, age and social status of the owner. This including whether the owner was an extrovert or introvert, liberal leaning or conservative, their emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness. The observers did well in guessing the characteristics of the owners in almost all the categories but they did miss some clues. They did not guess, for instance, that the most boring shoes belonged to those who found it hard to form relationships. Some of the clues are obvious. Expensive shoes suggest high earners, flash and colourful pairs belong to extroverts. Shoes that may not be new but are immaculate belong to conscientious types. Other clues are less obvious. Practical and functional shoes belong to agreeable people, ankle boots are worn by aggressive personalities and calm personalities wear uncomfortable looking shoes.
