
Study finds that conservative politicians are ‘happier and more attractive’
Conservative female politicians look happier and more attractive in pictures than liberals, according to artificial intelligence. A study conducted in Denmark and published in Scientific Reports found that those on the right were more likely to have happier facial expressions, whereas liberals looked more neutral. The scientists inputted some 3,200 photos of political candidates who ran in the 2017 Danish municipal election into Microsoft Azure’s Face API tool to assess the person’s emotional state. The analysis found 80 per cent of the faces displayed a happy expression, while 19 per cent read as neutral. “For females (though not males), high attractiveness scores were found among those the model identified as likely to be conservative,” read the findings. “These results are credible given that previous research using human raters has also highlighted a link between attractiveness and conservatism.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Meanwhile, left-leaning male politicians showed more neutral, less happy faces than their conservative counterparts, the study found. “Attractiveness was not the only correlate of model-predicted ideology,” the scientists explained. “We also found that expressing happiness is associated with conservatism for both genders. “Previous work has found smiling in photographs to be a valid indicator of extraversion,” they continued. “And while extraversion is not broadly associated with ideology some studies have found that right-wing politicians are more extraverted.” Scientists noted that “because attractiveness generally helps electoral success, all candidates are incentivised to provide an attractive photograph.” “Politicians on the left and right may have different incentives for smiling — for example, smiling faces have been found to look more attractive which is comparatively important for conservative politicians,” the paper reads. “Future work is needed to explore the extent to which happy faces are indicative of conservatism outside of samples of politicians." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-21 16:57

Yale President Peter Salovey to step down next year with plans to return to full-time faculty
Yale University President Peter Salovey says he will step down next year and plans to return to the school's faculty
2023-09-01 04:20

Sakuu’s Li-Metal Battery Cell Performance Accelerates Transformation of Modern-Day Battery Manufacturing
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2023-09-06 20:29

Ludwig finally addresses Kick verification controversy, says 'fully contracted here at YouTube'
Ludwig said that he's 'happy with how things are' on YouTube while explaining why he got a verified account on Kick
2023-06-24 20:58

Thirty Years Ago, Elton John Was Forced Offstage By a Swarm of Crickets
In 1993, Elton John had to abruptly end a concert in Melbourne 30 minutes early due to an uninvited swarm of insects.
2023-06-12 22:15

Software firm Cloudsmith announces £8.8m investment
A Belfast-based software supply chain management firm has announced an £8.8m investment. Cloudsmith will use the funding to grow operations for its global client base, including leading software companies such as Shopify, PagerDuty, Font Awesome, HP and EnterpriseDB. The funding, led by MMC Ventures, will bolster the firm’s ability to deliver a software supply chain platform. Cloudsmith provides organisations with a single source for managing all their software assets, including datasets required to build the AI products of the future. Recently appointed chief executive officer Glenn Weinstein said the industry demand for software supply chain solutions is surging. He said: “Despite economic headwinds and a slow venture capital funding market, this announcement reaffirms the confidence our investors have in Cloudsmith. “We’ve been successfully disrupting and reinventing the software supply chain market. “This fresh infusion of capital also comes as industry demand for secure and reliable software supply chain solutions is surging. “Cybersecurity attacks of increasing severity have become more frequent, and threaten reputational damage, data exfiltration and IP theft.” The firm’s software supply chain management platform is designed to meet the needs of software teams building for internal use or distributing software packages to the market. It provides a suite of artefact storage, management and distribution solutions, allowing developers and companies to streamline and control their software supply chain, improve collaboration and accelerate product delivery. Belfast is a leading tech hub with a thriving digital economy Glenn Weinstein Mr Weinstein added: “This funding will be used to enhance Cloudsmith’s unique cloud-native software supply chain solution, which is faster, more secure and of higher value than the legacy on-premises vendors we’re displacing. “Cloudsmith is a great choice for companies with software teams distributed in remote locations, and while the US is our largest market, we continue to see increased demand from a range of countries including the UK, Germany and Australia.” He emphasised the strategic importance of its Belfast headquarters which benefits from access to both UK and EU markets. “Belfast is a leading tech hub with a thriving digital economy. “We see this renewed round of investment as a doubling down on Cloudsmith’s commitment to this vibrant city.” Read More Young people the biggest users of generative AI, Ofcom study shows No ‘smoking gun’ linking mental health harm and the internet – study UK and South Korea issue warning over North Korea-linked cyber attacks Data protection watchdog warns websites over cookie consent alerts Employee data leaked during British Library cyber attack Half of adults who chat online with strangers do not check age – poll
2023-11-28 08:16

Which Attributes to Upgrade First in NBA 2K24 MyCareer
The best attributes to upgrade first in NBA 2K24 MyCAREER are Three-Point Shot, Driving Dunk, Ball Handle, Speed with Ball, and more.
2023-09-12 00:25

Ameresco Named Finalist at the 2023 Energy Awards
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 24, 2023--
2023-08-24 23:55

Near-death experience expert says he’s proven there is an afterlife ‘without a doubt’
One of life's unanswered questions that often lies in fear of the unknown is what happens when we die. Now, an American doctor, who has studied over 5,000 near-death experiences, claims there is "without a doubt" life after death. Radiation oncologist Dr Jeffrey Long from Kentucky started his Near-Death Experience Research Foundation back in 1998 and has collected personal recollections from people who have almost faced death. He defined a near-death experience as "someone who is either comatose or clinically dead, without a heartbeat, having a lucid experience where they see, hear, feel emotions, and interact with other beings." After years of "overwhelming" evidence, he has concluded: "There’s certainly an afterlife." Dr Long revealed in an essay for Insider that roughly 45 per cent suggested that "their consciousness separates from their physical body, usually hovering above," during their NDE. One account from a woman who fell unconscious while riding a horse told the doctor that "her consciousness travelled with her horse as he galloped back to the barn." When she woke up, she was able to "describe exactly what happened at the barn." Many others went on to claim that they felt as though they were "transported into another realm," where they saw a bright light and were greeted by deceased loved ones. Even children have described similar experiences. Dr Long candidly said he hasn't found any scientific explanations behind the experiences, adding: "I’ve read brain research and considered every possible explanation for NDEs. The bottom line is that none of them hold water." Previously, in a short film for BBC Ideas, Dr Kathryn Mannix, who specialises in palliative and end-of-life care suggested: "Dying is probably not as bad as you're expecting." She went on to compare death to "a process" and believes society should be open to the conversation about death and change how we speak about it. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-30 18:46

Gen Z is reviving bad 2000s style and calling it 'older brother core'
There was a certain kind of older brother in the 2000s. He didn't even have
2023-09-02 04:20

Does deleting your Threads account also delete your Instagram?
The new app has come under scrutiny for its lack of account deactivation options without affecting the connected Instagram account
2023-07-09 17:59

Bitcoin’s Volatility Drops to Lowest Since 2020 While AI Tokens Take Off
The typically hyper-volatile Bitcoin hasn’t been so choppy of late at all. The largest digital asset hasn’t posted
2023-05-27 00:58
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