- A woman with perfectly styled hair, careful make-up and a very strict demeanor.
- Another one with a more relaxed, almost “casual” look
- A woman with heavy makeup and striking jewelry
- And finally, a woman with a minimalist style, without visible makeup or accessories.
At first glance, our brain classifies, compares, and evaluates. It loves this activity. And above all… it loves speed. Too much speed.
Why our intuition is so often wrong
This type of challenge works because it exploits our most common cognitive biases. Without realizing it, we associate certain visual elements with a specific age:
- Make-up is often seen as a way to “look younger”, but it can also accentuate facial features.
- Grey hair is almost automatically associated with age, even though this is not always justified.
- “Serious” clothing conveys an impression of maturity, which can sometimes be misleading.
- A confident posture can unconsciously make someone appear older.
The result? We believe we are analyzing objectively, while in reality we are only projecting our thought patterns. Our visual intuition then plays tricks on us.
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