Believe it or not, more than you think! A study from the University of Kansas found that people were able to accurately judge demographic and personality traits of complete strangers just by looking at their most frequently worn shoes. Researchers discovered that a whopping 90 percent of a person’s characteristics can be determined by their footwear, from the style, cost, color and condition of the shoes.
So, what do your shoes say about you?
Some of the results weren’t surprising: Extroverts wore flashy shoes, wealthy people wore more expensive shoes, and conscientious people had the cleanest footwear. Ankle boots were also found to be worn by more “aggressive” women, which seems a bit generalized. But, most surprising was that people who wore uncomfortable-looking shoes most often tended to be calm people. Then again, it’s not all that shocking; you’d have to be pretty calm and collected to manage walking around in 6-inch stilettos!
Participants in the study did have a tough time judging one category of footwear: boring shoes. According to the study, those shoe owners described themselves as “aloof and repressive,” having a hard time forming relationships, and unable to communicate many of their traits in real-life.
What do you think? Do your favorite pair of shoes define you?
