To appear warm people convey themselves as less competent, and
to appear competent people convey themselves as less warm,
according to a recent study conducted by a team of researchers
in the psychology department. The study, published by Ph.D.
candidate Deborah Holoien GS and psychology professor Susan
Fiske, concluded that there is an inherently negative
relationship between being perceived as friendly and being
perceived as competent. This, Fiske said, causes people to
stereotype societal groups — like different ethnic, religious,
social or gender groups — based on how warm or competent they
appear. Fiske explained that this trade-off is rooted in
evolutionary theory. “It makes sense because the first thing you
need to know about another [is] what their intentions are. If
their intentions are good, that means they’re friendly and
trustworthy and warm,” Fiske said. “The second thing you need to
know is whether they can act on those intentions — whether
they’re competent and capable — because if they can’t a