The rich are happy, and the poor are sad: The development of association between facial expressions and the rich and poor among children

Abstract

This study examined whether children in China associate specific facial expressions with the rich and poor. Experiment 1 found facial expressions affected judgement of social class. Children aged 3–6 years (N = 389; 171 boys; M_age = 4.68) more often associated happy facial expressions with the rich and sad and angry facial expressions with the poor. Experiment 2 found that social class also affected facial expression judgement. Children aged 3–6 years (N = 393; 209 boys; M_age = 4.77) more often associated the rich with happy facial expressions and the poor with sad and angry facial expressions. These results indicate that children aged 3–6 years associate the rich with happy facial expressions and the poor with sad and angry facial expressions.