Abstract

This study investigated the effect of regional accent on the perception of intelligence and physical attractiveness. Previous research suggests that, in the UK, there is a link between a person’s accent and their perceived level of intelligence, with speakers of ‘Received Pronunciation’ (RP) being considered to be cleverer than those with regional accents. Few studies, however, have considered the relationship between accent and perceived level of attractiveness. In the current study we paired three different UK accents (RP, Yorkshire, Birmingham) and a silent control condition with photographs of four young women and requested participants to provide a score (1-10) for intelligence and attractiveness for each accent. We uncovered evidence that a Yorkshire accent is considered to be more intelligent than RP which, in turn, was considered to be more intelligent than a silent condition. The Birmingham accent was, however, rated for intelligence on a par with the silent condition. In contrast to these findings for intelligence no relationship between attractiveness and accent was uncovered. Results are discussed in terms of a reduction in negativity for some regional accents but not for others, where unfounded, negative stereotypes continue to be persuasive.