Your Zoom background might influence the first impression you make

In a new study, participants tended to judge faces appearing against backgrounds featuring houseplants or bookcases as more trustworthy and competent than faces with a living space or a novelty image behind them. Gender and facial expression also appeared to influence judgments. The research led by Paddy Ross, Abi Cook and Meg Thompson at Durham University, UK has been published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.