Effect of Solicitor's Suntanned Face on Compliance with a Face-to-Face Helping Request: A Brief Examination in a Field Setting

Abstract

Psychologists have investigated why people want to have a tanned skin and how to prevent people's exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation. However, the effect of suntan on social behavior has not been investigated. In this experiment, conducted in France, a female confederate wearing, or not wearing, a self-tanning cream on her face asked 104 male and 111 female passersby (approximate ages 30 to60 yr.) to participate in a survey. It was found that more passersby agreed with therequest when the interviewer had a suntanned face (52%) than in the control condition (39%). Theoretical and practical interests are discussed.