Fidgeting and first impressions: the impact of nonverbal cues on personality perception

Abstract

Fidgeting is a pervasive nonverbal behavior that occurs across diverse social contexts and populations. While prior research has explored the role of fidgeting as an indicator of internal states such as anxiety or engagement, limited research has examined how observers interpret fidgeting behaviors when forming personality impressions of others. This preregistered study investigates the impact of fidgeting on personality trait attributions using the HEXACO-PI-R. In a between-subjects design, a U.S Prolific sample of 388 participants were randomly assigned to view a short video (avg. 56.25 s) of a game of checkers/draughts which they either viewed one of two players engaged in fidgeting (e.g., object manipulation, self-touching, foot tapping), or viewed a game in which both players remained still. Video stimuli were also counterbalanced for the sex of the fidgeter presented (Man_Fidget, n = 95, Man_Still, n = 99, Woman_Fidget, n = 96, Woman_Still, n = 98). Participants then assessed the personality traits of the observed individual. Results indicate that fidgeting significantly influenced perceptions of four of the six HEXACO personality traits: Emotionality was rated higher for the fidgeting condition (d = 0.84) while Agreeableness (d = −0.35), Conscientiousness (d = −0.65), and Openness to Experience (d = −0.50) were rated lower. No significant differences were found for Extraversion (d = −0.24) or Honesty-Humility (d = −0.11). Neither the gender of the fidgeter nor participant moderated these effects. These findings contribute to the literature on nonverbal behavior by demonstrating that fidgeting can shape social judgments in neutral contexts, with potential implications for workplace interactions, educational settings, and social evaluations.