Uncertainty Avoidance Separates Facial Impressions at Individual and Cultural Level

First impressions from faces present inherent uncertainties, forcing people to make quick personality assessments with limited information. People vary in how they handle this uncertainty, with some experiencing greater discomfort in ambiguous situations. We propose that individuals with higher uncertainty avoidance process facial impressions in a more fine-grained manner, suggesting a specific cognitive strategy to manage this uncertainty. Across two studies, we found that both individuals (Study 1: N = 105) and cultures (Study 2: N = 10,552, 40 regions) with higher uncertainty avoidance formed more distinctly separated personality trait impressions from faces. The relationship between uncertainty avoidance and impression separation was mediated by the strength of trait concept dissociations that individuals held (Study 1). This tendency to separate different personality traits may help reduce the ambiguity of social judgments. Our findings reveal how even basic cognitive tendencies shape social perception at both individual and cultural levels.