"Individuals who are considered to have high or low social status are often judged to have advantageous or disadvantageous traits. Such judgments are formed even solely based on facial appearance, and this can have significant consequences, including disadvantaging those who are perceived to come from lower social classes," said the study's author, Thora Bjornsdottir.

"The results show that social class stereotypes explain the relationship between facial appearance and judgments of someone's social class status. This indicates that the stereotypes we hold influence how we perceive others - these stereotypes bias our perception. Our impressions of others can then lead to certain advantages or disadvantages for them," he added.