Men with muscly physiques are perceived as possessing stronger leadership skills than their skinnier colleagues, a new study shows.
最新研究發現，有著強健體格的男性被認為比體型清瘦的同事更具領導才能。

While intelligence and level-headedness might seem more important for people wishing to exude management potential, researchers at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business identified an overwhelming connection between physical prowess and high status.
盡管有意發揮自己管理潛質的人更看重智慧與冷靜這些因素，加州伯克利分校哈斯商學院的研究人員卻發現，強健體魄與位居高位的關系十分緊密。

For the published study, titled 'The role of physical formidability in human social status allocation', a selection of men underwent strength tests before being photographed. Volunteers were then shown and told they were looking at candidates newly hired by a consultancy firm.
以“強健體魄在人類社會地位分配中的作用”為題發表的一項研究挑選出了一組男性，并對他們進行了體力測試，然后為他們拍攝了照片。之后，讓志愿者看了這些照片，并告訴他們，照片上的人是一家咨詢機構最新聘用的人員。

Next they were asked to rate each man based on how much they admired him, held him in high esteem, how much they could imagine his career progressing, and how he might respond to others in his company.
志愿者得依據對他們的仰慕程度、對他們職業發展以及如何應對同事的預期來評價這些人。

“The physically strong men in the pictures were given higher status because they are perceived as leaders,” said Professor Cameron Anderson, who led the study with Professor Aaron Lukaszewski. “Our findings are consistent with a lot of real examples of strong men in positions of power.”
卡梅倫·安德森教授與亞倫·盧卡謝夫斯基教授是這項研究的帶頭人。卡梅倫·安德森教授指出：“志愿者把圖片中有著強健體魄的男性視為是領導者，所以這些男性獲得的地位更高。真實生活中，有許多體型健壯的男性成為領袖人物的例子，這與我們的發現相符。

To ensure that men weren't being chosen based on good looks, the volunteers - roughly a 50/50 split between men and women - were also asked to rate each candidate's "overall attractiveness". The men photographed were also each dressed in identical plain white tank tops so that clothing choice did not influence results.
為了確保先前的評價不是基于出色的相貌，志愿者（男女比例大約各占一半）還被要求評價這些人的“整體吸引力”。照片上的男性都穿著相同的白色背心，以防衣著影響實驗結果。

After that initial experiment, researchers used Photoshop to switch the heads on each body. In this round, volunteers again favoured stronger bodies – even if they were attached to a 'weak' face.
第一輪實驗過后，研究人員利用Photoshop把不同照片的頭部與身體做了調換。這次，盡管志愿者心儀的是那些“柔弱”的面孔，但在領導力方面，體格強健的人依然是他們的優先選擇。

It may be assumed that any connection between bodily strength and leadership is a consequence of intimidating weaker colleagues with over-the-top, macho acts of masculinity, but the opposite may in fact be true.
人們也許會想當然地認為體魄和領導力之間產生聯系是因為大塊頭的強壯威猛對那些相對文弱的同事起到了震懾作用，然而事實卻正好相反。

"Strong men who were perceived as being likely to behave aggressively toward other group members were actually granted less status than their apparently gentler counterparts,” Lukaszewski says.
盧卡謝夫斯基說：“人們如果認為一位體魄強健的男性可能在其他組員前表現得咄咄逼人，那么給他的地位就會低于與他同樣健壯但更加溫和的同事。

“Together, the results suggest that the conferral of status upon formidable men, perhaps counter-intuitively, serves a fundamentally pro-social function – to enhance the effectiveness of cooperation within the group."
他還補充道：“總之，結果顯示，強健的男性被賦予領導者的角色，或許與直覺相悖，但這能提高團隊合作的效率，從根本上是有利于社會的。”

Berkeley’s results, which are only applicable to men (no link was found between female leadership and physical strength), are in part reflected on the political stage.
某種程度上，伯克利分校的研究結果在政治舞臺上得到了反映，但這個結果僅代表了男性群體（還沒有研究發現女性的領導力與體格相關）。

Russian president Vladimir Putin would certainly see his strapping figure as an example of the findings – though with height a factor, his case is weakened by being only 5ft 7in. Barack Obama, meanwhile, who keeps his 6ft 2in frame lean with regular basketball, may be a more convincing case study.
俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾·普金肯定會贊同他健壯的身材就是證明這些發現的一個例子——但如果從身高看的話，他的信服力略遜一籌，普金身高僅170.18厘米。貝拉克·奧巴馬的例子可能更有說服力。他身高187.96厘米，經常打籃球使他體格勻稱。

Not all is lost for diminutive, physically feeble leaders, however. While the gym may boost one's chances of being seen as capable, Professor Cameron insists it isn't the only thing.
但體格瘦弱的人也不是無望成為領導者。卡梅倫教授強調說，雖然健身可以增加一個人被視作有領導力的幾率，但健身不是唯一的出路。

"If you’re behaving in ways that demonstrate you are a leader or are not a leader, strength doesn’t matter," he says.
他接著說：“如果你表現得像個領導者，是否有強健的體魄無關緊要。而反之，有再好的體魄也無濟于事。”

英文來源：每日電訊報
譯者：趙俊梅
審校&編輯：丹妮