Study Reveals What Americans Believe God's Face Looks Like

People often hold faith close to their hearts, believing in a creator they may only see in the afterlife. But how can we imagine what this creator looks like?

A group of psychologists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill wanted to explore what the general opinion among Americans is regarding the appearance of God.

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When we think of a deity, a common image that comes to mind is a bright white light surrounding a heavenly body.

However, if we were to take a closer look, what features would we attribute to God, considering the idea that we are made in their image?

Word press

Using a new method, the research team presented 522 Christians with various pairs of faces to see which ones they thought resembled their image of God the most. The results are quite interesting.

After refining the chosen faces, they combined them to create a final face, representing what Americans, on average, imagine God to look like. 

Surprisingly, the selected faces suggested that people tended to envision God as younger and more feminine than the traditional depictions in scriptures and on TV.

Pixabay

Interestingly, the researchers discovered that political beliefs influenced how individuals perceived God. Conservatives tended to see God as powerful and Caucasian, while liberals saw God as more feminine and nurturing.

The final photos created included one that blended all the selected faces with God-like qualities and another that merged those with the least God-like qualities.

Both look a bit strange, but estimating the appearance of a deity isn't an exact science.

Pixabay

The main theme of the study reveals that people tend to imagine God looking more like themselves.

The authors of the study, which was published in PLOS One wrote: "Independent ratings suggest that, as predicted, perceptions of God’s face are shaped by egocentrism."

"Older participants saw an older God, more attractive participants saw a more attractive God, and African Americans saw a marginally more African American God."

It makes sense that many Christians, who believe that God created humans in His own image, would naturally lean towards choosing images of people who share similar features when envisioning God.

Jackson et al

Despite participants envisioning God in their own image, regardless of gender, they consistently chose a male representation.

The senior author of the study, Professor Kurt Gray, explained: "People's tendency to believe in a God that looks like them is consistent with an egocentric bias."

"People often project their beliefs and traits onto others, and our study shows that God's appearance is no different – people believe in a God who not only thinks like them, but also looks like them."

The study also explored public opinion on the concept of an 'Anti-God' and what people imagined that entity to look like.

In the depicted image, similar to their idea of God, a white man is once again shown, but with a more serious expression and thinning hair.

It's safe to say that the image can be unsettling for viewers.