Smile for success: Airbnb hosts with smiling profile photos get more bookings, even for properties in high-crime areas!

The Facial Feedback Hypothesis suggests that smiling—even a forced smile, for that matter—can trigger feelings of happiness by sending positive signals to the brain. But for Airbnb hosts, the benefits of smiling extend beyond personal well-being; it could also boost their booking rates!

Recent research has found that Airbnb hosts who include a smiling photo in their profile see an average increase of 3.5% in bookings. Conducted by a team from Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, University of Rochester and Yale School of Management, this study will soon be published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Unveiling the smile effect
The study aimed to delve into how a simple smile influences booking rates on Airbnb. Researchers employed advanced machine learning to analyse thousands of profile photos, teaching a computer program to identify and categorise smiles. This extensive analysis, which would have been labour-intensive for humans, enabled the team to identify patterns and assess the impact of smiles on consumer behaviour.

The findings show that smiling hosts, particularly those with higher listing uncertainties—such as inexperienced hosts or those with properties in high-crime areas—experience a notable increase in demand. A smile appears to diminish perceived risks and enhance the perception of warmth and competence.

Interestingly, the positive impact of a smiling photo is more pronounced for male hosts than for female hosts. A smile in a male host's profile photo can boost property demand by over 8%, whereas the effect for female hosts is less significant. This suggests that a smile may convey warmth and competence more effectively for male hosts, who are generally perceived as less warm compared to their female counterparts.

The study provides valuable insights into how smiling can influence consumer choices in an online environment where personal interaction is absent. This finding is especially relevant for any platform where trust and personal connection are crucial, such as online dating or professional services like online counsellors.

However, the impact of smiling may vary across different fields. In legal settings, for instance, preferences for personal interaction might differ from those in the sharing economy, such as Airbnb, making the effect of a smile potentially dependent on the customer’s expectations rather than the smile alone.

Future research will explore how non-verbal cues, including smiling, affect customer behaviour across various online service areas. These ventures could provide further insights into how digital interactions can be optimised for better engagement.