How to Be More Charismatic, but Not Too Much More
- sciart0
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
Excerpt: "A special quality sets some people apart from the crowd. They are magnetic to be around, attractive to watch, hypnotic to listen to. They have, in a word, charisma.
It seems like a divine grace—indeed, the word derives from the ancient Greek χάρισμα, meaning “God’s gift.” The word appeared in third-century B.C.E. Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible, and early Christians referred to charismata as blessings bestowed on believers such as prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues.
Our modern usage of charisma comes from the early-20th-century sociologist Max Weber, who called it a “certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities.”
And today, the concept of charisma is having a moment in the abbreviated slang term rizz, which, in Generation Z vernacular, describes one’s ability to charismatically court a romantic partner. It involves a notable power to impress others with smooth talk, confidence, or style—a skill we’d probably all like to have, beyond the domain of romance.
Do you have charisma? Would your life be better if you had more? Or is it, like fame, a blessing that hides a curse? The idea of being more charismatic certainly seems appealing, but here’s what science can tell you about whether this elusive rizz is a divine gift or a false friend.
A number of psychologists have looked for charisma’s seemingly magic ingredients. One of the most cited studies on the topic, from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2018, argues that charisma is actually a combination of two traits: influence (the ability to guide others with confidence and competence) and affability (the ability to make other people feel comfortable and at ease).
Influence is judged based on qualities such as one’s presence in a room, magnetism, and leadership ability. People see affability in, among other traits, frequency of smiling, approachability, and projection of positive energy."