Are actors more socially skilled? Behavioral and self-report measures

This study compared the social skills of 30 Semiprofessional Actors, 30 undergraduate Drama Students and 30 Nonactors. The participants answered a questionnaire containing the Riggio Social Skills inventory, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Inventory, and the Extraversion subscale from the Eysenck Personality Inventory. The participants also completed an individual standardised videotaped interview. 7 judges rated participants' videos as to social skill and attractiveness. The judges rated Semiprofessional Actors as more socially skilled than members of comparison groups, and Semiprofessional Actors considered themselves more socially skilled. Actors' higher ratings on social skill were not mediated by age, sex, or scores on self-esteem or Extraversion. There was also a strong correlation between the number of productions in which actors had participated and their judged social skill.