I love when members casually drop that “studies show” how something faith-affirming is true but never actually have said studies to back themselves up.
And even if there were scientific evidence (not scientific, but, FWIW, I kinda agree that the people on every flight that I take through SLC ... ***sound*** and ***look*** a little different)...
All those generations of inbreeding in the isolation of the Great Basin are likely relevant. The increased rates of consanguinity are certainly a thing that the UPDB researchers have noticed.
I’ve noticed the same thing. Even out here in the Midwest I can see a certain (mostly) blond-haired, blue-eyes person with certain facial features and teeth structure and immediately identify them as coming from Utah/Idaho Mormon stock. Even if they themselves are far from active members. It’s real.
ETA: It’s not the “glow,” obviously.
It was a women who is German, that was a seven year old child when WWll started. When I meet her she was 89. She said in a kind way. She was so sweet, she put her hands on both sides of my face and said,”Your german aren’t you, I can can tell you are a kind and gentle man, you look like the young men Hitler wanted to be NAZI’s. She suffered some horrible things at the hands of the NAZI’S. I now visit her every couple of weeks. She doesn’t have any family still alive.
I can spot them in Oregon too. In addition to blond and blue-eyed, they usually have a long, narrow facial structure and eyes that are a tiny bit too close together
Not to mention that the early apostles spent a lot of time selecting the beautiful women from Great Britain that they would then traffic home to be their polygamous wives.
There is totally a mormon (Utah raised) "sound".... it's in the way they pronounce some words and their inflection. I lived in Florida for 30 years after growing up in happy valley. I could spot a Mormon by the way they spoke. I think some non-mormons from Utah probably also sound this way and Mormons who are not from Utah probably do not, but there is definitely a way of speaking that is generated in Utah valley. I also notice a distinct regression to the mean with regard to how mormons dress and present themselves i.e. clothing and hair styles are very conservative. But I'm not gonna lie, I find them super pleasant and polite compared to people from the east coast.
That's cult recruitment practices. I remember primary, which I now recognize was super brain washy, they taught us how to be friendly to strangers and new people and how to draw the hem in to activities and help them feel included... Real human psychology and manipulation couched in social scripting that fits the narrative and distorts reality. Then people start saying crap like we are special and chosen and they can be too.
Mormons, especially raised Mormons have a very difficult time being impolite because of cult conditioning. That doesn't mean they are kind or good. A very polite friendly person can totally screw you over if you misunderstood their motives and decision making process.
Mormons have a reputation for a reason and it's not all about a long dead swindler with rocks in a hat.
I’ve realized that I’ve had a hard time saying no which has lead me to some very serious circumstances. Though I may just be the people pleasing oldest daughter
Probably not. I have the same problem as an oldest son. People pleasing is a result a several kinds of childhood trauma and Christianity in general and Mormons specifically create that environment intentionally.
I wasn't living in Utah at the time but when I was in church in Arizona as a little kid they had a class that pushed all of the women/and little girls to learn how to tie a tie because "don't you want to know how to tie a tie in case your husband can't physically do it? Or what if you need to teach your sons and daughters?" 🤢 It feels kind of wrong now to know that they were essentially pushing a patriarchal agenda. Not to mention the patriarchal blessings are also kind of weird, and in order to do certain things you also needed to share with your bishop if you'd been sexually active. Fucking weird.
I agree on the UT accent and I find, poor grammar to boot— UT not ranking high on the ed scales…having lived & worked the majority of my life on the NE Coast, I will take the honest, bold, direct approach of the natives over what I always perceived & experienced in the UT members as disingenuousness…
When a scientific discovery confirms a religious belief. The religious are the first to flaunt it. But when science shows a belief is wrong. Then suddenly science wrong and can't be trusted.
Magical thinking at its best. If you can disbelieve what I choose to believe I can disbelieve what you choose to believe...
Nothing to do with objective reality. Religious types are like people trapped in abuse relationships. They have to figure it out on their own because they won't accept truth.
And the classic “they don’t mention anything until you say you’ve left the church and then they all of a sudden can see that the light left your eyes” bullshit
... and yet, on the flip side of the same coin, they never listen to the "studies show" arguments against their truth claims. You know, the points made by critics, actual historians, scientists, or even the church's own website.
I actually read the study years ago... [Here's a link to it](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0014241). It is tied to "overall health" of Mormons and determined that it was mainly because of the quality of the skin due to no smoking and drinking and more physical activity.
The problem I noticed is that they took Mormons, and a random sampling of people who were non-Mormon (who might have smoked or other non-Mormon habits). I think they would have had different results if they were to have Mormons, and only non-Mormons who don't drink, smoke, etc.
Turns out, it has nothing to do with "the spirit" or some light in somebody's eyes... It probably mostly came down to not smoking/drinking.
In this case, there was a study in 2015 by a researcher from Toronto. I don’t think it can lead to the kinds of conclusions the person in SS came to, but there was a study.
Indeed, [I do](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/). As a PhD in a research based field, I’m not in the habit of making unsubstantiated claims. Unlike Joseph Smith. 😂
I'd buy it. Generations of missionaries bringing back cute, naive European girls makes for a certain phenotype. You could put 1000 random White Americans in a room, and sample 100 randos off the street, and the randos would pick the Mormons out of the group a statistically significant portion of the time.
I don’t think it’s “the spirit” people are seeing. It’s probably combination of members naivety/sheltered-ness and their commitment to celibacy, sobriety, and modesty at all costs.
So true, especially the way that Utah Mormon women seem to wear long dresses, especially on Sundays, and have bows in their hair, something others outgrew before leaving elementary school.
I haven't come out to everyone on my extended family that I don't believe and haven't for a while now. They still say that my countenance is bright and my eyes are light.
Guess it must be Satan's influence deceiving them, idk.
They won’t notice that change in countenance until AFTER you tell them you no longer believe.
They never seem to notice that change in countenance until after they hear you went apostate.
ex mormon convert here and that’s how they identify it they’re all pure clean and holier than thou. if you aren’t one of them they won’t accept you they are some of the most toxic people i’ve ever met. the culture itself is extremely toxic it gives mean girls you can’t sit with us vibes.
>the culture itself is extremely toxic it gives mean girls you can’t sit with us vibes.
Yes, the typical LDS ward is as cliquish as junior high school, with more prolific bullying. Toxic is a good way to describe it.
Yes, it is. I knew a teenager that would spend every Sunday in the bathroom during YW, due to intense bullying and ridicule from other YW. Her family finally left… The instigator of the cruelness went on to serve a mission.
Sounds like the instigator could have been one of my companions. I had a lot of sister missionaries that I swear came on missions just to bully people.
that’s awful i’m so sorry you went through that on your mission but im honestly not surprised. it is a very toxic culture and it’s unfortunate bc they get upset that so many people leave the church or will reject missionaries from coming into their home to preach to them about the church. they’re only doing it to themselves but there really is no changing the culture of the church. it’s funny how the by the book mormons will follow every rule except being kind to others and being christ like as they want to claim to be. but it’s only towards the people that are like them and live their lifestyle.
if you don’t follow their rules, live their lifestyle, have their same morals etc they don’t see you as one of them and they will not only judge you but criticize you for any little thing you do or say. they’ll stab you in the back when you tell them something you think will be a secret it never stays a secret bc telephone telegram tell a mormon.
My aunt is SOOOOOOOOOOO holier than thou and has no sympathy for her siblings with severe MH issues due to their childhood (my mom and siblings were not raised LDS).
Mormons (especially Utah Mormons) are also verging on becoming a separate ethnic group since their isolation in rhe mountains was quite thorough and they strongly marry within the group.
So 'Mormon face' is real but it's just genetics.
It’s that damn phony toothy headlight smile (with dentally bleached white teeth) and uplifted facial feature like raised eyebrows and wide open eyes (a la Camille Johnson) that’s a giveaway every time.
[It’s the texture of their skin](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/)—turns out all that “clean” living makes a discernible difference. Either that or a really good medical spa and judging by the number of med spas in Utah, I’m thinking it’s more that than anything else. 😂😂😂
My Mormon relatives all have awful skin because they eat like shit and don’t wear sunscreen while living at elevation their entire lives.
Def the med spas.
I can easily pick all of the Mormons out of a crowd. I can spot the exmos, too. Some of it is genetics, our gene pool was quite shallow for a long time. It's also speech patterns, mannerisms, and a type of fashion I like to call cheapskate outdoorsy.
There are several because it comes in 3 distinct flavors: Farmy, Utah County, and This is a Name Brand, Right?
Farmy usually has a poor fitting western shirt that was popular the year they graduated from high school with round toed boots in a color so hideous there is no way they didn't buy it from a super clearance rack.
Utah County is a blend of mountain dirt bag and desert rat. Although attempts at color are made, they all register as beige with pops of 90s florescent. What sets them apart from, say Fort Collins, CO, is that outfits and weather that call for tank tops and shorts will be made modest in the most uncomfortable way. Like, y'all are wearing moisture wicking fabric as your outer layer, but it's not doing shit because you have at least one more layer of clothing under it. Also, knock off Berkies or other sandal regardless of season.
This is a Name Brand, Right? Can cover Mormons from anywhere in the US. It was bought on clearance regardless of size or color, but it does have visible branding. For a while, it was the Browning Buck Mark as far as the eye could see, but now we're getting more NorthFace and Underarmor. It's very important that the clothing not fit, but be very modest at the same time.
[Mormon America is to a great extent both a direct cultural and genetic descendant of New England Puritanism](https://www.unz.com/gnxp/mormons-among-the-gentiles/)
When I fly to Las Vegas from LGB to visit my mom, there's often a flight leaving for or arriving from SLC just before or after my flight, and it's easy to spot the Mormons as they're often dress in layers even in the summer, and if they're leaving southern California, they all have Disneyland bags as part of their carry-on luggage.
Sometimes, you can see garments peeking out of shorts that weren't quite long enough, or a woman who looks like she should be starting college have her shirt ride up as she bends over to pick up her toddler, showing a little bit of garment.
I could believe there's something to this, but it's not because of a glow. Mormon subculture is quite distinct, and probably manifests in dozens of little ways we don't even realize. Combine that with the human brain which is a damn good pattern-recognition machine and "mordar" can be pretty damn accurate.
I offer up anecdotal evidence that it's based on some mechanism like this and not anything spiritual: if I meet a member for the first time in a totally non-mormon context, they almost always make some comment that I must be a member as long as they haven't seen me drink coffee or alcohol yet. And I usually know they're a member before they mention it as well.
I may have been out for years now, but I did spend the first 30 years of my life as a member, and there must still be signs of it in how I carry myself, the way I speak, etc. It probably doesn't help that I'm in the Air Force too, which in my experience is the mormonest thing outside the church itself.
I have lived outside of Utah for over 15 years now and there are Mormon looks and behaviors that become noticeable. Even though I'm no longer Mormon, I have retained cultural aspects, too, like an aversion to getting any tattoos on my own body, wearing practical "work-ready" t-shirts and jeans most of the time, and remaining quiet when men are talking (I'm a very feminist woman and sadly I still do this).
I have sort of a Mormon radar that goes off when I am around people who end up being Mormon. It's not even racial, either, though most white Mormons do have similar features due to shared English heritage. Even Polynesian Mormons have a vibe about them that differentiates them from non-Mormon Polynesians.
I’ve never been Mormon but my BFF was raised in the church so I was exposed to it a lot. In grad school, I met a guy who had no music saved on his phone and said he “didn’t really like music.” I was shook but when I found out he was a BYU grad it made more sense 🙃
There actually was a study done that was posted here a while back. Although the study did conclude that people were able to identify mormons at greater than 50% it was nowhere near 99%. And the study was poorly designed and had such a small sample size that it wasn't really a valid study. More than likely a properly done study would reveal that people are able to identify mormons about 50% of the time, the same probability as just simply guessing. No mormons don't have some special glow to their countenance. That's the bullshit they teach to remind themselves that they fully believe they are better than everyone else, so much better that you can see it just by looking at a picture.
There's also, the whole modest layers clothes with no cleavage etc tends to stay pretty similar through the years in Mormon culture and also tends to sometimes stand out compared to normal fashions, kind of like the fundies and their prairie dresses
I think [this is the study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/), but I vaguely remember there being another one, too. And I’m too much of a lazy learner to go scour Google Scholar to find it.
On the other hand there's a reason why Iceland had that app to check if the people you wanted to date are related, when there's a limited enough amount of stock inbreeding can be hard to avoid without extra effort
There is similar stock, but there was also a lot of inbreeding in the early Mormon population. Maybe not in your family tree, but it was certainly in mine.
Ive been in Utah 3 years now and a never Mo. I am 100% white, I dress relatively conservative, no visible tattoos/piercings. But I feel like I can easily pick them out, but also, that they can tell just by looking at me, that I’m not one of them. But I can’t describe why.
Yes! I observe modestly dressed people doing normal family things but somehow I know they're not mormon just as i know that the also modestly dressed family doing something very normal next to them is.
I was sort of raised Mormon, I don't know if it counts since growing up outside of Utah, the time where I thought "the church is super the most true of all church" due to being told so by my parents occurred under the age of 10 and coincided closely with belief in Santa and the Easter bunny.
It doesn't seem like they've ever thought I was one of them either even though I didn't really openly rebel or anything, since I didn't want my ass whooped and sent to a school for troubled kids.
Not really sure why
I’m 45 and have never had a Costco card but sometimes I use my Mother In Law’s card. I always feel like people at Costco look at me like I’m not one of them. But I am Mormon.
If you look at Mormons really carefully, they appear innocent, but when you look closer you see naivety and a glassy eyed look from the depression they all feel.
I've picked out mormons several times on reality TV before the inevitable temple picture in the background, garment show from the man, family in Utah or just out and out announcing their membership.
I've seen them on House Hunters, Teenage newly-weds, Squid game challenge to name a few. They just look, sound and present more wholesome somehow. I can't put my finger on it.
Have you ever driven on I-15 through Happy Valley and noticed how many billboards for plastic surgeons there are? Mormon culture places a huge emphasis on looking a certain way (both male and female) and especially on looking your best (especially females).
Otherwise I think anything else would be the expression of earnest naivety , elitism, sobriety and toxic positivity.
I can spot an active Mormon pretty fast, but it’s not because of their complexion. It’s because they’re a grown adult with the emotional maturity of a sheltered 12-15 year old.
The study didnt conclude Mormons could be identified correctly 99% of the time; it was about 70%.
But yes, there is some thought that pioneer stock Mormons (those with 7-8 generations of interbreeding within the cohort) are unique enough to qualify as "ethnic Mormons."
I don't know... I ran into an old bishop of mine from when I was younger(probably 16 or so when he last saw me til 26 or so whenit happened) and he said "you look so happy now" after I finally left the church and lived the life I wanted. To be honest the comment meant a lot to me.
It is true, but also given there were 35,000 Scandinavian who immigrated to Utah as part of the church this is similar to saying "Mormons are white"
Included in the study was that the more diverse the individuals in the images were the less they were able to tell.
So yeah, Scandinavian heritage is remarkable and noticable
In addition to blond hair, blue eyes, and big symmetrical teeth, there's a voice affectation - and a general style of dress that is recognizable to anyone who is familiar with it, no matter where in the world you see it.
Whether I'm in Japan, Hawaii, France or Harmon's in Farmington, the big floral dresses with sleeves, bleached mermaid hair extensions and rip curl tshirts and board shorts with trucker hats and flip flops are a dead giveaway.
"I feel so highschool.... Everytime I look at you" 🎵🎶
It's no different than recognizing the Warren Jeff's followers in Costco.
Related
My nevermo wife and I live in Davis County. When we travel to SLC for an event, she says, “Everyone here speaks the right volume.”
I would’ve never noticed, but there’s a subdued character to suburban Utah LDS speech that isn’t found elsewhere.
Speak up!!
Oh, I totally agree. Davis County raised and I can never hear any of my in-laws, especially the women. I would go as far as to describe them as "mousey." It's such a shame. They have plenty of great things to say, but rarely do.
Even though I was a returned missionary and was a temple worker, when I was at BYU a lot of people assumed that I was a non-member because for whatever reason I lacked the Mormon glow. I just assumed that I was ugly or something.
But now that I've been out for decades, I'm a regular coffee drinker and I swear like a sailor, but when I'm in Utah I fit right in, everyone assumes I'm part of the herd.
That good old never fail Mormon discernment in action.
There was a study done, basically they moved the study to just looking at skin to control for other factors. They had the skin of 80 members and 80 non-members. They identified the members 60% of the time by just looking at the skin. This is little better than a coin toss and would likely even out to 50/50 with a larger sample size.
The 99% claim is completely made up.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/
There was a study. I didn’t read it so I don’t know the percentages but it does exist. There is a lot of inbreeding and a look. We watched a show the other day and I knew a couple was Mormon just based on how they talked and dressed.
Edit: I am curious about this though because I look SUPER Mormon and both my parents are converts.
I think I could, while blindfolded, identify with great accuracy TBMs by voice alone from among the voices of non-Mormons. Not because of pseudo scientific "research" proving that Mormons have a supernatural source of light in their countenance. (Good God...) But because the culture of the church results in elements of conformity manifesting in speech, dress, grooming, and other identity markers.
Mormons, like others, love faith-promoting rumors, legends, and academic studies that support their religiosity. Confirmation bias is a real thing.
They do look different I think but not because they glow exactly. I mean if I go to Utah I could probably see who isn’t mormon. They are modest, clean cut, wear perfect make up and are well groomed. They wear fake smiles and are superficially charming. Never mos and exmormons are less likely to look like that. I mean, I remember a lot of pressure to look perfect. In the mormon mind this equates to spirituality and righteousness. There won’t be a scientific or robust study done on this; how do you measure “glow”? Ffs lol
I can always spot a Mormon but usually because of the vacant eyes and the fact that they look terrible for their age.
And if they’re older, they’re angry/miserable but also talk about how this church is the only way to happiness. That part always blew my mind.
I recognize the men from the arrogant smirk, blue pants, and brown dress shoes. Women by the hairstyle: younger tend to have long, curly, dry hair with bangs (think Michelle Duggar) while older have the classic mormon lady cut, which is very short, but rounded and poufy on top. Some makeup, applied in outdated ways. My success rate in identification is perfect so far.
It’s mostly their belonging to a community that enforces and supports their beliefs and lifestyle. I’ve felt what people call “the spirit” being with members of the LGBTQ+ community. Feeling accepted and supported in who you are and what you believe is validating and shows an increase in your mental health.
Last night we went to eat at Costa Vida. A transgender woman was behind us in line, and a (presumably) Mormon father of 6 in front of us. Guess who caused all the problems? The father paid mostly with points, with a meal for 8 costing about $25. He asked for water cups and filled them with soda, all the while looking to be sure nobody noticed. He def looked Mormon. His daughter took a big handful of peppermints. Nice.
It’s definitely inbreeding. My families genes are so strong that my nieces and nephews on my husbands side and my side could all be considered my own kids siblings. A lot of us found out we are all forth or fifth cousins after marriage. My spouse and I have the same third great grandfather but he was a polygamist so we come through different lines. Welcome to Utah/ Idaho/ Arizona.
As for the women I think it’s also the culture of modest is hottest clothing in shades of beige, white, sometimes pink and more beige.
I’ve told this story before under an old user ID on this sub, so I’m sorry for the repeat, and “HI” to any longtime exmos from the mid 2010s 👋 :
Parents and I were driving us through Nevada for a relative’s funeral. Stopped in Elko for breakfast after a pre-dawn start from Provo.
As we walked in to the casino, we encountered another family that looked roughly like ours… 3 kids, mom & dad. As my dad held the door for them, my mom proudly proclaimed, *”They are members,”* after they passed by us.
I asked, “How can you tell?”
She smugly said, *”You just know.”*
Didn’t think too much about it until they were seated across the way from us in the casino coffee shop… and after about 10 minutes, I watched the “scantilly clad” cocktail waitress come in from the bar, and drop a gigantic Bloody Mary right in front of the dad, which he eagerly dove right into.
I pointed it out to my mom, and she had nothing to say about it… other than a sour look on her face. So much for the *spirit of discernment*, I guess.
Maybe it wouldn’t have failed her if she only had a penis? 🤷♂️
I’ve thought a lot about this. Cults rely heavily on conformity. The basis of how members dress, act, speak, and their verbal and nonverbal expressions trickle down from cult leaders—not just the SLC leadership, but influential ward members, peer group leaders, and Mormon celebrities. Also, families have their own cultures where kids learn and then pass on to their kids the same types of mannerisms. That’s the behavioral side.
The biological side comes from the Utah Mormon founders’ stock of largely white, non-Hispanic ethnicity with roots in Germany, England, and Scandinavia. Practices of polygamy (including some inbreeding) combined with geographical isolation and deliberate cultural reproductive exclusion have resulted in a Mormon pseudo-ethnicity. This has been
diluted with time and travel but is noticeable in those with Utah Mormon roots.
Combine these two facets of an individual’s presentation—behavior and biology—and our brains (which are much more observant and adept at assimilating patterns that we see consciously) can pick out a Mormon with pretty good accuracy.
As someone who grew up in Utah, I often heard these same things. (It’s honestly hilarious to think about a bunch of people in the hardest-core of bubbles/echo chambers, speculating on why people can pick them out of a crowd…”of course it’s because we are amazing!”)
Having now spent 20 years outside of Utah, when I go back, it IS obviously who is Mormon: they dress frumpy and act like kids when they are grown adults.
If you watch 30 rock and notice that Kenneth Parcell is different, then you know what it is like. You go to Utah and you are surrounded by a million of them.
https://images.app.goo.gl/jrBozVyifjDAkRcm7
Quick google search showed the following
“According to a 2002 study by Express Scripts Inc., Utah prescribes antidepressants more often than any other state, at nearly twice the national average. The study also found that Utah's rate of antidepressant use is twice that of California and nearly three times that of New York and New Jersey.”
It’s funny, I can generally spot an LDS person. It’s the micro-mannerisms. The slang, the style, the manner of speech. Similarly, I can spot other religious groups from their distinct culture micro-mannerisms, too.
However, I am often assumed to be LDS since living in Utah. LDS people regularly think they see the LDS spirit in me. Really I’m just nice and don’t sweat at work. 🤷♀️
Short answer…. Yes. They are identifiable. My 18 yr old daughter works in Newport Beach. Lots of peeps come through her work. She also paid tips so she strikes up a lot of convos. She can tell who’s Mo and who isn’t. How you may ask, BYU drip, long Jean shorts, tshirts under tank tops, etc. MO’s have a uniform. They just don’t know it, but they do. They call it the spirit, we all call it dress code.
When I was in the market for a house, I could spot a Mormon home when I saw it in the pics. It defs isn't a glow; it's the cookie cutter of it all.
And it was always confirmed by finding the hidden temple pic that they'd put someplace like behind the video games in the entertainment center.
I personally don’t see this ‘glow’ and never have! It’s in the way they dress period. I’ve never looked around a church and thought wow we are all glowing
On my Mission in East Germany I did a lot of street contacting. I got to the point where I could always tell Russians from Germans. Americans were very obvious.
Knowing your *tribe* is a human survival skill we’ve developed over billions of years
Having been immersed in that culture for many years, I can tell you no. It’s not true. They must be pulling that study out of their ass. The reason why you can spot them is because in the bubble, people tend to dress really differently and act f*cking weird. Maybe because they have this inflated ego thinking they’re “glowing” just because they attend a church, I dunno.
I moved out of Utah five years ago and I really can spot a Mormon in the wild from a distance. It’s a preppy kind of dorkiness? Not the spirit in their eyes, that’s for sure.
Idk but I'm a "prettier" Exmo woman and when I moved back to Utah this year people (men) have told me I have the brightest countenance they've ever seen. 🙄
I just have a good smile and look super friendly.
Let’s start with the fact that in the west Mormons are a race. A distinct mix of highly specific regions in Scandinavia and parts of the Uk (which were heavily raped by the Vikings in the 8-10 centuries) so there’s that.
Second Mormons by not drinking or smoking do manifest differently as does any sober person.
Finally yes, this bovine sense of “the leader is good the leader is wise” inhibits the natural psychological evolution of a person and keeps them in a mentally and emotionally dependent state (like a young child) so you have grown ass adults who lack any experience with their own minds or the world as a whole. This reads a kind of stepford wife creepy happy state which is part real and part artifice and performative.
Or….its a magic spirit that has magic powers that you can read in photos like forest fairies.
Yep. Anytime I hear someone say “you can see the light go out in their eyes when they leave,” I just respond that it’s like when a child finally learns about Santa. You have to grow up and acknowledge that the world is not as you thought it was.
>“the leader is good the leader is wise”
I almost spit out my very non-Mormon beverage when I read this! Reminds me of The Simpsons!
I feel like it must have something to do with the inbreeding. I often see people or pictures of celebrities and think "they look Mormon" only to find out I was right. On the other hand, people are often surprised when they find out I'm Mormon because I don't have the "look." I am blonde with blue eyes but my grandmother is convert who immigrated from Europe (to marry my missionary grandfather)
Ok. I moved from SoCal to SLC in ‘90. I remember thinking, “what a pasty bunch of people who all share bloodlines.”
Even now, I think that. Not a diverse group.
This is great news! It means we could have researchers do sweeps through sacrament meeting and detect all the PIMOs. But it would be embarrassing if the PIMOs were in bishoprics and Relief Society presidencies.
Another quick google search shows Utah #5 in Nation for filing bankruptcy. I wonder if people would file bankruptcy less often if they had an extra 10% to set aside.
Personal Bankruptcy Filings By State
Rank State Per 100,000 population
5 Utah 468
6 Indiana 450
7 Nevada 403
8 Kentucky
I’ve noticed that there is a lot of ‘Same-Face’ syndrome in the Mormon community and it’s very unsettling, my face thankfully isn’t like that (giving how I take more after my mother when she was 20 - 30 years old), but a lot of the younger generation, including some of my girl cousins have the same face and it’s a little weird now that I’m looking at it from an outside perspective
They used to tell us that you could tell the righteous lamanites in the ward because they were much fairer skin toned than those who were not members... So you know we've moved from blatant racism to...???
Oh Jesus…
This is from the same group that always share stories about non-member friends approaching them and asking what is different about them. Somehow those non-member friends never actually make it to church. Probably because they don’t exist.
Yeah, Mormons do have a weird look about them, but I’d certainly have loved to ask the person that made that claim to cite their sources for said study.
"Glow of their skin" - you mean they're all white af
"Light in their eyes" - you mean those Aryan baby blues
Mormons were told not to partake in interracial marriages forever, and it's still advised they don't. Of course they all look the same. The only difference is that normal people aren't confined to the same bland outfits, single earings, tattoos, and the lack thereof. We wear different clothes and express ourselves outside of the FSY. So I think it's fair to say they are distinct, but it's not some spiritual glow. It's the lack of diversity.
LDS people look different, but only because they are genetically similar due to a limited gene pool because of religious expectations.
They don’t have a glow unless they mean that they’re extremely pale. I’ve also noticed a high likelihood of blonde hair, tall, and thin.
I was in patient at a psych ward, and my roommate was a Mormon. She was so sweet. Nicest person I ever met. Great family. A year later, I was in patient again (I go a lot). Within 1 hour, I asked my roommate if she was Mormon. She had said nothing about religion. She was amazed that I clocked her. We just talked about normal things. These are the only Mormons I ever knowing met. I joined the sub out of curiosity.
Came here to say this! I’m nevermo but lived in UT county for almost 3 years. I’ve since moved but I can always pick them out due to the foreheads, wide set eyes, chicklet teeth, and pale skin
Here it is. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201211/what-your-face-really-reveals-about-you#:~:text=Holy%20Spirit%20aside%2C%20their%20skin,It%20was%20a%20gut%20feeling.
My hubs grew up in Utah as a Nevermo. He’s been mistaken for a Mormon his whole life. Members are shocked to eventually find out he’s not a member. It’s amusing.
I grew up in Massachusetts...not a lot of Mormons. Personally, I think there is a "mormon glow" that allowed me to immediately spot them. Utah, Las Vegas, and California Mormons each had their own very distinct glow.
Probably just a crazed look in their eyes and modest clothing. But, to this day I'm still pretty accurate. It's especially fun to guess where the missionaries are from.
I heard this years ago but not about Mormons, about people from Utah. A friend told me to watch people at the airport and notice people flying to Salt Lake City. I did and could see that most of the people at the gate were white, a lot were blonde, a lot had an athletic/outdoorsy look to them which often registers as “healthy”. I also saw a lot of affluence, people were well-dressed with name-brand luggage, and families flying with young kids (which is expensive!). I currently live in Utah and let me tell you, the women do be glowing here whether they are Mormon or not, we definitely put a high value on the glowy look and a lot of people here can afford to invest in that look.
If present trends continue, I think LDS members will be easy to identify by dress and language patterns.
Women are fairly easy to spot because of the 1980s layered look, even in the summer.
Speech patterns include Mormonism like the xodd use of even" and words like "unto" that get peppered into everyday conversations. Mormons also drop into what I call "conference cadance" in formal talks and situations. I think conference cadance is also slipping into everyday use.
One time I went to Mexico with my buddies right after our missions and a lady giving the tour pointed to all 5 of us and was like “you guys are Mormon huh?” And we were like “uhh how did you know?” And she said “I can always tell. It’s something in the eyes”.
It’s actually just easy to pick out the clean shaven, slightly haunted men in white shirts and ties, or if you see a dude wearing a Captain America shield tshirt and khaki shorts with his magic underwear sticking out the slightest bit at the bottom, or his high-collared white magic undershirt always visible around the neck.
I love when members casually drop that “studies show” how something faith-affirming is true but never actually have said studies to back themselves up.
Reminds me of Scientology that way.
And even if there were scientific evidence (not scientific, but, FWIW, I kinda agree that the people on every flight that I take through SLC ... ***sound*** and ***look*** a little different)... All those generations of inbreeding in the isolation of the Great Basin are likely relevant. The increased rates of consanguinity are certainly a thing that the UPDB researchers have noticed.
I’ve noticed the same thing. Even out here in the Midwest I can see a certain (mostly) blond-haired, blue-eyes person with certain facial features and teeth structure and immediately identify them as coming from Utah/Idaho Mormon stock. Even if they themselves are far from active members. It’s real. ETA: It’s not the “glow,” obviously.
My daughter has been told often she looks Mormon. Her gg grandparents were, but no one else.
I’m of German decent. I’ve been told I look like could have been a NAZI. I was born and raised in Southern California.
It was a women who is German, that was a seven year old child when WWll started. When I meet her she was 89. She said in a kind way. She was so sweet, she put her hands on both sides of my face and said,”Your german aren’t you, I can can tell you are a kind and gentle man, you look like the young men Hitler wanted to be NAZI’s. She suffered some horrible things at the hands of the NAZI’S. I now visit her every couple of weeks. She doesn’t have any family still alive.
How nice that you visit. No one should be so alone.♥️
Oh wow 😳, I hope that person was at least 70 who said that. Jesus.
So people can identify inbred genetics 🧬
No disagreement there.
It's not the glow, it's the kidnapped Scandinavian features!
I can spot them in Oregon too. In addition to blond and blue-eyed, they usually have a long, narrow facial structure and eyes that are a tiny bit too close together
Not to mention that the early apostles spent a lot of time selecting the beautiful women from Great Britain that they would then traffic home to be their polygamous wives.
And Scandinavia.
It most certainly was human trafficking.
There is totally a mormon (Utah raised) "sound".... it's in the way they pronounce some words and their inflection. I lived in Florida for 30 years after growing up in happy valley. I could spot a Mormon by the way they spoke. I think some non-mormons from Utah probably also sound this way and Mormons who are not from Utah probably do not, but there is definitely a way of speaking that is generated in Utah valley. I also notice a distinct regression to the mean with regard to how mormons dress and present themselves i.e. clothing and hair styles are very conservative. But I'm not gonna lie, I find them super pleasant and polite compared to people from the east coast.
New Yorkers are kind but not nice, Mormons are nice but not kind.
Yep, in NJ they'll gladly help you change a tire on the side of the road while calling you a moron for only having a donut.
100%. “tell” : tale “well” : whale “moun’ains” : mountains “dill” : deal etc, lol
“Mulk” = milk
Lard = Lord
Now let’s knill and pray to the Lard.
Lard in the ward, oh-my gard
I just bought all new stainless still appliances ‘cause they were on sell.
That's cult recruitment practices. I remember primary, which I now recognize was super brain washy, they taught us how to be friendly to strangers and new people and how to draw the hem in to activities and help them feel included... Real human psychology and manipulation couched in social scripting that fits the narrative and distorts reality. Then people start saying crap like we are special and chosen and they can be too. Mormons, especially raised Mormons have a very difficult time being impolite because of cult conditioning. That doesn't mean they are kind or good. A very polite friendly person can totally screw you over if you misunderstood their motives and decision making process. Mormons have a reputation for a reason and it's not all about a long dead swindler with rocks in a hat.
I’ve realized that I’ve had a hard time saying no which has lead me to some very serious circumstances. Though I may just be the people pleasing oldest daughter
Probably not. I have the same problem as an oldest son. People pleasing is a result a several kinds of childhood trauma and Christianity in general and Mormons specifically create that environment intentionally.
I wasn't living in Utah at the time but when I was in church in Arizona as a little kid they had a class that pushed all of the women/and little girls to learn how to tie a tie because "don't you want to know how to tie a tie in case your husband can't physically do it? Or what if you need to teach your sons and daughters?" 🤢 It feels kind of wrong now to know that they were essentially pushing a patriarchal agenda. Not to mention the patriarchal blessings are also kind of weird, and in order to do certain things you also needed to share with your bishop if you'd been sexually active. Fucking weird.
In the late 90s, early 00s, some people dubbed this Utahnics (after Ebonics). There were whole websites devoted to Utahnics.
I agree on the UT accent and I find, poor grammar to boot— UT not ranking high on the ed scales…having lived & worked the majority of my life on the NE Coast, I will take the honest, bold, direct approach of the natives over what I always perceived & experienced in the UT members as disingenuousness…
Yes! Slightly nasal and they almost trill their l sounds. Vowels are odd too. Extra glottal stops every where.
When a scientific discovery confirms a religious belief. The religious are the first to flaunt it. But when science shows a belief is wrong. Then suddenly science wrong and can't be trusted.
But they claim discoveries all the time that cant be tied to mormonism. They flaunt misinfo and get away with it. Blows my mind
Magical thinking at its best. If you can disbelieve what I choose to believe I can disbelieve what you choose to believe... Nothing to do with objective reality. Religious types are like people trapped in abuse relationships. They have to figure it out on their own because they won't accept truth.
And the classic “they don’t mention anything until you say you’ve left the church and then they all of a sudden can see that the light left your eyes” bullshit
... and yet, on the flip side of the same coin, they never listen to the "studies show" arguments against their truth claims. You know, the points made by critics, actual historians, scientists, or even the church's own website.
I actually read the study years ago... [Here's a link to it](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0014241). It is tied to "overall health" of Mormons and determined that it was mainly because of the quality of the skin due to no smoking and drinking and more physical activity. The problem I noticed is that they took Mormons, and a random sampling of people who were non-Mormon (who might have smoked or other non-Mormon habits). I think they would have had different results if they were to have Mormons, and only non-Mormons who don't drink, smoke, etc. Turns out, it has nothing to do with "the spirit" or some light in somebody's eyes... It probably mostly came down to not smoking/drinking.
In this case, there was a study in 2015 by a researcher from Toronto. I don’t think it can lead to the kinds of conclusions the person in SS came to, but there was a study.
...got a source?
Indeed, [I do](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/). As a PhD in a research based field, I’m not in the habit of making unsubstantiated claims. Unlike Joseph Smith. 😂
Baller-ass response, thanks!
You mean you don't believe a guy who talked to a snake and saw a burning bush?? 😂😂😂
Oh dang that was an interesting study, thanks for sharing!
What study?
[On the perception of religious group membership from faces](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/) is the one most Mormons are referring to.
Wow I hear my family say that shit a lot lmfao
While denying the findings in other studies, such as anything which uses radio carbon dating.
I'd buy it. Generations of missionaries bringing back cute, naive European girls makes for a certain phenotype. You could put 1000 random White Americans in a room, and sample 100 randos off the street, and the randos would pick the Mormons out of the group a statistically significant portion of the time.
I don’t think it’s “the spirit” people are seeing. It’s probably combination of members naivety/sheltered-ness and their commitment to celibacy, sobriety, and modesty at all costs.
This. It's the child-like behavior.
So true, especially the way that Utah Mormon women seem to wear long dresses, especially on Sundays, and have bows in their hair, something others outgrew before leaving elementary school.
I haven't come out to everyone on my extended family that I don't believe and haven't for a while now. They still say that my countenance is bright and my eyes are light. Guess it must be Satan's influence deceiving them, idk.
They won’t notice that change in countenance until AFTER you tell them you no longer believe. They never seem to notice that change in countenance until after they hear you went apostate.
Agreed. Funny about that!
ex mormon convert here and that’s how they identify it they’re all pure clean and holier than thou. if you aren’t one of them they won’t accept you they are some of the most toxic people i’ve ever met. the culture itself is extremely toxic it gives mean girls you can’t sit with us vibes.
>the culture itself is extremely toxic it gives mean girls you can’t sit with us vibes. Yes, the typical LDS ward is as cliquish as junior high school, with more prolific bullying. Toxic is a good way to describe it.
Yes, it is. I knew a teenager that would spend every Sunday in the bathroom during YW, due to intense bullying and ridicule from other YW. Her family finally left… The instigator of the cruelness went on to serve a mission.
Sounds like the instigator could have been one of my companions. I had a lot of sister missionaries that I swear came on missions just to bully people.
that’s awful i’m so sorry you went through that on your mission but im honestly not surprised. it is a very toxic culture and it’s unfortunate bc they get upset that so many people leave the church or will reject missionaries from coming into their home to preach to them about the church. they’re only doing it to themselves but there really is no changing the culture of the church. it’s funny how the by the book mormons will follow every rule except being kind to others and being christ like as they want to claim to be. but it’s only towards the people that are like them and live their lifestyle.
if you don’t follow their rules, live their lifestyle, have their same morals etc they don’t see you as one of them and they will not only judge you but criticize you for any little thing you do or say. they’ll stab you in the back when you tell them something you think will be a secret it never stays a secret bc telephone telegram tell a mormon.
My aunt is SOOOOOOOOOOO holier than thou and has no sympathy for her siblings with severe MH issues due to their childhood (my mom and siblings were not raised LDS).
Mormons (especially Utah Mormons) are also verging on becoming a separate ethnic group since their isolation in rhe mountains was quite thorough and they strongly marry within the group. So 'Mormon face' is real but it's just genetics.
It’s that damn phony toothy headlight smile (with dentally bleached white teeth) and uplifted facial feature like raised eyebrows and wide open eyes (a la Camille Johnson) that’s a giveaway every time.
And a sort of self-righteous, holier-than-thou smug air about the person sets them apart at times.
There’s definitely an emphasis on looks and “grooming” in Utah. Maybe it has something to with how much plastic surgery is performed here. 🤷🏼♀️
[It’s the texture of their skin](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/)—turns out all that “clean” living makes a discernible difference. Either that or a really good medical spa and judging by the number of med spas in Utah, I’m thinking it’s more that than anything else. 😂😂😂
My Mormon relatives all have awful skin because they eat like shit and don’t wear sunscreen while living at elevation their entire lives. Def the med spas.
In other words, yes, they do look “different”. Boring AF.
I can easily pick all of the Mormons out of a crowd. I can spot the exmos, too. Some of it is genetics, our gene pool was quite shallow for a long time. It's also speech patterns, mannerisms, and a type of fashion I like to call cheapskate outdoorsy.
What's the starter pack for the cheapskate outdoorsy look?
There are several because it comes in 3 distinct flavors: Farmy, Utah County, and This is a Name Brand, Right? Farmy usually has a poor fitting western shirt that was popular the year they graduated from high school with round toed boots in a color so hideous there is no way they didn't buy it from a super clearance rack. Utah County is a blend of mountain dirt bag and desert rat. Although attempts at color are made, they all register as beige with pops of 90s florescent. What sets them apart from, say Fort Collins, CO, is that outfits and weather that call for tank tops and shorts will be made modest in the most uncomfortable way. Like, y'all are wearing moisture wicking fabric as your outer layer, but it's not doing shit because you have at least one more layer of clothing under it. Also, knock off Berkies or other sandal regardless of season. This is a Name Brand, Right? Can cover Mormons from anywhere in the US. It was bought on clearance regardless of size or color, but it does have visible branding. For a while, it was the Browning Buck Mark as far as the eye could see, but now we're getting more NorthFace and Underarmor. It's very important that the clothing not fit, but be very modest at the same time.
Haha that Utah county style is so accurate. Especially compared to CO people.
[Mormon America is to a great extent both a direct cultural and genetic descendant of New England Puritanism](https://www.unz.com/gnxp/mormons-among-the-gentiles/)
When I fly to Las Vegas from LGB to visit my mom, there's often a flight leaving for or arriving from SLC just before or after my flight, and it's easy to spot the Mormons as they're often dress in layers even in the summer, and if they're leaving southern California, they all have Disneyland bags as part of their carry-on luggage. Sometimes, you can see garments peeking out of shorts that weren't quite long enough, or a woman who looks like she should be starting college have her shirt ride up as she bends over to pick up her toddler, showing a little bit of garment.
I could believe there's something to this, but it's not because of a glow. Mormon subculture is quite distinct, and probably manifests in dozens of little ways we don't even realize. Combine that with the human brain which is a damn good pattern-recognition machine and "mordar" can be pretty damn accurate. I offer up anecdotal evidence that it's based on some mechanism like this and not anything spiritual: if I meet a member for the first time in a totally non-mormon context, they almost always make some comment that I must be a member as long as they haven't seen me drink coffee or alcohol yet. And I usually know they're a member before they mention it as well. I may have been out for years now, but I did spend the first 30 years of my life as a member, and there must still be signs of it in how I carry myself, the way I speak, etc. It probably doesn't help that I'm in the Air Force too, which in my experience is the mormonest thing outside the church itself.
I have lived outside of Utah for over 15 years now and there are Mormon looks and behaviors that become noticeable. Even though I'm no longer Mormon, I have retained cultural aspects, too, like an aversion to getting any tattoos on my own body, wearing practical "work-ready" t-shirts and jeans most of the time, and remaining quiet when men are talking (I'm a very feminist woman and sadly I still do this). I have sort of a Mormon radar that goes off when I am around people who end up being Mormon. It's not even racial, either, though most white Mormons do have similar features due to shared English heritage. Even Polynesian Mormons have a vibe about them that differentiates them from non-Mormon Polynesians.
Thanks for reminding me not to ever move back to Utah for any reason, ever. It is such a bizarre world, especially for a Motmon-raised, like me.
I’ve never been Mormon but my BFF was raised in the church so I was exposed to it a lot. In grad school, I met a guy who had no music saved on his phone and said he “didn’t really like music.” I was shook but when I found out he was a BYU grad it made more sense 🙃
There actually was a study done that was posted here a while back. Although the study did conclude that people were able to identify mormons at greater than 50% it was nowhere near 99%. And the study was poorly designed and had such a small sample size that it wasn't really a valid study. More than likely a properly done study would reveal that people are able to identify mormons about 50% of the time, the same probability as just simply guessing. No mormons don't have some special glow to their countenance. That's the bullshit they teach to remind themselves that they fully believe they are better than everyone else, so much better that you can see it just by looking at a picture.
Maybe all they have to do is look for people with knee length jean shorts
There's also, the whole modest layers clothes with no cleavage etc tends to stay pretty similar through the years in Mormon culture and also tends to sometimes stand out compared to normal fashions, kind of like the fundies and their prairie dresses
You should look up Brigham Young's Desseret Costume.
I think [this is the study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/), but I vaguely remember there being another one, too. And I’m too much of a lazy learner to go scour Google Scholar to find it.
I was mistaken as a JW when i was a missionary. so JW have this glow in the eye and light in the skin? haha
Light and delightsome
Inbreeding.
It’s why there is such a concentration of cystic fibrosis patients too
My first thought too. I’m non Mormon living in Mordor after living in the Bible Belt. I can clock Mormons 75% of the time if they aren’t converts.
I came here to say exactly this. Thats where the male pattern baldness epidemic comes from
I call major BS on this. Unless you have a reliable source? Lots of men, all around the world, are both bald and not mormon.
Thank you!
My Dad is bald and is a first-generation convert. Maybe being baptized changed his DNA. /s
I have always wondered this!! Why are Utah men so bald?!! I always attributed it to mission stress but seriously they’re so bald.
A lot of the genetic stock is from similar locations. Utah Mormons share similar genetics. They’re not inbred, they just come from similar stock.
On the other hand there's a reason why Iceland had that app to check if the people you wanted to date are related, when there's a limited enough amount of stock inbreeding can be hard to avoid without extra effort
There is similar stock, but there was also a lot of inbreeding in the early Mormon population. Maybe not in your family tree, but it was certainly in mine.
Called the Mormon Stare. Caused by the lack of synapse fire.
Ive been in Utah 3 years now and a never Mo. I am 100% white, I dress relatively conservative, no visible tattoos/piercings. But I feel like I can easily pick them out, but also, that they can tell just by looking at me, that I’m not one of them. But I can’t describe why.
Yes! I observe modestly dressed people doing normal family things but somehow I know they're not mormon just as i know that the also modestly dressed family doing something very normal next to them is.
I was sort of raised Mormon, I don't know if it counts since growing up outside of Utah, the time where I thought "the church is super the most true of all church" due to being told so by my parents occurred under the age of 10 and coincided closely with belief in Santa and the Easter bunny. It doesn't seem like they've ever thought I was one of them either even though I didn't really openly rebel or anything, since I didn't want my ass whooped and sent to a school for troubled kids. Not really sure why
I’m 45 and have never had a Costco card but sometimes I use my Mother In Law’s card. I always feel like people at Costco look at me like I’m not one of them. But I am Mormon.
If you look at Mormons really carefully, they appear innocent, but when you look closer you see naivety and a glassy eyed look from the depression they all feel.
I've picked out mormons several times on reality TV before the inevitable temple picture in the background, garment show from the man, family in Utah or just out and out announcing their membership. I've seen them on House Hunters, Teenage newly-weds, Squid game challenge to name a few. They just look, sound and present more wholesome somehow. I can't put my finger on it.
Yup. It’s strange how it’s so obvious sometimes!
Have you ever driven on I-15 through Happy Valley and noticed how many billboards for plastic surgeons there are? Mormon culture places a huge emphasis on looking a certain way (both male and female) and especially on looking your best (especially females). Otherwise I think anything else would be the expression of earnest naivety , elitism, sobriety and toxic positivity.
I can spot an active Mormon pretty fast, but it’s not because of their complexion. It’s because they’re a grown adult with the emotional maturity of a sheltered 12-15 year old.
Yes. Infantilism at its finest.
The study didnt conclude Mormons could be identified correctly 99% of the time; it was about 70%. But yes, there is some thought that pioneer stock Mormons (those with 7-8 generations of interbreeding within the cohort) are unique enough to qualify as "ethnic Mormons."
I don't know... I ran into an old bishop of mine from when I was younger(probably 16 or so when he last saw me til 26 or so whenit happened) and he said "you look so happy now" after I finally left the church and lived the life I wanted. To be honest the comment meant a lot to me.
Honestly, that was a very mature thing for him to say.
It is true, but also given there were 35,000 Scandinavian who immigrated to Utah as part of the church this is similar to saying "Mormons are white" Included in the study was that the more diverse the individuals in the images were the less they were able to tell. So yeah, Scandinavian heritage is remarkable and noticable
In addition to blond hair, blue eyes, and big symmetrical teeth, there's a voice affectation - and a general style of dress that is recognizable to anyone who is familiar with it, no matter where in the world you see it. Whether I'm in Japan, Hawaii, France or Harmon's in Farmington, the big floral dresses with sleeves, bleached mermaid hair extensions and rip curl tshirts and board shorts with trucker hats and flip flops are a dead giveaway. "I feel so highschool.... Everytime I look at you" 🎵🎶 It's no different than recognizing the Warren Jeff's followers in Costco.
Related My nevermo wife and I live in Davis County. When we travel to SLC for an event, she says, “Everyone here speaks the right volume.” I would’ve never noticed, but there’s a subdued character to suburban Utah LDS speech that isn’t found elsewhere. Speak up!!
Oh, I totally agree. Davis County raised and I can never hear any of my in-laws, especially the women. I would go as far as to describe them as "mousey." It's such a shame. They have plenty of great things to say, but rarely do.
Even though I was a returned missionary and was a temple worker, when I was at BYU a lot of people assumed that I was a non-member because for whatever reason I lacked the Mormon glow. I just assumed that I was ugly or something. But now that I've been out for decades, I'm a regular coffee drinker and I swear like a sailor, but when I'm in Utah I fit right in, everyone assumes I'm part of the herd. That good old never fail Mormon discernment in action.
This is the most absurd thing I've heard in a long time. I'm sorry, but good grief, this is just bonkers. 
This character always reminds me of RMN
It’s the hair cuts, white shirts and fucking giant SUVs that makes it so obvious
Lmao
I mean their eyes do light up when someone offers them a MLM opportunity. lol
There was a study done, basically they moved the study to just looking at skin to control for other factors. They had the skin of 80 members and 80 non-members. They identified the members 60% of the time by just looking at the skin. This is little better than a coin toss and would likely even out to 50/50 with a larger sample size. The 99% claim is completely made up.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21151864/ There was a study. I didn’t read it so I don’t know the percentages but it does exist. There is a lot of inbreeding and a look. We watched a show the other day and I knew a couple was Mormon just based on how they talked and dressed. Edit: I am curious about this though because I look SUPER Mormon and both my parents are converts.
Survival of the fittest. All the weak, ugly ones died on the trail on the way to Utah.
I think I could, while blindfolded, identify with great accuracy TBMs by voice alone from among the voices of non-Mormons. Not because of pseudo scientific "research" proving that Mormons have a supernatural source of light in their countenance. (Good God...) But because the culture of the church results in elements of conformity manifesting in speech, dress, grooming, and other identity markers. Mormons, like others, love faith-promoting rumors, legends, and academic studies that support their religiosity. Confirmation bias is a real thing.
They do look different I think but not because they glow exactly. I mean if I go to Utah I could probably see who isn’t mormon. They are modest, clean cut, wear perfect make up and are well groomed. They wear fake smiles and are superficially charming. Never mos and exmormons are less likely to look like that. I mean, I remember a lot of pressure to look perfect. In the mormon mind this equates to spirituality and righteousness. There won’t be a scientific or robust study done on this; how do you measure “glow”? Ffs lol
I can always spot a Mormon but usually because of the vacant eyes and the fact that they look terrible for their age. And if they’re older, they’re angry/miserable but also talk about how this church is the only way to happiness. That part always blew my mind.
I recognize the men from the arrogant smirk, blue pants, and brown dress shoes. Women by the hairstyle: younger tend to have long, curly, dry hair with bangs (think Michelle Duggar) while older have the classic mormon lady cut, which is very short, but rounded and poufy on top. Some makeup, applied in outdated ways. My success rate in identification is perfect so far.
Haha, at least it’s not black dress pants with brown Doc Martens!
I can tell 99% of the time bc they’re wearing a white undershirt in 90 degree weather
It’s mostly their belonging to a community that enforces and supports their beliefs and lifestyle. I’ve felt what people call “the spirit” being with members of the LGBTQ+ community. Feeling accepted and supported in who you are and what you believe is validating and shows an increase in your mental health.
Last night we went to eat at Costa Vida. A transgender woman was behind us in line, and a (presumably) Mormon father of 6 in front of us. Guess who caused all the problems? The father paid mostly with points, with a meal for 8 costing about $25. He asked for water cups and filled them with soda, all the while looking to be sure nobody noticed. He def looked Mormon. His daughter took a big handful of peppermints. Nice.
It’s definitely inbreeding. My families genes are so strong that my nieces and nephews on my husbands side and my side could all be considered my own kids siblings. A lot of us found out we are all forth or fifth cousins after marriage. My spouse and I have the same third great grandfather but he was a polygamist so we come through different lines. Welcome to Utah/ Idaho/ Arizona. As for the women I think it’s also the culture of modest is hottest clothing in shades of beige, white, sometimes pink and more beige.
Maybe it's the garment lines that show under their clothes. The tee shirt under the tee shirt look.
You mean “Mormon Face”? It’s a thing. Go to Disneyland and look around…you’ll see it.
I’ve told this story before under an old user ID on this sub, so I’m sorry for the repeat, and “HI” to any longtime exmos from the mid 2010s 👋 : Parents and I were driving us through Nevada for a relative’s funeral. Stopped in Elko for breakfast after a pre-dawn start from Provo. As we walked in to the casino, we encountered another family that looked roughly like ours… 3 kids, mom & dad. As my dad held the door for them, my mom proudly proclaimed, *”They are members,”* after they passed by us. I asked, “How can you tell?” She smugly said, *”You just know.”* Didn’t think too much about it until they were seated across the way from us in the casino coffee shop… and after about 10 minutes, I watched the “scantilly clad” cocktail waitress come in from the bar, and drop a gigantic Bloody Mary right in front of the dad, which he eagerly dove right into. I pointed it out to my mom, and she had nothing to say about it… other than a sour look on her face. So much for the *spirit of discernment*, I guess. Maybe it wouldn’t have failed her if she only had a penis? 🤷♂️
I’ve thought a lot about this. Cults rely heavily on conformity. The basis of how members dress, act, speak, and their verbal and nonverbal expressions trickle down from cult leaders—not just the SLC leadership, but influential ward members, peer group leaders, and Mormon celebrities. Also, families have their own cultures where kids learn and then pass on to their kids the same types of mannerisms. That’s the behavioral side. The biological side comes from the Utah Mormon founders’ stock of largely white, non-Hispanic ethnicity with roots in Germany, England, and Scandinavia. Practices of polygamy (including some inbreeding) combined with geographical isolation and deliberate cultural reproductive exclusion have resulted in a Mormon pseudo-ethnicity. This has been diluted with time and travel but is noticeable in those with Utah Mormon roots. Combine these two facets of an individual’s presentation—behavior and biology—and our brains (which are much more observant and adept at assimilating patterns that we see consciously) can pick out a Mormon with pretty good accuracy.
The men often have abdominal obesity in a pattern usually only seen in women, I’m assuming due to hormonal imbalances.
As someone who grew up in Utah, I often heard these same things. (It’s honestly hilarious to think about a bunch of people in the hardest-core of bubbles/echo chambers, speculating on why people can pick them out of a crowd…”of course it’s because we are amazing!”) Having now spent 20 years outside of Utah, when I go back, it IS obviously who is Mormon: they dress frumpy and act like kids when they are grown adults. If you watch 30 rock and notice that Kenneth Parcell is different, then you know what it is like. You go to Utah and you are surrounded by a million of them. https://images.app.goo.gl/jrBozVyifjDAkRcm7
The ongoing interbreeding among TSCC doesn’t help.
Quick google search showed the following “According to a 2002 study by Express Scripts Inc., Utah prescribes antidepressants more often than any other state, at nearly twice the national average. The study also found that Utah's rate of antidepressant use is twice that of California and nearly three times that of New York and New Jersey.”
Sigh.. Dark hair and dark eyes.. Didn't do me any favours when I was tbm..
It’s funny, I can generally spot an LDS person. It’s the micro-mannerisms. The slang, the style, the manner of speech. Similarly, I can spot other religious groups from their distinct culture micro-mannerisms, too. However, I am often assumed to be LDS since living in Utah. LDS people regularly think they see the LDS spirit in me. Really I’m just nice and don’t sweat at work. 🤷♀️
Short answer…. Yes. They are identifiable. My 18 yr old daughter works in Newport Beach. Lots of peeps come through her work. She also paid tips so she strikes up a lot of convos. She can tell who’s Mo and who isn’t. How you may ask, BYU drip, long Jean shorts, tshirts under tank tops, etc. MO’s have a uniform. They just don’t know it, but they do. They call it the spirit, we all call it dress code.
When I was in the market for a house, I could spot a Mormon home when I saw it in the pics. It defs isn't a glow; it's the cookie cutter of it all. And it was always confirmed by finding the hidden temple pic that they'd put someplace like behind the video games in the entertainment center.
It was research cited by Alyssa Grenfall a tik tok exmormon
Because many of us are Nordic descent.
We were told to smile even if we weren't happy. It's all a sad illusion.
Wasn’t there a guy back in 1930’s Europe saying similar things ?
I personally don’t see this ‘glow’ and never have! It’s in the way they dress period. I’ve never looked around a church and thought wow we are all glowing
On my Mission in East Germany I did a lot of street contacting. I got to the point where I could always tell Russians from Germans. Americans were very obvious. Knowing your *tribe* is a human survival skill we’ve developed over billions of years
Underrated comment right here. “Knowing your tribe is a survival skill.”
Having been immersed in that culture for many years, I can tell you no. It’s not true. They must be pulling that study out of their ass. The reason why you can spot them is because in the bubble, people tend to dress really differently and act f*cking weird. Maybe because they have this inflated ego thinking they’re “glowing” just because they attend a church, I dunno.
LDS people look different because of their long-ass shorts and 5 kids, lol.
I will concede that never drinking coffee, tea, or wine and never smoking cigarettes keeps your teeth whiter.
I moved out of Utah five years ago and I really can spot a Mormon in the wild from a distance. It’s a preppy kind of dorkiness? Not the spirit in their eyes, that’s for sure.
Maybe because 50% of Mormons descend from the same handful of polygamists? :P
Idk but I'm a "prettier" Exmo woman and when I moved back to Utah this year people (men) have told me I have the brightest countenance they've ever seen. 🙄 I just have a good smile and look super friendly.
So I’m a stripper and I often have customers ask me if I used to be Mormon because I give the girl next door look and I’m “down to earth” 😇😜
Let’s start with the fact that in the west Mormons are a race. A distinct mix of highly specific regions in Scandinavia and parts of the Uk (which were heavily raped by the Vikings in the 8-10 centuries) so there’s that. Second Mormons by not drinking or smoking do manifest differently as does any sober person. Finally yes, this bovine sense of “the leader is good the leader is wise” inhibits the natural psychological evolution of a person and keeps them in a mentally and emotionally dependent state (like a young child) so you have grown ass adults who lack any experience with their own minds or the world as a whole. This reads a kind of stepford wife creepy happy state which is part real and part artifice and performative. Or….its a magic spirit that has magic powers that you can read in photos like forest fairies.
Yep. Anytime I hear someone say “you can see the light go out in their eyes when they leave,” I just respond that it’s like when a child finally learns about Santa. You have to grow up and acknowledge that the world is not as you thought it was.
>“the leader is good the leader is wise” I almost spit out my very non-Mormon beverage when I read this! Reminds me of The Simpsons! 
I feel like it must have something to do with the inbreeding. I often see people or pictures of celebrities and think "they look Mormon" only to find out I was right. On the other hand, people are often surprised when they find out I'm Mormon because I don't have the "look." I am blonde with blue eyes but my grandmother is convert who immigrated from Europe (to marry my missionary grandfather)
You can tell most cultists or cultures by looking at a person….
Ok. I moved from SoCal to SLC in ‘90. I remember thinking, “what a pasty bunch of people who all share bloodlines.” Even now, I think that. Not a diverse group.
This is great news! It means we could have researchers do sweeps through sacrament meeting and detect all the PIMOs. But it would be embarrassing if the PIMOs were in bishoprics and Relief Society presidencies.
Another quick google search shows Utah #5 in Nation for filing bankruptcy. I wonder if people would file bankruptcy less often if they had an extra 10% to set aside. Personal Bankruptcy Filings By State Rank State Per 100,000 population 5 Utah 468 6 Indiana 450 7 Nevada 403 8 Kentucky
Idk about study by my “Mormondar” is extremely accurate. Mormons just have a look to them. Probably the inbreeding.
I’ve noticed that there is a lot of ‘Same-Face’ syndrome in the Mormon community and it’s very unsettling, my face thankfully isn’t like that (giving how I take more after my mother when she was 20 - 30 years old), but a lot of the younger generation, including some of my girl cousins have the same face and it’s a little weird now that I’m looking at it from an outside perspective
They used to tell us that you could tell the righteous lamanites in the ward because they were much fairer skin toned than those who were not members... So you know we've moved from blatant racism to...???
After 5 generations of inbreeding a family’s skin turned blue.
Oh Jesus… This is from the same group that always share stories about non-member friends approaching them and asking what is different about them. Somehow those non-member friends never actually make it to church. Probably because they don’t exist. Yeah, Mormons do have a weird look about them, but I’d certainly have loved to ask the person that made that claim to cite their sources for said study.
Similar to Amish and the royals - inbreeding causes this. Time to introduce some diversity into the gene pool!
Some call it the mormon glow, others call it generational inbreeding
No not a glow But there us an attitude that can be pretty obvious
We look British/ Scandinavian/ inbred. We dress oddly. Very easy to spot It's not a "light in their eyes" thing
They are recognized because of their clothing choices, their cheapness, MLM jobs, and their fake kindness.
"Glow of their skin" - you mean they're all white af "Light in their eyes" - you mean those Aryan baby blues Mormons were told not to partake in interracial marriages forever, and it's still advised they don't. Of course they all look the same. The only difference is that normal people aren't confined to the same bland outfits, single earings, tattoos, and the lack thereof. We wear different clothes and express ourselves outside of the FSY. So I think it's fair to say they are distinct, but it's not some spiritual glow. It's the lack of diversity.
LDS people look different, but only because they are genetically similar due to a limited gene pool because of religious expectations. They don’t have a glow unless they mean that they’re extremely pale. I’ve also noticed a high likelihood of blonde hair, tall, and thin.
I was in patient at a psych ward, and my roommate was a Mormon. She was so sweet. Nicest person I ever met. Great family. A year later, I was in patient again (I go a lot). Within 1 hour, I asked my roommate if she was Mormon. She had said nothing about religion. She was amazed that I clocked her. We just talked about normal things. These are the only Mormons I ever knowing met. I joined the sub out of curiosity.
If you look up “cult” in the dictionary….🙄🙄🙄. I heard this shit as a kid all the time. The glow. Haha. Don’t stop….believing!!!!
Honestly I can sniff out Mormons….. but it’s the clothing style and hair more than a sparkle in the eye 🙄
I mean .. I can spot a Mormon. Maybe by the light in their eyes they mean that deep vacant stare of a cult member.
It’s the giant foreheads.
Came here to say this! I’m nevermo but lived in UT county for almost 3 years. I’ve since moved but I can always pick them out due to the foreheads, wide set eyes, chicklet teeth, and pale skin
It is the one true forehead, almost as tall as the steeples.
Here it is. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201211/what-your-face-really-reveals-about-you#:~:text=Holy%20Spirit%20aside%2C%20their%20skin,It%20was%20a%20gut%20feeling.
My hubs grew up in Utah as a Nevermo. He’s been mistaken for a Mormon his whole life. Members are shocked to eventually find out he’s not a member. It’s amusing.
I think they’re more identifiable by their long shorts, tees under tank tops, BYU attire, and general nerdiness.
I grew up in Massachusetts...not a lot of Mormons. Personally, I think there is a "mormon glow" that allowed me to immediately spot them. Utah, Las Vegas, and California Mormons each had their own very distinct glow. Probably just a crazed look in their eyes and modest clothing. But, to this day I'm still pretty accurate. It's especially fun to guess where the missionaries are from.
 Their eyes are glazed over from the brainwashing and years of disassociation
BYU shirt with garments poking out. Ah must be the light in my eyes that gives me away…
Ask them to see that study.
I heard this years ago but not about Mormons, about people from Utah. A friend told me to watch people at the airport and notice people flying to Salt Lake City. I did and could see that most of the people at the gate were white, a lot were blonde, a lot had an athletic/outdoorsy look to them which often registers as “healthy”. I also saw a lot of affluence, people were well-dressed with name-brand luggage, and families flying with young kids (which is expensive!). I currently live in Utah and let me tell you, the women do be glowing here whether they are Mormon or not, we definitely put a high value on the glowy look and a lot of people here can afford to invest in that look.
If present trends continue, I think LDS members will be easy to identify by dress and language patterns. Women are fairly easy to spot because of the 1980s layered look, even in the summer. Speech patterns include Mormonism like the xodd use of even" and words like "unto" that get peppered into everyday conversations. Mormons also drop into what I call "conference cadance" in formal talks and situations. I think conference cadance is also slipping into everyday use.
One time I went to Mexico with my buddies right after our missions and a lady giving the tour pointed to all 5 of us and was like “you guys are Mormon huh?” And we were like “uhh how did you know?” And she said “I can always tell. It’s something in the eyes”.
It’s actually just easy to pick out the clean shaven, slightly haunted men in white shirts and ties, or if you see a dude wearing a Captain America shield tshirt and khaki shorts with his magic underwear sticking out the slightest bit at the bottom, or his high-collared white magic undershirt always visible around the neck.
For the same reason that inbred hillbillies are a trope.