In modern politics, a candidate’s image is everything, linguistic anthropologists researching US presidential campaigns have found.

A study out of the US closely examined the impact candidates' body language had on voters' perceptions of their success in the recent presidential debates.

“Rather than just being a chance to talk about the issues, the debates are also a form of theater that allows viewers to take the measure of the candidates, through their appearance, their pronunciation, their use of gestures, even their gaffes,” co-author Michael Lampert said.