But the results are somewhat complicated by the fact that it’s not eye color itself that’s judged as trustworthy, but baby-faced features that seem linked to having brown eyes. The findings also come from a study of Czech participants, so the judgments could vary across cultures.

“Eye color is something superficial, and nobody would expect there is a deeper association with the structure of the bones,” said study researcher Karel Kleisner of Charles University in Prague.

“We were a little bit surprised,” Kleisner told LiveScience.