American Christians no longer envision the deity as the fierce, judgmental power figure Michelangelo painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, according to the study led by cultural psychologist Joshua Conrad Jackson.

“The face of God in America” is, in fact, a gentle yet distinctly male being with wide eyes, a warm smile and a friendly expression, researchers concluded.

“Unconsciously, as people go through these images and select God, they are anchoring their choices on their own religious values,” explained Jackson, who asked more than 500 test subjects to sort through thousands of computer-generated faces and repeatedly choose which face of a random pair looked more divine. Blending the panel’s 153,000 choices into a single image produced a God who is more loving than stern.