The studies on facial width-to-height ratio from the Psychological perspective

Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2016, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (3) : 707-713.

PDF(534 KB)
PDF(534 KB)
Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2016, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (3) : 707-713.

The studies on facial width-to-height ratio from the Psychological perspective

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Abstract

Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR)is measured as the distance between the left and right zygion(bizygomatic width)relative to the distance between the upper lip and the highest point of the eyelids(upper facial height).Recent research has demonstrated that individuals with higher fWHR are associated with socially undesirable behaviors, including more aggression, less trustworthy, less cooperative in the context of intra-group competition, and more prejudiced, particularly in men. Research has also identified positive correlates of fWHR—men with greater fWHR are more cooperative in the context of inter-group competition, are better negotiators in competitive bargaining ,and firms whose male CEOS have wider face achieve superior financial performance, and are better performance in athletes. The initial seminal paper that higher fWHR was linked to aggression in men is Carré and McCormick(2008). Similarly, relationships have been found between male dominance, cheating, deception, but also more positive behaviors such as achievement striving, less likely to die from contact violence, and self-sacrifice towards the in-group. Researchers have generally pointed to evolutionary selection pressures as the underlying mechanisms explaining these relationships. Although early work such as Weston, Friday, and Lio(2007) described the fWHR, a sexual dimorphism in the structure of the face that was independent of body size, from a morphometric analysis of an ontogenetic series of skulls. They pointed that intersexual selection mechanisms may have formed the links between fWHR and behaviors. Recently more research has supported an intrasexual selection persective, with growing evidence suggesting that men’s facial structure is an important cue to their ability to obtain resources from others. One perspective is that men’s fWHR serve as proxies for other psychological or biological characteristics that lead men with various facial structures to act differently. For instance, researchers have theorized that testosterone exposure at puberty may underlie intra-sex differences in fWHR. A second perspective on the relationship between fWHR and behavior is that men are treated differently by others as a result of their facial characteristics. According to this view, men’s facial structure may not have an inherent relationship to their aggressive behavior, but rather serves as a social cue that shapes their interactions with others over time. Despite numerous researchers have explicitly built directly on this previous work, several articles have failed to find a statistically significant relationship between fWHR and behavior or sexual dimorphism. Future research should examine the fWHR and behavior’s link with employing multi-method, various samples and the mediate or moderate factors, such as cultural differences.

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facial width-to-height ratio / sexual dimorphism / testosterone / masculine behavior

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The studies on facial width-to-height ratio from the Psychological perspective[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2016, 39(3): 707-713
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