Facial Width-to-height Ratio Research Articles

Attractiveness Differentially Affects Direct Versus Indirect Face Evaluations in Two Cultures.

Although decades of research have identified facial features relating to people's evaluations of faces, specific features have largely been examined in isolation from each other. Recent work shows that considering the relative importance of these features in face evaluations is important to test theoretical assumptions of impression formation. Here, we examined how two facial features of evolutionary interest, facial attractiveness and facial-width-to-height ratio (FWHR), relate to evaluations of faces across two cultures. Because face evaluations are typically directly measured via self-reports, we also examined whether these features exert differential effects on both direct and indirect face evaluations. Evaluations of standardized photos naturally varying in facial attractiveness and FWHR were collected using the Affect Misattribution Procedure in the United States and Turkey. When their relative contributions were considered in the same model, facial attractiveness, but not FWHR, related to face evaluations across cultures. This positive attractiveness effect was stronger for direct versus indirect evaluations across cultures. These findings highlight the importance of considering the relative contributions of facial features to evaluations across cultures and suggest a culturally invariant role of attractiveness when intentionally evaluating faces.

Overgeneralizing emotions: Facial width-to-height revisited.

Facial width-to height ratio (fWHR), presumed to be shaped by testosterone during puberty, has been linked with aggressive, dominant, and power-seeking behavioral traits in adult males, although the causal mediation is still being disputed. To investigate the role of mere observer attribution bias in the association, we instructed participants to draw, feature-assemble, or photo-edit faces of fictitious males with aggressive-dominant character (compared with peaceloving-submissive), or powerful social status (compared with powerless). Across three studies involving 1,100 modeled faces in total, we observed little evidence for attribution bias with regards to facial width. Only in the photo-edited faces did character condition seem to affect fWHR; this difference, however, relied on displayed state emotions, not on static facial features. Anger, in particular, was expressed by lowered or V-shaped eyebrows, whereby facial height was reduced so that fWHR increased, relative to the comparison condition where the opposite happened. Using Bayesian analyses and equivalence testing, we confirmed that, in the absence of state emotionality, there was no effect of character condition on facial width. Our results add to a number of recent studies stressing the role of emotion overgeneralization in the association of fWHR with personality traits, an attributional bias that may give rise to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Methodologically, we infer that static images may be of limited use for investigations of fWHR because they cannot sufficiently differentiate between transient muscular activation and identity-related bone structures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Facial Metrics, Aggression, and the Use of Military Force

Abstract Presidents cite many reasons to justify their decisions to use military force. Regardless of the explanation provided, putting soldiers in harm's way entails a high degree of risk. Some presidents are more willing than others to undertake risky policies, and psychological dispositions help to account for their willingness. According to evolutionary psychology theories of conflict, facial characteristics serve as important cues of aggression, and a substantial body of empirical evidence supports the association between the facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) and conflict behavior. All else equal, individuals with greater FWHRs are more likely to choose aggressive foreign policies. Empirical analyses of 1953–2000 show that US presidents with higher FWHRs are four times more likely than those with lower FWHRs to use military force. The results hold independent of traditional explanations such as power, ongoing war, elections, the misery index, and alternative measures of leader psychology.

Tracking sexual dimorphism of facial width-to-height ratio across the lifespan: implications for perceived aggressiveness.

The facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) influences social judgements like perceived aggression. This may be because FWHR is a sexually dimorphic feature, with males having higher FWHR than females. However, evidence for sexual dimorphism is mixed, little is known about how it varies with age, and the relationship between sexual dimorphism and perceived aggressiveness is unclear. We addressed these gaps by measuring FWHR of 17 607 passport images of male and female faces across the lifespan. We found larger FWHR in males only in young adulthood, aligning with the stage most commonly associated with mate selection and intrasexual competition. However, the direction of dimorphism was reversed after 48 years of age, with females recording larger FWHRs than males. We then examined how natural variation in FWHR affected perceived aggressiveness. The relationship between FWHR and perceived aggressiveness was strongest for males at 27–33 and females at 34–61. Raters were most sensitive to differences in FWHR for young adult male faces, pointing to enhanced sensitivity to FWHR as a cue to aggressiveness. This may reflect a common mechanism for evaluating male aggressiveness from variability in structural (FWHR) and malleable (emotional expression) aspects of the face.

Human Facial Aggressive Detection System Based on Facial-Width-to-Height Ratio

Recent researches have shown closely related evidence between the human individual social behavior and precisely measurable facial features. The Facial-width-to-height ratio (FWHR) has become quite an interesting topic concerning human aggressive behavior. Recent studies presented evidence showing that the precise measurement of FWHR can be used to predict human aggressive behavior based on facial landmark extraction. In this paper, the Facial-width-to-height ratio is extracted and analyzed among men, women, and children using the recently presented Convolutional Experts Constrained Local Model (CE-CLM). Then, extracted features are used to train the Numeral Virtual Generalizing Random Access Memory (NVG-RAM) pattern recognition technique. The results show promising clues in depending on this feature extraction method for the Facial-width-to-height ratio, and depending on SVG-RAM classifier for aggressive behavior. Moreover, the proposed method is less susceptible to facial rotation error ensuring accurate FWHR extraction.

Force versus fury: Sex differences in the relationships among physical and psychological threat potential, the facial width-to-height ratio, and judgements of aggressiveness.

Individuals with larger facial width-to-height ratios (FWHRs) are judged as more threatening, and engage in more threat-related behavior, than do individuals with smaller FWHRs. Here we identified components of threat potential that are related to the FWHR. In Study 1, the FWHR was correlated positively with physical threat potential (bicep size) in women and with both physical and psychological (anger proneness) threat potential in men. Behavioral aggression was measured in a subset of these participants using the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (costly aggression) and a Money Allocation Task (non-costly aggression). Psychological (but not physical) threat potential predicted non-costly aggression and physical (but not psychological) threat potential predicted costly aggression. In Study 2, a separate set of participants judged the anger proneness, strength, or aggressiveness of male participants photographed in Study 1. Participants' judgements of all three characteristics were associated with the FWHR, and there were sex differences in how aggressiveness was conceptualized (for women, aggressiveness was associated with anger proneness, for men, aggressiveness was associated with strength). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the FWHR may be an adaptation to cue the threat potential of men.

Group Facial Width-to-Height Ratio Predicts Intergroup Negotiation Outcomes.

Past studies have found that the facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) is associated with a range of traits and behaviors that are possibly important to dyadic negotiations. However, it is unknown whether the FWHR would have an impact on intergroup negotiations, which happen frequently and often have higher stakes in the real world. To examine this question, in the current study, we randomly assigned 1,337 Chinese business executives into 288 groups and they completed a multi-issue negotiation exercise against each other. Results showed that groups with larger maximum individual FWHRs achieved objectively better negotiation outcomes. We conclude that groups containing individuals with relatively large FWHRs can claim more value in negotiations between groups.

The Facial Width-to-Height Ratio Predicts Sex Drive, Sociosexuality, and Intended Infidelity.

Previous research has linked the facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) to a host of psychological and behavioral characteristics, primarily in men. In two studies, we examined novel links between FWHR and sex drive. In Study 1, a sample of 145 undergraduate students revealed that FWHR positively predicted sex drive. There were no significant FWHR×sex interactions, suggesting that FWHR is linked to sexuality among both men and women. Study 2 replicated and extended these findings in a sample of 314 students collected from a different Canadian city, which again demonstrated links between the FWHR and sex drive (also in both men and women), as well as sociosexuality and intended infidelity (men only). Internal meta-analytic results confirm the link between FWHR and sex drive among both men and women. These results suggest that FWHR may be an important morphological index of human sexuality.

Sexual dimorphism of facial width-to-height ratio in human skulls and faces: A meta-analytical approach

Facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR), defined as the width of the face divided by the upper facial height, is a cue to behaviour. Explanations for this link often involve the idea that FWHR is sexually dimorphic, resulting from intersexual selection pressures. However, few studies have considered sexual dimorphism in skulls since the original paper on this topic, and it is possible that different explanations may be required if faces show sex differences but skulls do not. Here, meta-analyses of skulls found that men did have larger FWHR than women, although this effect was small. However, after categorising samples by ethnicity and geographical origin, meta-analyses only found evidence of sex differences in East Asians, and again, this effect was small. A re-analysis of previous studies after excluding skull samples found little evidence of sexual dimorphism in faces. Again, considering ethnicities separately, I found no differences for White samples but a medium-sized effect with East Asians, although this was not statistically significant with only three samples. Taken together, I found no reason to consider FWHR as a sexually dimorphic measure in skulls or faces, at least not universally, and so accounts based upon this assumption need rethinking if researchers are to explain the relationship between FWHR and behaviour.

Within-person variability in men's facial width-to-height ratio.

Background. In recent years, researchers have investigated the relationship between facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) and a variety of threat and dominance behaviours. The majority of methods involved measuring FWHR from 2D photographs of faces. However, individuals can vary dramatically in their appearance across images, which poses an obvious problem for reliable FWHR measurement.Methods. I compared the effect sizes due to the differences between images taken with unconstrained camera parameters (Studies 1 and 2) or varied facial expressions (Study 3) to the effect size due to identity, i.e., the differences between people. In Study 1, images of Hollywood actors were collected from film screenshots, providing the least amount of experimental control. In Study 2, controlled photographs, which only varied in focal length and distance to camera, were analysed. In Study 3, images of different facial expressions, taken in controlled conditions, were measured.Results. Analyses revealed that simply varying the focal length and distance between the camera and face had a relatively small effect on FWHR, and therefore may prove less of a problem if uncontrolled in study designs. In contrast, when all camera parameters (including the camera itself) are allowed to vary, the effect size due to identity was greater than the effect of image selection, but the ranking of the identities was significantly altered by the particular image used. Finally, I found significant changes to FWHR when people posed with four of seven emotional expressions in comparison with neutral, and the effect size due to expression was larger than differences due to identity.Discussion. The results of these three studies demonstrate that even when head pose is limited to forward facing, changes to the camera parameters and a person’s facial expression have sizable effects on FWHR measurement. Therefore, analysing images that fail to constrain some of these variables can lead to noisy and unreliable results, but also relationships caused by previously unconsidered confounds.

Evidence from Meta-Analyses of the Facial Width-to-Height Ratio as an Evolved Cue of Threat.

The facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) is the width of the face divided by the height of the upper face. There is mixed evidence for the hypothesis that the FWHR is a cue of threat and dominance in the human face. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses of all peer-reviewed studies (and 2 unpublished studies) to estimate the magnitude of the sex difference in the FWHR, and the magnitude of the relationship between the FWHR and threatening and dominant behaviours and perceptions. Studies were eligible for inclusion if the authors reported an analysis involving the FWHR. Our analyses revealed that the FWHR was larger in men than in women ( = .11, n = 10,853), cued judgements of masculinity in men ( = .35, n of faces = 487; n of observers = 339), and was related to body mass index ( = .31, n = 2,506). Further, the FWHR predicted both threat behaviour in men ( = .16, n = 4,603) and dominance behaviour in both sexes ( = .12, n = 948) across a variety of indices. Individuals with larger FWHRs were judged by observers as more threatening ( = .46, n of faces = 1,691; n of observers = 2,076) and more dominant ( = .20, n of faces = 603; n of observers = 236) than those with smaller FWHRs. Individuals with larger FWHRs were also judged as less attractive ( = -.26, n of faces = 721; n of observers = 335), especially when women made the judgements. These findings provide some support for the hypothesis that the FWHR is part of an evolved cueing system of intra-sexual threat and dominance in men. A limitation of the meta-analyses on perceptions of threat and dominance were the low number of stimuli involving female and older adult faces.

Face shape and behavior: Implications of similarities in infants and adults

We investigated conceptual overlap between literature demonstrating links between adult facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) and behavior and that demonstrating links between infant FWHR and temperament by investigating whether babyfaceness is associated with FWHR and behavior at both ages. Babyfaceness was positively correlated with FWHR in both infants and adults. Babyfaceness also was correlated with an infant temperament that is a precursor of bolder behavior in childhood and adulthood, just as a broader infant FWHR was previously shown to be. These results call into question existing explanations for relationships between facial appearance and adult assertive or aggressive behavior. Previously, behavioral correlates of adult FWHR have been attributed to influences of pubertal testosterone, and correlates of adult babyfaceness have been attributed to compensation for undesirable stereotypes. Our findings indicate that the pre-natal developmental influences required to explain appearance–temperament relationships in infancy also should be considered as explanations for appearance–behavior relationships in adulthood.

Facing our ancestors: judgements of aggression are consistent and related to the facial width-to-height ratio in men irrespective of beards

Snap judgements of threat based on exposure to the human face were likely maintained throughout history because they facilitated survival when encountering strangers. If an evolved adaptation, then such judgements should rely on static facial cues that are not masked by facial hair, as may have been the case for our ancestors. We show that the facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) is not obscured by facial hair and that it reliably and consistently cues observers' (n=56) judgements of aggression, but not of masculinity, in bearded (r=.59) and in non-bearded (r=.66) versions of the same male faces. The high reliability of the FWHR irrespective of facial hair and the evidence that judgements of threat based on the FWHR have some accuracy, suggests our perceptual system may have evolved to be sensitive to the FWHR along with the perceptual bias to extract information preferentially from the upper-face.

Facial Width-to-Height Ratio in a Large Sample of Commonwealth Games Athletes

Evidence that facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) is a sexually dimorphic morphological measure is mixed. Research has also linked FWHR with aggression and other behavioral tendencies, at least in men. Again, other research has found no such relationship. Here, I tested for both possible relationships using a sample of 2,075 male and 1,406 female athletes from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Men showed significantly greater FWHRs than women, but this difference could be attributed to differences in body size. In addition, I found greater FWHRs in men who competed in sports involving physical contact and those stereotyped as more masculine. Again, these results could be attributed to differences in body size between categories. For women, no differences in FWHR were found regarding the amount of contact involved in a sport and how that sport was stereotyped. Finally, the FWHRs of athletes showed no relationship with the amount of aggression and related traits that were judged as required for success in those sports, although FWHRs did correlate with perceived endurance demands in women. Therefore, in a large sample of athletes, the sex difference in FWHR could be attributed to body size, and little support was found for the predicted links between this facial measure and behavior.

An Examination of the Associations Between Facial Structure, Aggressive Behavior, and Performance in the 2010 World Cup Association Football Players

Previous research suggests that facial-width-to-height ratio (FWHR) predicts aggression, unethical behavior, and non-reciprocity of trust. One limitation of this research is that all samples originate from western countries. To overcome this limita- tion, the present study investigates the relationship between FWHR and performance among association football athletes involved in the 2010 World Cup representing 32 countries. Results indicated that across all 32 countries, the associations between FWHR and athletic performance varied depending on position. FWHR positively predicted fouls within midfielders and forwards, and goals and assists within forwards. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the associations FWHR has with athletic behavior and performance for the first time in a well-varied multinational sample.

Judgments of Height From Faces are Informed by Dominance and Facial Maturity

People who occupy a larger physical space tend to occupy more social space as well. In five studies, the authors investigated how people estimate targets' physical height when provided with facial portraits. In Studies 1a and 1b, participants' estimates of height from targets' faces were significantly correlated with targets' actual height. Because dominance, facial maturity, and facial-width-to-height ratio (FWHR) are all relevant to individuals' perceived “social size,” in Studies 2a and 2b participants judged dominance, facial maturity, warmth, and height. The association between actual and perceived height was partially mediated by dominance and facial maturity, but not warmth or FWHR. In Study 3, measurements of chin area—an aspect of facial maturity—also mediated the actual-perceived height association. People may therefore draw upon the most relevant aspects of “social size” to extrapolate physical size, assuming that those who are more dominant or mature are physically larger—an inference that may cause them to be ascribed higher status.

Social Status Moderates the Relationship Between Facial Structure and Aggression

A growing body of evidence has linked individual differences in facial structure—in particular, the facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR)—to social behaviors, including aggression, cheating, and nonreciprocation of trust. In the research reported here, we extended this work by demonstrating that the association between FWHR and aggression is moderated by subjective and objective measures of social status. In Study 1 (N = 237 college students), FWHR was positively correlated with aggressive behavior, but only among men reporting relatively low social status. In Study 2 (N = 891 professional hockey players), FWHR was positively correlated with penalty minutes, but only among players who earned relatively low salaries. Collectively, these studies provide compelling evidence for the role of social status in moderating the relationship between facial structure and aggression, indicating that FWHR is a robust predictor of aggressive behavior, but only in the context of relatively low social status.

Digit ratios, but not facial width-to-height ratios, are associated with the priority placed on attending to faces versus bodies

Testosterone has been linked to a sexual preference for bodies rather than faces. Low digit ratio (2D:4D) and high facial width-to-height ratio (WHR) are associated with high prenatal testosterone. We tested whether low 2D:4D and high facial WHR were correlated with a preference for bodies over faces. Our sample consisted of 109 college students (64 males). A two-way analysis of variance demonstrated a significant main effect of digit ratio on the priority placed on paying attention to faces or bodies such that low 2D:4D was linked to a preference for bodies, but the effect of sex was not significant. There were no significant interaction effects. Another two-way analysis of variance revealed no significant effects for facial WHR and attentional priority but significant associations between sex and attentional priority. There were no significant interaction effects. Our findings indicate that individuals with low digit ratios tended to pay more attention to bodies than to faces compared with individuals with higher digit ratios, independently of sex. We also found that males tended to pay more attention to bodies than to faces compared with females, independently of facial WHR.

What lies beneath the face of aggression?

Recent evidence indicates that a sexually dimorphic feature of humans, the facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR), is positively correlated with reactive aggression, particularly in men. Also, predictions about the aggressive tendencies of others faithfully map onto FWHR in the absence of explicit awareness of this metric. Here, we provide the first evidence that amygdala reactivity to social signals of interpersonal challenge may underlie the link between aggression and the FWHR. Specifically, amygdala reactivity to angry faces was positively correlated with aggression, but only among men with relatively large FWHRs. The patterns of association were specific to angry facial expressions and unique to men. These links may reflect the common influence of pubertal testosterone on craniofacial growth and development of neural circuitry underlying aggression. Amygdala reactivity may also represent a plausible pathway through which FWHR may have evolved to represent an honest indicator of conspecific threat, namely by reflecting the responsiveness of neural circuitry mediating aggressive behavior.

Facial width-to-height ratio in a Turkish population is not sexually dimorphic and is unrelated to aggressive behavior

Recently, Weston et al. (2004; Wide faces or large canines? The attractive versus the aggressive primate. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 271, 416–419) found that facial width-to-height ratio (WHR) is a sexually dimorphic characteristic in humans; males have higher facial WHR than females. Following this study, Carré et al. (2008; In your face: facial metrics predict aggressive behavior in the laboratory and in varsity and professional hockey players. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 275, 2651–2656) found that individual differences in facial WHR accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in aggressive behavior of men, but not women. I tested these two hypotheses in a sample of 470 Turkish university students. Facial WHR was measured from frontal photographs. I also measured the aggressiveness level of 212 individuals using the Buss and Perry aggressiveness questionnaire. The mean facial WHR (and standard deviation) was 1.89±0.12 for males and 1.91±0.11 for females. There was no relationship between facial WHR and the self-reported aggressive behavior for either sex. The facial WHR is not a sexually dimorphic characteristic (at least) for Turkish people, and it does not appear to be associated with self-reported trait aggression.