How components of facial width to height ratio differently contribute to the perception of social traits

Costa, Manuela; Lio, Guillaume; Gomez, Alice; Sirigu, Angela

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172739

Cited by 32 publications

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References 32 publications

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“…In humans, FWHR–the ratio between upper facial height and the bizygomatic width - is used implicitly to form social judgements from facial appearance such as trustworthiness 12 and dominance 49 , 50 , and we recently showed that the upper facial height is a robust predictor of trust 51 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implicit preference for human trustworthy faces in macaque monkeys

Costa¹,

Gomez²,

Barat³

et al. 2018

Nat Commun

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It has been shown that human judgements of trustworthiness are based on subtle processing of specific facial features. However, it is not known if this ability is a specifically human function, or whether it is shared among primates. Here we report that macaque monkeys (Macaca Mulatta and Macaca Fascicularis), like humans, display a preferential attention to trustworthiness-associated facial cues in computer-generated human faces. Monkeys looked significantly longer at faces categorized a priori as trustworthy compared to untrustworthy. In addition, spatial sequential analysis of monkeys’ initial saccades revealed an upward shift with attention moving to the eye region for trustworthy faces while no change was observed for the untrustworthy ones. Finally, we found significant correlations between facial width-to-height ratio– a morphometric feature that predicts trustworthiness’ judgments in humans – and looking time in both species. These findings suggest the presence of common mechanisms among primates for first impression of trustworthiness.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implicit preference for human trustworthy faces in macaque monkeys

Costa¹,

Gomez²,

Barat³

et al. 2018

Nat Commun

Self Cite

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“…The authors further suggested the measurement of additional points, ratios, and distances to keep the research from over-focusing on the same subset of indicators with inconsistent results [19]. Moreover, the authors of a study suggested the facial height and width should be tested independently to reduce the ambiguity of using the ratio between these two components [8]. In another study, the authors discussed that the missing link causing inconsistent results between fWHR and aggression could be the lack of control over critical influencing factors such as BMI [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The craniofacial indicators of aggression: a cross-sectional multiparametric anthropometry study

2021

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The craniofacial features of a person are unique and critical in the evaluation of age, gender, and ethnicity. The relationship between craniofacial properties and behavioral patterns have been one of the most common research topics. There are studies on the association of facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) and aggressive behavior in men; however, no consensus has been reached as there are inconsistent study results. Most of the studies focus on measuring the predetermined fWHR in searching for a link to aggression. As the literature lacks data on the associations of multiple craniofacial ratios and aggression, we aimed to study the correlation of aggressive behavior and multiparametric anthropometric measurements of the craniofacial region in a study group consisting of university students aging 18-38 years. The aggression questionnaire results showed that male students had statistically higher scores than females in all subdomains, except physical aggression. Anthropometric studies revealed that males had higher mean values of craniofacial dimensions and indices than females, except the frontal height, the total lip height, frontal index, and cranial length-head circumference index. The statistical analyses for correlations showed that frontal, upper facial, and total facial height-facial width indices correlated with general and verbal aggression, frontal and upper facial indices correlated with physical aggression, and upper facial and total facial height-facial width indices correlated with indirect aggression only in males. We conclude that our study represents the first example of an extensive craniofacial anthropometric research that correlates several craniofacial measurements and ratios with various aggression subdomains.

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“…It will be necessary to assess the extent to which fWHR and its interaction with income map onto other trait and behavioral outcomes in women. Furthermore, as a recent study showed that the effect of the vertical component of fWHR plays a different role during the formation of social impressions compared to the horizontal component [ 65 ]; future research may further investigate the single components of the fWHR and their specific relationship with personality traits. It would also be interesting to compare the different effects of objective and subjective social status on the relationship between fWHR and outcomes of social dominance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of income and testosterone on the validity of facial width-to-height ratio as a biomarker for dominance

2018

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Research has indicated that men's facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is part of an evolved system of social dominance, aggression, and power. fWHR has been linked to antisocial behavior, measured by self-reported aggression, but recent studies have failed to replicate this finding. To overcome these inconsistencies, influencing factors such as social status have to be taken into account in order to explain the relationship between fWHR and aggression. In particular, income has been shown to be an important influencing factor in this relationship. Furthermore, previous findings suggested that testosterone is linked to fWHR and might be associated with fWHR and dominance-related outcomes. Therefore, this study examined the influence of both social status defined by income and salivary testosterone on the association between fWHR and self-reported dominance-related behavioral traits. In particular, links between fWHR and self-report measures of aggression and the Dark Triad (encompassing psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) were investigated in N = 109 men aged 40 to 75 years. fWHR was significantly associated with physical aggression and two of the Dark Triad traits (psychopathy and Machiavellianism) in men reporting low income. The relationship between fWHR and narcissism was moderated by testosterone. The findings highlight the importance of considering social status and neuroendocrine parameters such as testosterone when examining associations between fWHR and complex psychological traits and behaviors.

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How components of facial width to height ratio differently contribute to the perception of social traits

Cited by 32 publications

References 32 publications

Implicit preference for human trustworthy faces in macaque monkeys

Implicit preference for human trustworthy faces in macaque monkeys

The craniofacial indicators of aggression: a cross-sectional multiparametric anthropometry study

The influence of income and testosterone on the validity of facial width-to-height ratio as a biomarker for dominance

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