Testosterone-mediated sex differences in the face shape during adolescence: Subjective impressions and objective features

Marečková, Klára; Weinbrand, Zohar; Chakravarty, M. Mallar; Lawrence, Claire; Aleong, Rosanne; Leonard, Gabriel; Perron, Michel; Pike, G. Bruce; Richer, Louis; Veillette, Suzanne; Pausová, Zdenka; Paus, Tomáš

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.09.004

Cited by 78 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Because testosterone also motivates behavioral dominance (Tremblay, 1998), it is not surprising that perceptions of dominance might reliably communicate information about both actual and perceived height. The results of Study 3 are particularly consistent with this possibility: Chin size mediated the association between actual and perceived height independent of other facial features, and higher testosterone levels are associated with the development of broader chins (Mareckova et al, 2011). Thus, testosterone may present a common biological antecedent for the association between facial characteristics and facial cues of social dominance (Zebrowitz & Collins, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

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

Burton¹,

Rule²

2013

Social Cognition

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

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

Burton¹,

Rule²

2013

Social Cognition

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“…The surge of serum testosterone concentrations during puberty is 20-30-fold higher in males compared with females [4], and salivary testosterone levels of 12-18-year-olds are known to be related to sexually dimorphic facial features [5]. The mean age of participants in the current study at the time of 'adult' blood collection was approximately 20 years, and all were post-puberty.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Testosterone levels surge during puberty, and concentrations are 20-30-fold higher in males than females [4], which has been postulated to explain the contemporaneous increased sexual dimorphism in facial appearance. For example, among 12-18-year-olds, a positive correlation is present between the concentration of testosterone in saliva and the dimensions of several male-typical facial characteristics, such as a broader forehead, chin, jaw and nose [5]. Furthermore, the administration of testosterone to adolescents with delayed puberty accelerates craniofacial growth in these same features [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal testosterone exposure is related to sexually dimorphic facial morphology in adulthood

et al. 2015

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Prenatal testosterone may have a powerful masculinizing effect on postnatal physical characteristics. However, no study has directly tested this hypothesis. Here, we report a 20-year follow-up study that measured testosterone concentrations from the umbilical cord blood of 97 male and 86 female newborns, and procured three-dimensional facial images on these participants in adulthood (range: 21-24 years). Twenty-three Euclidean and geodesic distances were measured from the facial images and an algorithm identified a set of six distances that most effectively distinguished adult males from females. From these distances, a 'gender score' was calculated for each face, indicating the degree of masculinity or femininity. Higher cord testosterone levels were associated with masculinized facial features when males and females were analysed together (n ¼ 183; r ¼ 20.59), as well as when males (n ¼ 86; r ¼ 20.55) and females (n ¼ 97; r ¼ 20.48) were examined separately ( p-values , 0.001). The relationships remained significant and substantial after adjusting for potentially confounding variables. Adult circulating testosterone concentrations were available for males but showed no statistically significant relationship with gendered facial morphology (n ¼ 85, r ¼ 0.01, p ¼ 0.93). This study provides the first direct evidence of a link between prenatal testosterone exposure and human facial structure.

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“…grip strength [8]) or certain social traits [10]. Each of these factors may be mediated by the putative relationship between fWHR and levels of testosterone [6]. For example, some suggest that behavioural effects of testosterone may manifest as the motivation to achieve status [12] or coarse physical strength [13], and it is feasible that these factors may mediate the relationship between batting performance and fWHR observed here.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Human face structure correlates with professional baseball performance: insights from professional Japanese baseball players

Tsujimura

Banissy

2013

Biol. Lett.

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In our daily lives, we use faces as a major source of information about other people. Recent work has begun to highlight how one's facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is linked to a number of behaviours (e.g. deception, aggression and financial performance in firms). fWHR has also been linked to several factors that may be beneficial for sport (e.g. achievement drive, winning mentality and aggression). Despite this, few studies have examined the relationship between fWHR and sports performance, and these have focused on Caucasian sportsmen. Here, we investigated the relationship between fWHR and baseball performance in professional Japanese baseball players. We show that fWHR is positively related with home run performance across two consecutive seasons. The findings provide the first evidence linking fWHR to baseball performance and linking fWHR to behavioural outcomes in Asian participants.

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Testosterone-mediated sex differences in the face shape during adolescence: Subjective impressions and objective features

Cited by 78 publications

References 37 publications

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

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

Prenatal testosterone exposure is related to sexually dimorphic facial morphology in adulthood

Human face structure correlates with professional baseball performance: insights from professional Japanese baseball players

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