Men's facial masculinity: when (body) size matters

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary psychology
• Human facial morphology
• Perceptual science

Background:

• Facial masculinity judgments traditionally focus on sexually dimorphic shape.
• Emerging research suggests other factors influence masculinity perception.
• The role of body size cues in facial perception remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if facial cues to body height and weight influence masculinity perception.
• To quantify the independent effects of body size cues on perceived masculinity.
• To explore the physical basis of psychological attributions related to facial masculinity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 3D face shape data from 40 men and 40 women.
• Computed morphological masculinity scores based on average sex differences.
• Derived facial correlates of height and weight from average face shapes of men with varying body sizes.

Main Results:

• Facial cues to body height and weight significantly impact masculinity perception.
• These body size cues have substantial and independent effects.
• Perceived masculinity increases with perceived height and weight, irrespective of sex-typical facial shape.

Conclusions:

• Facial perception of masculinity is influenced by inferred body size.
• Taller and heavier appearance enhances perceived masculinity in men.
• A method was developed to quantify body trait reflections in faces and their psychological attributions.