Overgeneralizing emotions: Facial width-to-height revisited.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Facial Morphology

Background:

• Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is theorized to correlate with testosterone levels and influence perceptions of male dominance and aggression.
• The causal link between fWHR and behavioral traits remains debated, with potential confounding factors like observer attribution bias.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of observer attribution bias in the perceived association between fWHR and male behavioral traits (aggression, dominance, power).
• To determine if manipulating facial features to represent character traits influences perceived fWHR.

Main Methods:

• Three studies involved participants drawing, assembling features, or photo-editing male faces to depict aggressive-dominant or powerful characters.
• A total of 1,100 modeled faces were analyzed.
• Bayesian analyses and equivalence testing were employed to assess the significance of findings.

Main Results:

• Little evidence was found for attribution bias concerning facial width in static facial features.
• Photo-edited faces showed a slight effect of character condition on fWHR, but this was attributed to displayed emotions (e.g., anger) rather than static features.
• In the absence of emotional expression, no effect of character condition on facial width was confirmed.

Conclusions:

• Observer attribution bias, particularly emotion overgeneralization, may explain perceived links between fWHR and personality traits, potentially creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Static facial images may be insufficient for studying fWHR due to difficulties distinguishing transient muscular activation from bone structure.
• Future research should consider dynamic facial expressions and avoid overreliance on static images when investigating fWHR and behavioral attributions.