Do observers infer aggressive character traits from facial shape?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Human Behavior

Background:

• Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is hypothesized to signal male aggression and dominance.
• Previous research suggests fWHR may act as a cue to social threat.
• The current study investigates the role of facial shape versus emotional expression in inferring character traits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if observers use facial shape, independent of emotional expression, to infer character traits.
• To examine the specific contribution of facial width to the perception of aggression and power.
• To explore alternative facial features that might influence these perceptions.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted using photographs of male faces.
• Experiment 1 masked emotional expressions to isolate facial shape cues.
• Experiment 2 manipulated facial shape to obscure facial width.
• Participants performed forced-choice tasks to rate depicted traits (aggression, power).

Main Results:

• Participants successfully inferred aggressive and powerful traits above chance levels, even with masked expressions.
• Facial width itself did not correlate with accurate trait assignments.
• Participants rarely identified facial width as an informative cue for trait inference.

Conclusions:

• Face shape, in addition to expression, contributes to inferring aggressiveness and dominance, but to a limited extent.
• Observers may rely on other shape-related features, such as chin angularity, which may covary with facial width.
• The findings challenge expectations regarding the direct influence of fWHR on perceived character traits.