Research Article
Face of a fighter: Bizygomatic width as a cue of formidability
Samuele Zilioli,
Aaron N. Sell,
Michael Stirrat,
Justin Jagore,
William Vickerman,
Neil V. Watson,
Samuele Zilioli
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorAaron N. Sell
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMichael Stirrat
Psychology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland
Search for more papers by this authorJustin Jagore
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam Vickerman
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Neil V. Watson
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Correspondence to: Neil V. Watson, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
Samuele Zilioli,
Aaron N. Sell,
Michael Stirrat,
Justin Jagore,
William Vickerman,
Neil V. Watson,
Samuele Zilioli
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorAaron N. Sell
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMichael Stirrat
Psychology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland
Search for more papers by this authorJustin Jagore
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam Vickerman
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Neil V. Watson
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Correspondence to: Neil V. Watson, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Humans can accurately extract information about men's formidability from their faces; however, the actual facial cues that inform these judgments have not been established. Here, through three studies, we test the hypothesis that bizygomatic width (i.e. facial width-to-height ratio, fWHR) covaries with actual physical formidability (hypothesis #1) and that humans use this cue when making assessments of formidability (hypothesis #2). Our data confirm that fWHR is predictive of actual fighting ability among professional combatants (study 1). We further show that subjects' assessments of formidability covary with the target's fWHR on natural faces (study 2), computer-generated images of strong and weak faces (study 2), and experimentally manipulated computer-generated faces (study 3). These results support the hypothesis that bizygomatic width is a cue of formidability that is assessed during agonistic encounters. Aggr. Behav. 41:322–330, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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