Facial Width-to-Height Ratio Does Not Predict Self-Reported Behavioral Tendencies
This work questions the generalizability of fWHR-behavior links in psychology, suggesting previous findings may be limited to specific settings, making it incremental by addressing methodological issues.
The study reexamined the link between facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) and behavioral tendencies using a large sample of 137,163 participants and 55 psychometric scales, finding no substantial links, which challenges previous claims based on smaller, lab-based studies.
A growing number of studies have linked facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) with various antisocial or violent behavioral tendencies. However, those studies have predominantly been laboratory based and low powered. This work reexamined the links between fWHR and behavioral tendencies in a large sample of 137,163 participants. Behavioral tendencies were measured using 55 well-established psychometric scales, including self-report scales measuring intelligence, domains and facets of the five-factor model of personality, impulsiveness, sense of fairness, sensational interests, self-monitoring, impression management, and satisfaction with life. The findings revealed that fWHR is not substantially linked with any of these self-reported measures of behavioral tendencies, calling into question whether the links between fWHR and behavior generalize beyond the small samples and specific experimental settings that have been used in past fWHR research.