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Facial Width to Height Ratio and Dominance

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Aggressiveness; FWHR; Prestige; Social status

Definition

The facial width-to-hip ratio (FWHR) is an anthropometric measure of facial shape. It is calculated by taking the distance from one zygion to the other and dividing it by facial height. Dominance refers to an individual’s position within a social hierarchy, while dominant behavior describes a number of traits including, but not restricted to, inflexibility, drive for achievement or power, and controlling the behavior of others.

Introduction

Natural selection has shaped the evolution of human visual systems to be highly attuned to extracting socially relevant information, such as age, ethnicity, gender, and emotions from the face (Little et al. 2011). While interpreting facial expressions and displays of emotion are of critical importance during human interpersonal interactions, static facial cues also provide meaningful information relating to sexual maturity and a healthy endocrine system that influence interpersonal...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia

    Barnaby J. W. Dixson

Authors
  1. Barnaby J. W. Dixson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barnaby J. W. Dixson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Minna Lyons

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Dixson, B.J.W. (2017). Facial Width to Height Ratio and Dominance. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1419-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1419-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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