Technology news and Jobs arrow Science arrow Need an aggressive man? Find one with a wide face!
Need an aggressive man? Find one with a wide face! E-mail
by William Atkins   
Sunday, 24 August 2008


In the second study conducted on male varsity ice hockey players, the Canadian researchers found that the wider the faces of these men, the more penalty minutes (for aggressive behavior on the ice) they had per game over the length of one hockey season.

A third study found the same results in male professional hockey players.

McCormick stated that they were “… equally astounded to see that the same measure [that was used in the computer-game setting] could predict aggressive behavior in a real-world setting, that of sports.”

The researchers conclude within the abstract to their paper that “… these findings suggest that the sexually dimorphic facial width-to-height ratio may be an ‘honest signal’ of propensity for aggressive behaviour.”

They suggest that their conclusions show that faces have evolved over millions of years to become wider in men as signs to opponents that such men will be much more aggressive and dominant in their actions .

McCormick states, "Competitors may have used this cue, likely on a subconscious level, to decide whether or not to take an opponent on.” [Fox News]

The researchers admit that the results of their study could be misleading, that wider faces in men may not necessarily be a sign of more aggressive and dominant behaviors in men. However, other similar studies in facial shapes support their claims.

McCormick and Carré plan further studies to validity their conclusions

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