Judging a Man by the Width of his Face: The Role of Facial Ratios and Dominance in Mate Choice at Speed-Dating Events

• Main Authors: VALENTINE, Katherine A., LI, Norman P., PENKE, Lars, PERRETT, David I.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2014
• Subjects: good genes sexual selection; dominance; facial width-to-height ratio; speed-dating; mate selection; Gender and Sexuality; Social Psychology
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1471; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/2727/viewcontent/ValentineLiPenkePerrett2013.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Previous research shows that men with higher facial width-to-height ratios (fWHRs) have higher testosterone, are more aggressive, more powerful, and more financially successful, but are they more attractive to women in an ecologically valid mating context, speed-dating? Male fWHR was positively associated with perceptions of dominance, being chosen for a second date, and attractiveness to women for short-term, but not long-term relationships. Perceived dominance mediated (by itself and through physical attractiveness) the relationship between fWHR and women’s interest in short-term relationships. Furthermore, men’s perceptions of own dominance reflected patterns in mating desirability similar to those of fWHR. These results support the idea that fWHR is a physical marker of dominance. This is the first study to show that men with high fWHR are attractive to women for short-term relationships, and that male dominance is attractive in an interactive situation that could actually lead to dating and mating.