Force versus fury: Sex differences in the relationships among physical and psychological threat potential, the facial width‐to‐height ratio, and judgements of aggressiveness

• Published in: Aggressive behavior Vol. 44; no. 5; pp. 512 - 523
• Main Authors: MacDonell, Elliott T., Geniole, Shawn N., McCormick, Cheryl M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2018
• Subjects: Aggression; Aggressiveness; Anatomy & physiology; Anger; anger proneness; behavioral aggression; Emotions; Face; face perception; Gender differences; physical strength; Prone; Psychological aspects; Sex differences; threat potential; Threats; Width; face perception; physical strength; threat potential; behavioral aggression; anger proneness
• ISSN: 0096-140X; 1098-2337
• DOI: 10.1002/ab.21771

Individuals with larger facial width‐to‐height ratios (FWHRs) are judged as more threatening, and engage in more threat‐related behavior, than do individuals with smaller FWHRs. Here we identified components of threat potential that are related to the FWHR. In Study 1, the FWHR was correlated positively with physical threat potential (bicep size) in women and with both physical and psychological (anger proneness) threat potential in men. Behavioral aggression was measured in a subset of these participants using the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (costly aggression) and a Money Allocation Task (non‐costly aggression). Psychological (but not physical) threat potential predicted non‐costly aggression and physical (but not psychological) threat potential predicted costly aggression. In Study 2, a separate set of participants judged the anger proneness, strength, or aggressiveness of male participants photographed in Study 1. Participants’ judgements of all three characteristics were associated with the FWHR, and there were sex differences in how aggressiveness was conceptualized (for women, aggressiveness was associated with anger proneness, for men, aggressiveness was associated with strength). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the FWHR may be an adaptation to cue the threat potential of men.