Written on the Writer's Face: Facial Width-to-Height Ratio among Nominees and Laureates of the Nobel Prize in Literature

This study examined the relationship between facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), an established marker of testosterone level and dominance, and eminent writers' achievement. The fWHR of laureates (N = 39) and nominees (N = 247) of the Nobel Prize in Literature 1901-1950 was measured together w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCreativity research journal Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 207 - 211
Main Authors Lebuda, Izabela, Karwowski, Maciej
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia Routledge 02.04.2016
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Authors
Awards
Correlation
Creative Writing
Creativity
Face
Human Body
Literature
Males
Nobel prizes
Nominations
Nonverbal Communication
Probability
Science Instruction
Writers
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Summary:This study examined the relationship between facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), an established marker of testosterone level and dominance, and eminent writers' achievement. The fWHR of laureates (N = 39) and nominees (N = 247) of the Nobel Prize in Literature 1901-1950 was measured together with historiometric data. It was demonstrated that although high-fWHR writers were nominated at a younger age, they waited longer for the prize than their low-fWHR counterparts. The probability of being awarded was predicted by the number of nominations, but fWHR moderated this association-the relationship between the number of nominations and the award probability was stronger among high-fWHR writers. Theoretical explanations of these findings are presented.
ISSN:1040-0419
1532-6934
DOI:10.1080/10400419.2016.1162572