Journal article
Is facial structure an honest cue to real-world dominance and fighting ability in men? A pre-registered direct replication of Třebický et al. (2013)
Evolution and Human Behaviour, Vol.43, pp.314-324
2022
Abstract
Masculine facial morphology (e.g., larger jaw, prominent cheekbones) have been linked to a suite of social outcomes—including greater wealth, career progress, romantic desirability, and even greater political success. A leading explanation for these links is that dominant facial structures represent honest cues of physical dominance and fighting ability. Třebický et al. (2013) published the first study to demonstrate that masculine facial cues (e.g., large nose, deep-set eyes) similarly predict both dominance judgments and real-world fighting success, but no studies have replicated these popular findings that a large and specific assortment of masculine facial structures are implicated in both fighting ability and dominance perception. Thus, we conducted a pre-registered direct replication and extension of Třebický et al. (2013). Two separate samples of United States MTurk participants rated 516 UFC fighters' facial photographs on perceived aggressiveness (N = 500) and fighting ability (N = 500). Results showed that perceived aggressiveness was associated with masculine facial morphology (e.g., large nose, deep-set eyes) independent of bodily size. There was also some evidence that perceived fighting ability was associated with masculine facial morphology, which disappeared after controlling for bodily size. There was no support for the relation between facial structure and fighting success, and there were often negative relations between perceived aggressiveness and fighting ability on fighting success (i.e., more successful fighters were perceived as less successful and aggressive). We argue that our evolved psychology differentially processes the distinct avenues to victory that constitute overall fighting success (e.g., knockout versus submission wins).
Details
- Title
- Is facial structure an honest cue to real-world dominance and fighting ability in men? A pre-registered direct replication of Třebický et al. (2013)
- Authors
- Neil R Caton (Author) - University of QueenslandSamuel Pearson (Author) - University of QueenslandBarnaby J W Dixson (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Publication details
- Evolution and Human Behaviour, Vol.43, pp.314-324
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc.
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.04.002
- ISSN
- 1879-0607
- Organisation Unit
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy; School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99629438402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
108 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Behavioral Sciences
- Psychology, Biological
- Social Sciences, Biomedical
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites