Wide-Faced Men Cause Others to Act Selfishly

Do you act selfishly around others? You might not be able to help it if you encounter someone with a wider face, according to a new study. It turns out that individuals behave more selfishly around men with wider faces and that this selfish behavior elicits the same in others.

In the past, researchers have found that men with wider faces are more aggressive, less trustworthy and more prone to engage in deception. Now, though, it turns out that this behavior may just be a response to how others treat wider-faced men.

"This clearly shows that this behavior is also socially driven, not just biologically drive," said Michael P. Haselhuhn, one of the researchers, in a news release.

The findings are actually built off a series of other studies. One discovered that men with wider faces tend to lead more financially successful firms. Another one, in contrast, found that men with wider faces are more likely to lie and cheat.

So how did the scientists come to these results? They established a relationship between facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) and general self-interest. This allowed them to quantify how men acted with others. They found that men with higher fWHRs behaved more selfishly when dividing resources between themselves in the partner. They also found that partners behaved the same way when encountering a person with a higher fWHR.

What is most interesting, though, is the fact that these papers show the significance of the underlying mechanism of power.

"People need to think more carefully about how they use power and how they can use it in helpful ways," said Elaine M. Wong, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We don't expect organizations to select their CEO based on the shape of their face, but first impressions do matter."

The findings are important for better understanding how people react around one another. It also reveals just how important first impressions are in the business world.

The findings are published in three different journals, including the Proceedings for Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Psychological Science and PLOS One.