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Facial width-to-height ratio differs by social rank across organizations, countries, and value systems

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Listed:
  • Tim Hahn
  • Nils R Winter
  • Christine Anderl
  • Karolien Notebaert
  • Alina Marie Wuttke
  • Celina Chantal Clément
  • Sabine Windmann

Abstract

Facial Width-to-Height Ratio (fWHR) has been linked with dominant and aggressive behavior in human males. We show here that on portrait photographs published online, chief executive officers (CEOs) of companies listed in the Dow Jones stock market index and the Deutscher Aktienindex have a higher-than-normal fWHR, which also correlates positively with their company’s donations to charitable causes and environmental awareness. Furthermore, we show that leaders of the world’s most influential non-governmental organizations and even the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, the popes, have higher fWHR compared to controls on public portraits, suggesting that the relationship between displayed fWHR and leadership is not limited to profit-seeking organizations. The data speak against the simplistic view that wider-faced men achieve higher social status through antisocial tendencies and overt aggression, or the mere signaling of such dispositions. Instead they suggest that high fWHR is linked with high social rank in a more subtle fashion in both competitive as well as prosocially oriented settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Tim Hahn & Nils R Winter & Christine Anderl & Karolien Notebaert & Alina Marie Wuttke & Celina Chantal Clément & Sabine Windmann, 2017. "Facial width-to-height ratio differs by social rank across organizations, countries, and value systems," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(11), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0187957
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187957
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    1. Licht, Amir N. & Adams, Renee B., 2020. "Shareholders and Stakeholders around the World: The Role of Values, Culture, and Law in Directors' Decisions," LawFin Working Paper Series 13, Goethe University, Center for Advanced Studies on the Foundations of Law and Finance (LawFin).
    2. Chen, Yuzhou & Sealy, Chezham L. & Swanquist, Quinn T. & Whited, Robert L., 2024. "Audit partner facial traits, gender, and career outcomes," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).

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