Toronto: Men with the widest faces are perceived to be twice as aggressive than those with the narrowest features, according to a new research.
Researchers at Brock University, Canada, said that humans are programmed to see those with broad faces as aggressive because it is a marker of high testosterone exposure in the womb.
"Men with broad faces would have had an evolutionary advantage because, as a marker of aggression, it would see off the opposition without the need to expend energy in fighting or risk injury," Shawn Geniole, who carried out the study with Professor Cheryl McCormick, was quoted as saying by 'The Telegraph'.
The facial-width-to height ratio is the distance between the cheekbones divided by the distance between the mid-brow and the upper lip.
It is linked to testosterone exposure in the womb but is not obscured by facial hair like other cues widely used in judgements of dominance and strength such as the size of the chin and jaw, researchers said.
Psychologists showed images of 25 men before and after they had grown beards and asked men and women volunteers to rate them for aggression and masculinity.
Results showed that the greater the ratio, or the wider the face, the higher the ratings of aggressiveness. Men with a ratio of 1.9 were seen as 2.5 times more aggressive than men with a ratio of 1.4.
