The size and shape of the face may predict a person's sex drive and likelihood to cheat, findings of a new study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior have revealed.
Window To A Person's Traits And Behaviors
A growing body of evidence suggests that the human face may be associated with certain behaviors, attitudes and personality traits.
Now, Steven Arnocky, from the Nipissing University in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues looked at the findings of two separate studies to study the role of high facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) in sexual relationship, mate selection and infidelity.
In the first study that involved 145 undergraduate students, researchers took measurements of the subjects' faces, as well as the FWHR, which is measured using the width of the face divided by the height of the upper face.
Arnocky and colleagues also asked the participants about their sexual behavior and sex drive. Analyses revealed a strong positive link between the FWHR and sex drive in the participants.
In the second study, researchers involved 314 participants to see if they can replicate the findings of the first study. They also added variables of "intended infidelity" and "sociosexuality" to see if these are correlated with facial shape and size.
The researchers explained that sociosexual orientation is a trait-based orientation toward sexuality. Individuals with restricted orientation are generally uncomfortable about the idea of casual sex or sex outside of a relationship.
Individuals With Wider, Shorter Face Report Higher Sex Drive
Findings of the second study backed up the results of the first study. Researchers found that the FWHR can predict libido in both women and men. Individuals with higher FWHR, or those whose faces are wider, shorter and more square, tend to report a higher sex drive.
"Internal meta-analytic results confirm the link between FWHR and sex drive among both men and women," the researchers wrote in their study. "These results suggest that FWHR may be an important morphological index of human sexuality."
Physical Traits Of Men Likely To Cheat
The researchers likewise found that high FHWR is correlated with infidelity and unrestricted sociosexuality in men, which means that men with wider, square faces are more likely to cheat and are more comfortable with the thought of casual sex.
Arnocky and colleagues said that the difference in men's facial proportions could be attributed to variations in testosterone level during developmental periods such as during puberty. Testosterone is known to play a role in forming adult sexual attitudes and desires.
