Facial cues to perceived height influence leadership choices in simulated war and peace contexts.
Body size and other signs of physical prowess are associated with leadership hierarchies in many social species. Here we (1) assess whether facial cues associated with perceived height and masculinity have different effects on leadership judgments in simulated wartime and peacetime contexts and (2) test how facial cues associated with perceived height and masculinity influence dominance perceptions. Results indicate that cues associated with perceived height and masculinity in potential leaders‟ faces are valued more in a wartime (vs. peacetime) context. Furthermore, increasing cues of apparent height and masculinity in faces increased perceived dominance. Together, these findings suggest that facial cues of physical stature contribute to establishing leadership hierarchies in humans.
University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom. dr296@st-andrews.ac.uk
Daniel E
DE
Re
Lisa M
LM
DeBruine
Benedict C
BC
Jones
David I
DI
Perrett
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003463:Cues; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D057228:Masculinity; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011057:Politics; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012930:Social Dominance; D012938:Social Perception; D014857:Warfare