Regardless of whether their face has more or less feminine features, men perceive themselves as more manly if they present these physical characteristics: being tall and strong. This is the conclusion of the latest study from the University of Saint Andrews (Scotland) and collected by the journal Perception .
This is one of the first investigations to use three-dimensional scans of the faces of a group of men in order to assess the perception of masculinity in society. A priori, the shape of the male face develops under the influence of male sex hormones, which make men also taller and heavier on average than women. However, both height and weight can vary substantially, finding us with very short men and with women much taller than the average of men.
The novelty of this study is to have tested whether or not variations in height and weight factors were important when judging men’s masculinity. After comparing the face shape of very short and very tall men and very thin men with very heavy and strong men, the experts found that observers based their judgments on actual physical differences associated with height and body consistency and not to the masculine or not that they were the faces .
“ Masculinity has powerful effects on attractiveness and a wide range of other attributes , such as leadership and confidence. It is important that we understand the physical basis of perception, and the origins of male stereotypes. Here, we have shown that perceived facial masculinity has several different physical origins, ”explains Iris Holzleitner, leader of the study.
