Facial symmetry is not a reliable cue of aggressive behavior

Year 2012, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 32 - 40, 01.11.2012

Barış Özener Can Pelin Ayla Kürkçüoğlu Ragıba Zağyapan

Abstract

Some evolutionary psychologists argue that facial symmetry provides cues as to the behavioral
tendencies of the target. The present study examined the relationship between facial symmetry and
aggressive behavior in healthy young people. To this end, the frontal photographs of 158 male and 154
female university students were taken and recent version of Buss & Perry aggressiveness
questionnaire was used for detecting self reported aggressive behavior. The analysis of facial symmetry
from pictures was done on the basis of 14 somatometric landmarks in NIH-Image 1.62 by using
Spearman’s rank correlation analysis no significant relationship was found between composite
asymmetry and any component of aggressiveness. The results of the study suggest that facial
symmetry is not a reliable cue of self reported aggressiveness in young males and females living in
Ankara, Turkey.

Keywords

Facial symmetry, Fluctuating asymmetry, self-reported aggressiveness, developmental instability

References

• Archer J. (1991) The influence of testosterone on human aggression. Br J Psychiatr 82:1−28.