학술논문

Facial Dominance in Homo Sapiens as Honest Signaling of Male Quality
Document Type
Journal Article
Source
Mueller, U. and Mazur, A. (1998) Facial Dominance in Homo Sapiens as Honest Signaling of Male Quality. [Preprint]
Subject
Psychology: Social Psychology
Social Psychology
Language
Abstract
For a cohort of military officers, graduates of the class of 1950 of the United States Military Academy at West Point, dominant facial appearance was a cosnistent and important predictor of rank attainment at the academy and - for those who graduated from staff college - for high final rank. For men performing below the average, however, dominant facial appearance was a handicap for promotion. High rank came with high fitness. Thus, facial dominance can be an evolutionarily stable honest signal of dominant behavior, a crucial dimension of the potential for high stastus in a male dominance hierarchy. These findings may apply also to civilian populations.