Previous research suggests that facial-width-to-height ratio (FWHR) predicts aggression, unethical behavior, and non-reciprocity of trust. One limitation of this research is that all samples originate from western countries. To overcome this limitation, the present study investigates the relationship between FWHR and performance among association football athletes involved in the 2010 World Cup representing 32 countries. Results indicated that across all 32 countries, the associations between FWHR and athletic performance varied depending on position. FWHR positively predicted fouls within midfielders and forwards, and goals and assists within forwards.Collectively, these findings demonstrate the associations FWHR has with athletic behavior and performance for the first time in a well-varied multinational sample.Keywords Aggression . Facial features . Culture . Competition . Performance . Sports Recent work suggests that facial-width-to-height ratio (FWHR;Weston et al. 2007) is an important predictor of several psychological constructs and behavior. FWHR, or the ratio of a face's bizygomatic width to the vertical distance between the upper lip to the mid brow, is positively related to antisocial behavior in men, including aggression Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.