The new trend in dating is to search for a partner by face size. But face shape can also reveal a lot about us
To be precise with the "face" - everything actually depends on the size and shape of the head. These are, of course, aspects that are not influenced by the person himself - someone's head is beautifully shaped and one could say that it is directly "show", in the case of someone else the shape resembles, for example, a not very good-looking potato. But what is perhaps quite surprising is the finding of researchers from the University of Tennessee, who pointed out in 2012 that the heads of white Americans are getting bigger over time - and the average skull size has increased since the late 19th century. Since the 19th century, the skull has grown by about 8 millimetres for men and 7 millimetres for women. Exactly how large a "normal-sized" skull/head is, however, has not yet been defined. However, this does not prevent those who want a happy and satisfied relationship from looking for a mate based on the size of his or her face. The "normal" or "standard" set by exact numbers does not matter so much - perhaps certain size variations are more important (after all, how else to know someone who has a "big" - or wide - face than to compare it with others of whom nothing of the sort can be said).
But even though many of us cannot accurately determine the size of our own heads, e.g. women directly prefer men with wide faces. In fact, as surveys of speed dating participants/subjects suggest, men with broad faces are perceived to be more aggressive, more powerful and more financially successful. Small, elegant faces are perceived as more feminine. Actually, one could say that this is not surprising - since it is precisely size and power and dominance that are associated with classic gender stereotypes. Yet scientific evidence shows the other side of the coin - it is indeed possible to infer a lot about people from their facial size and shape, but men with broader faces may not be the big deal...
"Facial characteristics can provide important information about people's sexual motivation," says Steven Arnocky, co-author of a study that looked directly at the link between facial shape and infidelity. And the results are pretty damning. Men with a face that is wider rather than taller (and also referred to as FWHR, or high facial width-to-height-ratios) have higher libido and more casual attitudes to sex. Thus, a high FWHR correlates with a higher sex drive - not only in men, but also in women. However, only in the case of men, higher tendencies towards infidelity were also demonstrated in the aforementioned research.
In the past, researchers have also shown that men with broader faces are more likely to be aggressive, unethical, prejudiced and even psychopathic. A possible reason for this is said to be the exposure to testosterone in the womb, where male facial development also occurs, and testosterone can increase libido, sociosexuality, but also "unfaithful behaviour". But it is better to keep one's head on the wall when making such judgements. Not only has it already been shown that if the measurement sample is large enough, the supposed effects based on face shape and size disappear, but moreover the links between facial measurements and the association of the results with certain (negative) characteristics have already been discredited in the past.
Zdroj: Giphy
In any case, however, many different methods of matching people by face shape/size have been developed - but unlike the current one, which relies on opposites, they have worked more with similarity. For example, in the past, the dating site Find Your FaceMate offered singles to search for a perfect match based on facial features. "The visual part of the brain sends signals to our unconscious, and we are naturally drawn to people whose features are similar to ours," the site reported directly.
A sexy big face?
But when it comes to the current trend of finding a match based on face size, it's actually not as easy as it might seem. "Telling someone they have a sexy big face can be difficult - a lot of people hear the word 'big' and immediately associate negative connotations with it," says Sims, 31, who first fell platonically in love with his teacher, who he says had "a very charming and cute round face". The predilection for the larger faces of others is thus inherent not only in women but also in men. And as for faces that are rather small, these are preferred by whole cultures - especially in East Asia, small faces are considered beautiful.
While the different sizes of partners' faces can be a challenge in some situations (e.g. when taking selfies), those who have already found a relationship "based on face size" are not fundamentally bothered by it. "Whenever I'm in photos with my partner, it looks like the beautiful woman has fallen in love with a puppet. My solution is - look funny. Then no one notices the widely spaced eyes and massive nose," says the man, who prides himself on his large face. Whether such relationships have a better chance of success is hard to say. But as it seems, basically everyone has a chance of finding someone who will like him/her as he/she is. And maybe soon there will be a dating site that focuses just on matching people according to different face shapes...
