Facial Dominance in Homo Sapiens as Honest Signaling of Male Quality

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.