Facial shape provides a valid cue to sociosexuality in men but not women

It has been shown that observers’ perceptions of sociosexuality from strangers’ faces are predictive of individuals’ self-reported sociosexuality. However it is not clear what cues observers use to achieve this. Over two studies we examined whether sociosexuality is reflected in faces, which cues contain this information, and whether observers’ perceptions of sociosexuality from faces are predictive of individuals’ self-reported sociosexuality. In Study One, Geometric Morphometric Modelling (GMM) found that self-reported sociosexuality was predicted by facial morphology in male but not female faces. In Study Two, participants judged the sociosexuality of opposite sex faces at zero acquaintance. Perceived sociosexuality predicted self-reported sociosexuality for men, but not women. Participants also perceived composites of faces of high sociosexuality individuals as higher sociosexuality than composites of faces of low sociosexuality individuals for men’s but not women’s faces. GMM analyses also found that facial morphology statistically significantly predicted perceived sociosexuality in women’s and, to a greater extent, in men’s faces. Finally, facial shape mediated the relationship between perceived sociosexuality and self-reported sociosexuality in men’s but not women’s faces. Our results suggest that facial shape acts as a valid cue to sociosexuality in men’s but not women’s faces.