Bizygomatic width and personality traits of the relational field

© 2019, Universidad de la Frontera. All rights reserved. The bizygomatic width when compared to the bigonial width (WD) has been proposed as a craniofacial marker of some social and personality traits, such us self-reliance or the ability to express emotions. However, no studies have examined the association between WD and psychopathic traits, as happens with other craniofacial variables such us the facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR). In a sample of 70 adults (male and female) we took measures of the bizygomatic and the bigonial arches. Subjects performed self-assessment tests to evaluate their self-reliance, their alexithymia and emotional expressiveness and their coldheartedness or callous-unemotional. Results showed a significant relationship between WD and self-reliance, emotional expression and alexithymia, and a tendency towards significance with general psychopathic scores. Additionally, we found a modificatory effect of the variables sex and age when analyzing the influence of the WD on the Factor 3-“Coldheartedness” of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R), where this effect diminished depending on the subject’s sex and age. Results suggested that the WD seem to be a good marker to be taken into consideration in further research that examines craniofacial traits and personality traits of the socio-emotional field.