Here’s what Donald Trump’s face says about his leadership skills, according to science

Donald J Trump’s shock election victory has sent ripples around the world – but could his victory have been predicted from his face?

A review of scientific literature on the subject found that Trump’s face – masculine, older-looking and wide, could have important implications for his leadership.

Dr Oguz Ali Acar, Cass Business School said that research showed that physical characteristics can have implications on how likely someone is to become a leader – and how they behave.

He said, ‘Trump has a masculine, older-looking face with high width-to-height ratio (fWHR). We found empirical research that links this high fWHR to various important leadership outcomes.

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‘Those who have higher ratio, like Trump, are more likely to be more aggressive, dominant and powerful. They are better negotiators and are financially more successful. One study we saw found a positive association between the width of a male CEO’s face relative to its height and the financial performance of the firm.

‘However, such a facial structure is also linked to darker outcomes such as unethical behavior and exploitation of trust of others,

‘Trump has a masculine looking face, which is often perceived as dominant and is preferred in competitive settings, such as wartime. However, masculine faces are perceived as less trustworthy and are not preferred in cooperative settings such as peacetime. The current increased global terror threat may have contributed to his election.’