TY - JOUR
T1 - Facultative formidability
T2 - Physical size shapes men’s aggressive traits and behaviors in sports.
AU - Webster, Gregory D.
AU - DeWall, C. Nathan
AU - Xu, Yue Feng
AU - Orozco, Tatiana
AU - Crosier, Benjamin S.
AU - Nezlek, John B.
AU - Bryan, Angela D.
AU - Bator, Renée J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Psychological Association
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Does one’s physical size inform the development of traits and interpersonal behavioral strategies? Drawing on resource holding potential, reactive heritability and facultative calibration, the recalibration theory of anger, and the general aggression model, we predicted that there would be positive relationships between (a) height and aggression and (b) weight and aggression for men but not for women. We tested this prediction across 4 studies (total N = 2,470). In 2 studies of undergraduates, we found Sex × Size interactions for weight (Study 1) and height (Study 2); the weight– and height–aggression associations were positive only for men (vs. women) and only for trait measures of anger or physical aggression (vs. hostility or verbal aggression). In 2 studies of professional male athletes, we found that both height and weight were positively related to penalization for aggression in both indoor lacrosse (Study 3) and ice hockey (Study 4) at both the individual and team levels. Collectively, these findings support the abovementioned theories and suggest that, in men, physical size may shape aggressive traits and behaviors in adaptive ways.
AB - Does one’s physical size inform the development of traits and interpersonal behavioral strategies? Drawing on resource holding potential, reactive heritability and facultative calibration, the recalibration theory of anger, and the general aggression model, we predicted that there would be positive relationships between (a) height and aggression and (b) weight and aggression for men but not for women. We tested this prediction across 4 studies (total N = 2,470). In 2 studies of undergraduates, we found Sex × Size interactions for weight (Study 1) and height (Study 2); the weight– and height–aggression associations were positive only for men (vs. women) and only for trait measures of anger or physical aggression (vs. hostility or verbal aggression). In 2 studies of professional male athletes, we found that both height and weight were positively related to penalization for aggression in both indoor lacrosse (Study 3) and ice hockey (Study 4) at both the individual and team levels. Collectively, these findings support the abovementioned theories and suggest that, in men, physical size may shape aggressive traits and behaviors in adaptive ways.
KW - aggression
KW - anger
KW - height
KW - sports
KW - weight
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85084728223&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85084728223&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/ebs0000201
DO - 10.1037/ebs0000201
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85084728223
SN - 2330-2925
VL - 15
SP - 133
EP - 158
JO - Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences
JF - Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences
IS - 2
ER -