When it comes to having a high sex drive, I just assumed it came from something down below — like I had pumping hormones or a ovaries the size of baseballs. I don't know, I'm not a scientist. But science is now saying that a very different part of the body may have something to do with your libido. New research, led by Steven Arnocky, an associate professor of psychology at the Nipissing University, Canada, has unearthed a really weird connection.
Ever heard of FWHR? Me neither. But it stands for face width-to-height ratio which is, well, exactly what it sounds. And the research looked at 457 men and women, all of who were in relationships. The interesting thing was that those with a higher FWHR — which essentially means having rounder, wider face rather than a tall, narrow one — had higher sex drives. They looked at other facial features, like if killer cheekbones or arched brows made you horny, but it seemed to be only face shape that had the connection.
And, I don't mean to alarm you, but I checked — I have a very wide face and a high sex drive that I can neither explain nor control. The science checks out.
This isn't the first time that face shape has been linked to other qualities. But it was the first time that women's faces were. "We were somewhat surprised that the effect was also observed in women given that most work on FWHR has found links to men's, but not women's, behavior," Arnocky, the lead author, tells Bustle. "However, most of this past work has focused on things like physical aggression and dominance — characteristics that we know are male-typical. Conversely, we know that testosterone, which helps shape the face during development, has been linked to sex-drive in both men and women. These results were found in samples from two different Canadian cities; however, it would be interesting to examine whether these relationship hold in other cultures, where norms and attitudes toward sexuality are likely to be different."
So actually, faces are linked to sexuality in a really complex way. And it may all go back to our hormones — so my original suspicions aren't totally off! "Researchers attributed differences in facial proportions to variations in testosterone levels during particular developmental periods, such as puberty," the release explains. "This hormone plays a role in forming adult sexual attitudes and desires." So basically, the reason that our face shape may be connected is that it's controlled, in part, by our hormones during our development. A little complicated, perhaps, but it makes sense.
So faces may be responsible for a whole lot more than we think. But you shouldn't get worried about your face shape — or your sex drive for that matter. Everybody's sex drive is different and it's nothing to spend too much time worrying about. "A healthy sex drive is different for each person," Amy Levine, sex coach and founder of Ignite Your Pleasure, tells Bustle. "Overall, it's when we feel balanced in our desire (it feels good to us, as opposed to something being off whether too high or low) and sexually fulfilled whether it's alone or with a partner." No need to fret.
But it is interesting to see how these things are connected. Our sex drives, hormones, face shape, and who knows what else are all at play. It actually could explain why there are such a huge range of sex drives. With that many factors all combining, they are bound to manifest in so many different ways. It makes some people feel totally OK without sex — some without sexual urges at all — and other be totally insatiable.
So next time you're marveling at how someone can have a totally different sex drive than you, know that there could be more at play. And maybe take a quick look at their face shape and width-to-height ratio, because apparently that can tell us whole lot more than you would have thought.
