Measurement guide
Facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR)
Face width at the cheekbones divided by the height of the upper face, from the upper lip up to the eyes or brows. Higher values mean a wider, shorter upper face.
How it's measured
Width is the distance between the outermost points of the cheekbones (bizygomatic width). Height runs from the upper lip up to the eye region. Divide width by height.
Studies don't agree on the top end of the height: Carré & McCormick (2008) measured up to the brows, others use the top of the upper eyelids or the bridge of the nose. Each choice gives a different value, so a 1.9 from one tool and a 1.9 from another may not mean the same thing. The box below names the exact points Harmony uses.
Typical values
In frontal photos of 470 university students, the average was 1.89 for men and 1.91 for women, and most people fell within about 0.25 of that (Özener, 2012).
FWHR is often described as a masculine trait, but the evidence for a difference between men's and women's faces is weak: several samples measured with photos, 3D scans and calipers found little or none (Kramer, Jones & Ward, 2012), and a meta-analysis came to the same conclusion for faces (Kramer, 2017).
How Harmony measures it
Face width to upper height FWHR
Width across the cheekbones (zygion to zygion) divided by the upper face height: from the top of the upper eyelids down to the top of the upper lip (labrale superius), measured straight down from the eye line.
- Male reference
- 1.90–2.06
- Female reference
- 1.90–2.06
Range: Community facial analysis formula (public spreadsheet), top range: 1.90-2.06 for both sexes. The eyelid-to-upper-lip height is our own landmark choice; Carré JM, McCormick CM (Proc R Soc B 2008;275:2651-2656) measure up to the brow instead, which gives lower values. Counts toward the score with weight 25 (Community formula point table: FWHR, 25 points).
What changes the number in a photo
- Expression. Smiling lifts the upper lip and widens the cheeks, which raises FWHR. Keep a relaxed, neutral face.
- Chin up or down. Tilting the head changes the apparent height of the upper face. Keep it level with the camera at eye height.
- Camera distance. At arm's length, perspective makes the middle of the face look bigger next to its outer edges; a modelling study found the nose reads about 30% larger relative to cheekbone width at 30 cm than from far away (Ward et al., 2018). Stand about 1.5 m away and zoom in.
One number, one feature
FWHR describes the rectangle around the upper face. The forehead, jaw and chin aren't in it at all.