The study’s authors claim to have shown that men are most likely to cheat and lie if they have wider faces as measured by the facial width-to-height ratio, or WHR. Sceptics argue that the evidence supporting such a huge claim is weak, especially given that the conclusion could damage the reputations of the millions of men whose faces conform to the definition of “extra wide”.

“In our data, ‘high’ WHRs tend to be those greater than 1.90, typically 1.90 to 2.08,” explains lead author Michael Haselhuhn of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Historical examples include John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, with WHRs of 2.15 and 2.02 respectively. Those with low WHRs of 1.70 and below include John Lennon (1.63) and William Shakespeare (1.44).