Research reveals army & navy are our modern-day heroes
Square forehead, set back ears and a Roman nose – the makings of a hero is all in the face, according to a unique new study released by Wood’s 100 Old Navy Rum[i]. And, to test the theory, it has analysed the face of one of our best-known military leaders, Vice Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson - whose flagship HMS Victory can be seen in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
A visionary leader, tenacious, competitive, action-driven and a perfectionist are just some of the heroic characteristics that Nelson’s face displays in an analysis that comes on the back of new research[ii] from Wood’s 100. The research reveals that we consider the army and navy to be society’s most heroic people (41%), followed by doctors and paramedics (25%), and the police and fire services (23%). Perhaps unsurprisingly, ‘politicians’ came bottom of the list with just 1% of votes!
Naomi Tickle, a leading international personologist, face reader and author of ‘You Can Read a Face Like a Book’, identified the key facial characteristics that epitomise heroism, and applied these to a portrait of Nelson, to see if he displayed the traits, and whether they were common among people in the public eye today.
In her findings Tickle says: “The relationship between the physical facial structure and personality has been well researched since the 1920''s. Whether it’s traditionally heroic traits like a Roman nose or more obscure characteristics such as a square forehead, heroic people do share similar facial features, and Nelson is no exception. These are also present on the faces of powerful figures today, whether it’s world leaders, sportsmen, or simply brave people we know.”
The report: Lord Nelson’s Face
1) Roman nose - good at managing, delegating and overseeing his people.
· Also seen in Prince William, Marco Pierre White
2) Square forehead - a seed planter. Liked to initiate the ideas and pass them along to others to carry through.
· Also seen on Barack Obama, Bear Grylls
3) Ears set back, low on head - A visionary leader. Would have demanded extremely high standards of his men.
· Also seen on Richard Branson
4) Pointed chin - very stubborn and tenacious.
· Also seen in Quentin Tarantino
5) Head wider at the back - very competitive. He found it irritating when others were slower than himself. Definitely a ‘take charge’ person. Common among top rugby players and footballers.
· Also seen on Martin Johnson, Sir Alan Sugar, Robbie Coltrane
6) Exposed eyelid - he liked the bottom line and was very action-driven: “Come on let''s go, what are we waiting for?”
· Sir Anthony Hopkins, Patrick Dempsey, Vladimir Putin
7) Outer corner of eye lower than inner corner - a perfectionist and noticed every move. He didn''t miss much.
· Also seen on Daniel Craig
8) Oval eyebrow - good at bringing ideas or concepts together. His thoughts were well organised and express his ideas clearly.
· Also seen on Nicholas Sarkozy, Sir Sean Connery
9) Sloped back/high forehead – extremely intelligent, quick to think and respond in the moment. Good in emergencies could think on his feet.
· Also seen on Andrew Marr
Jacquie Shaw, Head of Communications at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard said: “it is fascinating too find that there is such a thing as a typically heroic face and that Lord Nelson demonstrates these traits, is of no surprise. You only have to look at his wax effigy in the Royal Naval Museum to see that he was a distinguished man and although our modern day equivalents are very different to Nelson, they are all examples of men who are at the top of their game – whether it’s acting, sport or business.”
Background information
Personology (courtesy of Naomi Tickle):
[i] The report forms part of a campaign marking over 150 years of the historical over proof dark rum – celebrating its strong Naval heritage, and examining what makes a hero in today’s society.
[ii]Wood’s 100 questioned 1,000 people from across the UK in June 2009. Further regional/gender/age breakdown is available.
