What makes a hero? It’s all in the face

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 today by Wood’s 100 Old Navy Rum. And, to test the theory, it has analysed the face of one of our best-known military leaders, Lord Nelson.

The report forms part of a campaign marking over 150 years of the historical drink - celebrating its strong Naval heritage, and examining what makes a hero in today’s society.

It comes on the back of new research from Wood’s 100, revealing 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!

Working with Naomi Tickle – a leading international personologist and face reader – Wood’s 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.

Naomi Tickle, international speaker, and author of ‘You Can Read a Face Like a Book’, said: “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?” Also seen on 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

Gemma Adams from Wood’s 100, said: “We all have our own ideas about who is heroic, but we thought it would be fascinating to add a bit of science to our study, and see if there was such a thing as a typically heroic face, and whether Lord Nelson demonstrated these traits. And while 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.”

Wood’s 100 Rum is the No 1 over proof dark rum which has been produced for 150 years. With its uncompromising depth of flavour and premium strength, Wood’s 100 has a strong yet smooth, round and rich flavour that makes it unique amongst dark naval rums.