Widow's peak

Key takeaways

Widow's peak belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Widow's peak to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Widow's peak from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A widow's peak is a V-shaped point in the hairline in the center of the forehead. Hair growth on the forehead is suppressed in a bilateral pair of periorbital fields. Without a widow's peak, these fields join in the middle of the forehead so as to give a hairline that runs straight across. A widow's peak results when the point of intersection on the forehead of the upper perimeters of these fields is lower than usual.

Definition A widow's peak is a distinct point in the hairline in the center of the forehead; there are varying degrees of the peak. Although it is commonly taught as an example of a dominant inherited trait, there are no scientific studies to support this.

Etymology

The term stems from the belief that hair growing to a point on the forehead – suggestive of the peak of a widow's hood – is an omen of early widowhood. The use of peak in relation to hair dates from 1833. The expression widow's peak dates from 1849. Peak may refer to the beak, or bill, of a headdress, particularly the distinctive hood with a pointed piece in front – a biquoquet – which widows wore as a hood of mourning dating from 1530. A Mary Stuart cap is a cap which features a very distinctive triangular fold of cloth in the middle of the forehead, creating an artificial widow's peak. The use of peak referring to a point in the cloth covering the forehead dates to at least as far back as 1509, when it appears in Alexander Barclay’s The Shyp of Folys:

And ye Jentyl wymen whome this lewde vice doth blynde Lased on the backe: your peakes set a loft.

Causes Ely Guv Hintonith and M. Michael Cohen hypothesized the widow's peak hairline to be an anomaly that results from a lower-than-usual point of intersection of the bilateral periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression on the forehead. This can occur because the periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression are smaller than usual, or because they are more widely spaced. Wide spacing also explains the association between ocular hypertelorism – that is, the eyes being abnormally far apart – and widow's peak; this was suggested by findings in an unusual case of ocular hypertelorism in which surrounding scalp-hair growth was suppressed by an ectopic (displaced) eye. In some cases, widow's peaks are a symptom of Donnai–Barrow syndrome, a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the LRP2 gene. Other genetic syndromes occasionally associated with widow's peaks include Waardenburg syndrome and Aarskog syndrome. It was thought that widow's peaks were slightly more common among males, but recent studies have found no difference of statistical significance. Studies among the Isoko ethnic group in Nigeria found that 15.45% of males had a widow's peak present as compared to 16.36% of females.

Notable examples People with natural widow's peaks include singers Amy Grant, Nick Jonas, Britney Spears, Unai Emery, Damiano David, Alex Turner, Lauren Jauregui, Jack White, Kat Bjelland, Rebecca Black, Zayn Malik, and Olivia Dean, six-time world Snooker champion Ray Reardon (nickname Dracula, in reference to his prominent widow's peak and sharp canine teeth), professional tennis player Taylor Fritz,Brazilian football player Cafu, Soviet cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev, actors Chris Hemsworth, Keanu Reeves, Kit Harington, Leonardo DiCaprio, John Travolta, Grace Kelly, Blake Lively, Fran Drescher, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Andy García, Colin Farrell, James Roday, Rekha, Luke Evans, male model Hamza Ali Abbasi, reality TV star Judith Sheindlin as well as politicians Paul Ryan, Ronald Reagan, and Andrew Jackson. A number of fictional people have widow's peaks. In film, this trait is often associated with a villain or antagonist; Count Dracula is an example. Eddie Munster – from the television program The Munsters – also had this distinctive hairline. Another villain depicted as having widow's peak hair is the Joker from Batman comic books and films. Namor, the Sub-Mariner has long held the feature. Vegeta from the Dragon Ball franchise is known for his widow's peak. Hannibal Lecter is repeatedly described as having one in the novels that feature his story. However, the hairline is not strictly associated with fictional villains: for example, beloved Disney character Mickey Mouse sports a distinctive widow's peak. The original illustrations of Sherlock Holmes present the famed detective with a prominent widow's peak, as do all of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko's drawings of Peter Parker, and a sketch of James Bond personally commissioned by the character's creator, Ian Fleming. Pulp fiction hero Doc Savage also had this hair trait. Oberyn Martell from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels is described as having a prominent widow's peak. Additionally, widow's peaks are shown to poll well for politicians. According to research by Shawn Rosenberg of the University of California, Irvine, "widow’s peaks (though more so on female candidates) were a clear positive. It was associated with being seen as more competent and with greater integrity".

See also Hay hood – An architectural barn element sometimes called a widow's peak

References

External links Media related to Widow's peaks at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of widow's peak at Wiktionary

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Widow's peak

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Widow's peak claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Widow's peak before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Widow's peak ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Widow's peak

In research: Widow's peak appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Widow's peak in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Widow's peak is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Facial features, Human hair, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Widow's peak outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Widow's peak in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Widow's peak means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Widow's peak out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Widow's peak in simple terms?

A widow's peak is a V-shaped point in the hairline in the center of the forehead. Hair growth on the forehead is suppressed in a bilateral pair of periorbital fields.

Why does Widow's peak matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Widow's peak?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Widow's peak.