Men With Beard More Attractive To Women, Study Finds

Despite the fear of fleas and scares that beards carry more germs than dogs, a new study finds that women are actually more attracted to men with beard than without. We have to say we quite agree with the new finding given how Twitter went bananas over Justin Trudeau’s new salt and pepper look recently. Humph! The findings come from interviews with 919 men and women aged between 18 and 70, who were presented with 30 photos of three men and were asked to rate their attractiveness for both potential short and long-term relationships.

Each of the three faces was shown both bearded and clean-shaven and presented with five levels of ‘masculinity’, with the trait defined by features such as full beards, a prominent jawline and brow, and deep-set narrow eyes.

They were also made to answer questionnaires measuring attitudes such as their repulsion in response to parasites, their desire to have children and so on.

The study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science placed facial masculinity above more feminine faces. Researchers at the University of Queensland, led by PhD student Tessa Clarkson, said this could be seen as a sign of dominance, and that bold facial features can mask unattractive ones. 

Also Read: Sorry Lumberjack Look! Study Claims That Men With Beards Carry More Germs Than Dogs

According to the results of this study:

‘This could be interpreted as evidence that facial hair is preferred as a marker of health among women with high pathogen concerns, or that facial hair masks areas of the face that would communicate ill health’.