Once we are no longer in high school and the boys are out of this phase where they have barely a few hairs on the chin, we all come to appreciate a good beard. In the minds of more than one woman, the fact that a man has an abundant beard on the chin is clearly attractive and is often associated with the charm, and more particularly if the beard is well cared for, it becomes irresistible.
Take Chris Hemsworth and Tom Payne as examples. They would not be as attractive as they are without their beards. In fact, we often have the impression that most celebrities seem more attractive and seductive with the beard. It's the same for Guillaume Canet, Vincent Cassel and Pascal Elbé who are just as good with a beard.
A study that sheds light on the importance of the beard
Thanks to a new study by Barnaby Dixson at the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia, science can now tell us why women generally have a soft spot for bearded men.
The study, published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, examined the relationship between men's facial hair and the impact it could have on their long-term relationships with the opposite gender. Do you know that ladies prefer a handsome bearded man rather than a man with a clean shaven face?
The researchers presented a variety of male faces that have been retouched by graphics software to have different types of facial hair ranging from shaved beards up close to the one that is very generous. A total of 8,520 women were asked to rate the different types of beards based on their overall appeal, and to rank them according to the likelihood of considering a short-term or rather long-term relationship with the profiles in question.
The beard would play a much bigger role than we imagine
"The results showed a significant interaction between beard and manhood based on attractiveness assessments," the statement said. It is indeed significant, the 8,520 women have shown an obvious preference for facial hair. In addition, men with larger beards were considered more likely partners for a marriage project, while those with only a few hairs in the best case were generally considered better for occasional relationships. .
The same release also states that "the results suggest that the beard may be attractive when one speaks of long-term relationship as a signal of complexity and the potential to offer direct benefits to women".
In other words, having a beard is a sign for girls that a particular man has a good mix of masculine and feminine characteristics, which would make him an ideal partner. Women always avoid men who seem too feminine, thin voice, facial skin too smooth and chin worthy of a child. That said, women do not like men to be excessively masculine either.
It has been found that "male faces have been found to be more attractive for short-term relationships than for less masculine faces, while beards are considered more attractive than shaved faces for long-term relationships. "
How does all this work?
You see, a beard changes the shape of a man's face, hiding the very square jaws that could be interpreted in women as "too masculine", and therefore uninviting. The study found that those with strong jaws were better for short-term relationships and one-night adventures, and that women with ultra-masculine traits regarded them as unreliable suitors.
Introduce, gentlemen, the beard into the equation to soften your masculine features while saying "I am a strong and protective man". Plus, that says facial hair says testosterone, and that says testosterone says mature. And as the study has shown, you have in your hands the perfect ingredients to build a healthy, long-lasting relationship.