Holy Moley That Beard Looks Fine: A Short Look Into The Psychology of Beards

If you haven’t seen it yet then you need to check out the video, Peekaboo Surprise! which is a perfect example of the effect facial hair has on women. Well, okay, in this particular case on a little girl and her dad, but still the point stands; beards really do make a difference.

Beards and facial hair have seen a dramatic shift in popularity since the about the 60’s, when beards were seen as part of the free love movement and became somewhat associated with things such as dirtiness, lack of a job, sex, drugs, and just the overall demeanor of a person who was not in any way a helpful member of society. This can be seen in the way that beards were used in popular culture; only hippies, bad guys, or the homeless were portrayed as having facial hair; meanwhile the good guys were clean shaven.

However that aesthetic has changed in recent years, and beards have become one of the highest ranking features of attractiveness.

But why? Why is it that beards and facial hair has this power to make women swoon and little girls cry? Well, like most things the answer can maybe found within psychology.

There have been many psychological studies done on beards over the last few decades. The topics range from whether a beard can hinder employment to whether bearded men are more fertile than most. However, the purpose of this article will focus on whether women find bears more attractive, and, if so, why?

A study conducted by researchers Barnaby Dixson and Paul Vasey used pictures of men, bearded and non-bearded, and asked both men and women how attractive they perceived them to be. The study found that while women did not perceive the men as physically more attractive there was a stronger allure to the bearded men. Likewise men seemed to perceive the bearded men as being more attractive. However men also noted that they were more intimidated by the bearded men. (Rob, 2014)

Another study, conducted by the same researchers, showed participants pictures of men making happy, neutral, or angry faces with and without a beard. The beard caused more participants to rate the men as being perceived as more aggressive than those without the facial hair. But how does this tie into attraction.

From an evolutionary stand point, a women want to mate with someone who is more aggressive, because this aggression could be perceived as a sign of strength and protection. As such, women are more drawn to the bearded men, because of this perceived aggression. Despite this evolutionary drive, there may be other reasons women are attracted to beards.

Other studies on beards have found that people perceive beards as a symbol of elevated social status; this may lead women to believe that men with beards are in better positions to care for them, which raises the men’s attractiveness in women’s eyes. There have also been studies which have found that beards are a symbol of good health; women would be attracted to healthier men. (Alexander, 2014)

It seems to be that, whatever the reason that women find bearded men more attractive, it breaks down to being about the man’s ability to take care of, and protect, women.