mrbones's picture
mrbones
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Does facial hair make you more attractive?

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Preliminary research states..... Maybe!
What do you think?
In many species, male secondary sexual traits have evolved via female choice as they confer indirect (i.e. genetic) benefits or direct benefits such as enhanced fertility or survival. In humans, the role of men's characteristically masculine androgen-dependent facial traits in determining men's attractiveness has presented an enduring paradox in studies of human mate preferences. Male-typical facial features such as a pronounced brow ridge and a more robust jawline may signal underlying health, whereas beards may signal men's age and masculine social dominance. However, masculine faces are judged as more attractive for short-term relationships over less masculine faces, whereas beards are judged as more attractive than clean-shaven faces for long-term relationships. Why such divergent effects occur between preferences for two sexually dimorphic traits remains unresolved. In this study, we used computer graphic manipulation to morph male faces varying in facial hair from clean-shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble and full beards to appear more (+25% and +50%) or less (-25% and -50%) masculine. Women (N = 8520) were assigned to treatments wherein they rated these stimuli for physical attractiveness in general, for a short-term liaison or a long-term relationship. Results showed a significant interaction between beardedness and masculinity on attractiveness ratings. Masculinized and, to an even greater extent, feminized faces were less attractive than unmanipulated faces when all were clean-shaven, and stubble and beards dampened the polarizing effects of extreme masculinity and femininity. Relationship context also had effects on ratings, with facial hair enhancing long-term, and not short-term, attractiveness. Effects of facial masculinization appear to have been due to small differences in the relative attractiveness of each masculinity level under the three treatment conditions and not to any change in the order of their attractiveness. Our findings suggest that beardedness may be attractive when judging long-term relationships as a signal of intrasexual formidability and the potential to provide direct benefits to females. More generally, our results hint at a divergence of signalling function, which may result in a subtle trade-off in women's preferences, for two highly sexually dimorphic androgen-dependent facial traits.

J Evol Biol. 2016 Nov;29(11):2311-2320. doi: 10.1111/jeb.12958. Epub 2016 Aug 22.

Ozninjaguy's picture
WINNING's picture

Chic's love beards bro, too bad my ass can't grow one. As long as you keep it well groomed and conditioned and trimmed your good. Some fools be walking around looking like they have pubic hair on their face. I have a measly goatee :( .

KMC's picture

too bad my ass can't grow one

Have you considered you might be going about this all wrong.

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Greg's picture

He just isn't old enough yet

briansteele's picture

Not being able to grow a bear can also be a good thing. Just imagine having an uneven spreading of facial hair, or leaving it unkempt.

The Impastable's picture

I’m pretty sure growing bears is illegal in most states.

briansteele's picture

Well then this will be my foray into the criminal world. Loc me up.

GrowMore's picture

Definitely requires a no homo.

The Impastable's picture

I’m pretty sure there’s a no homo warranted there

Greg's picture

You just tell the forest rangers that you made a Boo Boo.

The Impastable's picture

I’ve met some of those rangers, I’d prefer to take my chances sparring with a state trooper instead of them.

vhman's picture

That’s just crazy talk. Having a bear at your house or out and about, is just super cool. Also, Much better at protecting your house than a yorkie.

The Impastable's picture

Yeah, but when the bear shits on your carpet you have to rip it down to the slab to get the smell out!

fusebox's picture

Puts new meaning on does a bear shit in the woods. Nope. The living room

Ozninjaguy's picture

A beard story: I grow a beard pretty fast. Each year when I was younger I would grow a beard during winter and shave it off during summer. One year I had my best Ned Kelly happening and I was called up for jury duty. I attended the jury selection wearing jeans, short sleeve polo shirt and beard. I did the walk past the defence and prosecutors and both rejected me. They told those of us rejected to come back tomorrow to join a batch of new people called up. I decided to do a little sociological experiment. That night I shaved my beard, and wore long slacks and shirt and tie the next day. On the walk past - both defence and prosecution gave me the nod. It seemed to me that both parties had made a complete judgement of my character mainly based upon the fact that I had a beard. Kind of like how people used to make assumptions about guys with tatts.

Eagles 2013's picture

The only woman who does not think that I look better with facial hair is my mother lol. I prefer to have a beard as well because it suits me well. I am a pretty big guy at 6'3, 240 lbs and probably 15-16% bodyfat right now, but I have a baby face from hell. I feel like keeping a beard makes me look like a large, strong, well built man whereas being clean shaven makes me look like a big awkward teenager. I have come across a few women in my life who do not like facial hair, but it seems that more do. However, that may be because the ones who don't simply don't talk to me

Ozninjaguy's picture

Maybe it's just me - but every time I read baby face from hell I think of Chucky. Tell me it isn't so! Joke mate. Yeah - beards do suit big guys. Beards are becoming more fashionable so it would follow that more women will find them attractive. I went back to Oz 2 years ago to find that every man and his dog had a beard - I was really surprised. It is becoming a global trend. But let's face it (pun intended) beards have probably been in fashion more than out of fashion. Old pics for the turn of the century show almost every guy sporting a beard or mo.

ashop's picture

Probably just depends on the guy,,and the women.
If a man is good looking enough he can pull either off.

Greg's picture

And the women??? Are there some old italian ladies you got a hankering for?

ashop's picture

I meant a women's preference LOL!
Some women like men with facial hair, some don't.

giardap's picture

Retro German porn makes me think....... no

giardap's picture

Uggghhhhh!!!!
Hahahaha

giardap's picture

Damnit.... you are right!
''Note to self'': keep sexual fantasies to self!

Greg's picture

At the beginning of the movie, "The Greatest Show on Earth" I did not find the bearded lady to be very attractive, but by the end of the movie, Yeah, I'd do her... So I guess there is something to facial hair.

Name or link your source.

Sam I Am's picture

Yea but your from the same era as me. We like em hairy Greg...

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333's picture

The Debbie does Dallas era?

mrbones's picture

Haha my boy literally would send them to the shower when we lived in the dorms 18 years ago and make them shave. It was hilarious if I wasn't hooking up myself we would sit in the hallways and watch them do the walk of shame to the bathroom just so they would get their drunk ass laid.

333's picture

Lmfao

Sam I Am's picture

You got it...

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mrbones's picture

Thanks edited. I tried to publish a funny study on Tren like twice and it said it went through but didn't show on the forum in anabolics

Sam I Am's picture

edit

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bigJOHNstud's picture

It sure as hell don’t make you more attractive... but it makes me a sexy s.o.b.

Dr.BroScience's picture

I know you're a Newb but you really have to type

"no homo"

all over this post

Bearded_muscle's picture

YOU BET YOUR ASS

333's picture

Yup but I have the best beard

Bearded_muscle's picture

Agree to disagree my friend. But I’m glad to see you wear it with pride.

333's picture

It's not all about length it also about thickness bro lol my buddy has his beard about middle chest but it's thin as hell I've always kept mine trimmed but might have to let it grow to show my buddy what it's supposed to look like

Bearded_muscle's picture

No homo lol

333's picture

Ah shit lol no homo

GrowMore's picture

Generally yes but cougars prefer the shaved look..

helloBrooklyn's picture

Maybe across the pond they do. Here, I think the older they get, the more rugged a look they’re attracted to. My observation.

alayna's picture

I would agree being a woman and all that rugged is waaaaay more attractive I'm not sure if its bec I'm a older now or bec facial hair, tats, muscles, a strong confidence, all depict masculinity to me. There is a HUGE push to feminize males in America first in vitro hence the transgender crap then through xenoestrogens in the environment. I am no feminist I like my man to be a man and facial hair on a man except a mustache is super sexy