Stubble was deemed most attractive overall and received higher ratings for flings and short-term relationships than full beards. Full beards were attractive to women searching for long-term relationships.
Dixson and Robert C Brooks aimed to decipher the role of facial hair in women's perceptions of attractiveness, and the results were undeniable. After judging a number of pictures featuring men with varying degrees of facial hair, the vast majority of women found full-bearded men to be the top dogs in the mix.
Clarkson et al. (2020)[i] discovered that women find men with facial hair to be attractive and dominant, both socially and physically. Their study was conducted at the University of Queensland using 919 American women between the ages of 18 and 70, who rated photographs of men with various stages of facial hair.
In 2017 research, it was found out that a man's facial hair influences a woman's mate preferences. Women are more attracted to bearded men. Another study proved that men with full beard growth are regarded as more masculine, aggressive, socially mature, and attractive. Men with light beards are believed to be dominant.
The pattern indicates that clean-shaven men and those with longer, full beards are considered by women to be best for long-term relationships. Whereas, those with stubble-short beards are seen as more attractive for flings or casual dating.
In this new study, published Tuesday in the Royal Society Open Science journal, very masculine faces and those with beards were rated more attractive than feminine-looking male faces or clean-shaven faces. This held true regardless if the woman was looking for a short-term or long-term relationships.
Another study found that men with beards may be seen as more masculine, mature and as having a higher social status. These traits are clearly important contributors to the overall sense of attractiveness.
A study published in The Royal Society Open Science has found that women are more attracted to men with beards. Almost 1,000 women took part in the study which determined that women preferred men with beards because they found them more physically and socially dominant. It's not all good news for bearded men, though.
Muscularity is sexy.
In a separate study, women reported that their short-term sexual partners were more muscular than their other partners. The researchers suggest women have fewer requirements for muscular men.
Beards are often associated with masculinity and are thought to indicate that a man is mature, strong, and capable. 2 Beards can also be seen as a sign of maturity and wisdom, which can be appealing to women who are looking for a more sophisticated, much more experienced and intelligent partner.
33.9 percent of participants said a mustache makes a man look more mature, 22.3 said it made him look more masculine, and 26.4 percent just said outright, “It's sexy.”
The goatee beard refers to any style featuring hair above the lip and on the chin only, sometimes connected to create a frame for the mouth. Goatee looks especially good on slim, angular faces and can make a round face look slightly slimmer. It's great on guys with short or curly hair.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many women appreciate men who trim their pubic areas or shave them smooth entirely. According to some, it helps men and women think of a guy's package as larger. But women appreciate body hair on a guy's arms and legs, and even some on his chest if it's not super thick or like a carpet.
Attractive Men's Hairstyles #1 Undercut
The undercut combines short and long men's hairstyles that stand out from all angles. The back and sides are shaved while hair at the top is swept right, left, or backward. It's easy and quick to style with a natural men's pomade or natural men's hair gel.
Beards can accentuate the very best features of your face. For instance, due to their position on the face, a beard can accentuate your jawline, giving you one worthy of a movie star. A strong jawline is correlated with a higher level of testosterone, which women are pre-programmed to find attractive.
4. Full Beard. Looks like you can go full throttle with the beard if 17 percent of 18 to 24-year-old women have a say. 15 percent of the middle group agreed, but an overwhelming 33 percent of the oldest group approved of the long beard look.
How does testosterone aid in growing facial hair? By interacting with the tiny hair follicles (sacs in the skin) you have on your face. It pigments them giving them a darker color and stimulating them to thicken. However, testosterone without the right genetics won't give you a bushy beard.
Testosterone is the primary hormone responsible for the development of male secondary sexual characteristics, including beard growth. Other hormones, such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT), also play a role in beard growth. Increasing one or both can lead to a stronger, thicker, and fuller beard.
After looking at whether you have patchy or full facial hair, Thad recommends looking at your face shape when determining your beard style. “The goal is to make your head look as oval as possible.” In aiming at an oval shape, you increase your head's overall symmetry and proportionality.
We've heard it time and time again...“yeah, the summer is too hot for a beard.” Most people assume beards make you warmer during the summer months, which just isn't true. In fact, beards provide some protection from the sun's damaging UV rays in addition to actually helping you stay cooler in the summer heat.
A beard not only blocks the sunlight from reaching your face but also traps sweat beneath the beard, closer to your skin. Trapping this sweat and blocking the sun will actually not make you feel any warmer to wear a beard in hot conditions. Actually making you feel cooler…and cool looking!
Women's current preferences for men's pubic hair
Another survey of 300 women found 64 percent preferred their guys trimmed, 16 percent preferred a clean-shaven man and 20 percent found the natural look best.
But in the same way not every woman can pull off platinum blonde hair, beards are not flattering on all guys. It may be a matter of preference. Some dudes look better clean shaven (or with a sexy five o'clock shadow) while others seem more attractive with a face full of scruff.
And while men are not inherently more masculine with a beard, a study of young men and women found that men with beards look more masculine and dominant.